The best places to visit in England in 2023

There's always something to look forward to in England, but 2023 will offer some special, once-in-a-lifetime memories for travellers. With hotly-anticipated museum openings, festivals, anniversaries, and –  let's not forget – the crowning of the King, we've selected the top cities, towns and regions for celebrating England's history, culture and outdoors in 2023. 

Best places to visit in England in 2023

As if anyone needs an excuse to visit London. The capital is a hive of activities happening day and night, 365 days a year. But 2023 brings some exciting events.

England has history like no other country in the world, and that’s something travellers find incredibly special. Perhaps the most fascinating part its living history, more specifically surrounding its monarchy. May 2023 will add another occasion to its history books, as we see the crowning of King Charles III, seventy years after Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. This will be the biggest occasion of the year as we commemorate the new sovereign, and although the whole country will be partying, London expectedly anticipates the largest crowds.

Another reason to visit the big city this summer is for the London Festival, with a two-week programme unlike any other. Taking place in Hyde Park, the event will be an immersive experience exploring the city’s colourful past with virtual displays and life-size reconstructions. It will meld together history, food and culture, with some special VIP entertainment and performances. 

One of the most hotly anticipated (re)openings for 2023 is the Manchester Museum. After an extravagant spruce up, costing £15 million, the museum is expected to be a key new cultural destination with unique collections, galleries and projects that have never been seen before. The transformation aims to tell the story of Manchester, with some of its first exhibitions on South Asia curated by locals to represent the city’s Asian community.  The museum opens from 18 February.

Elsewhere, Factory International will be another popular attraction for the city. Expected to open its doors from June, the new cultural space will be the home of the Manchester International Festival. Helping its summer programme take off is the biggest ever immersive installation from world-renown Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

Those who love their art will know about the Turner Prize. The annual prestigious award is given to a British contemporary artist, and takes place at Tate Britain every other year, and venues around the country in alternate years. In 2023, the sleepy seaside town of Eastbourne will be be put under the creative limelight as its Towner Art Gallery is selected to host the Turner Prize. Why this venue? This year marks a century since Eastbourne Towner first opened, with celebratory exhibitions running throughout the year, including a retrospective dedicated to Barbara Hepworth during the summer. 

If you’re looking for culture, look no further than Leeds at it prepares to host its very own Year of Culture, LEEDS 2023. The city took initiative to create its own programme of artistic events after it had to withdraw its bid to become a European Capital of Culture, thanks to Brexit.

The three-part programme will be celebrated across every one of Leeds’ 33 wards. The first part is named ‘The Awakening’, which kicked off the Year of Culture celebrations on the 7 January at Headingly Stadium with a live show of poetry, dance and comedy. But there’s plenty more to come. Look forward to events, performances and more throughout the year.

In an unexpected turn of events, the United Kingdom came very close to a Eurovision win in 2022. Ukraine deservedly came out on top, and so the UK have stepped in to host on the winner’s behalf. The globally celebrated singing competition will be taking place in Liverpool in May, and we couldn’t think of a better place than this UNESCO City of Music. As well as the grand finale, there will be nine other live shows, providing more chances to experience the magic of Eurovision than you may expect!

But there’s more to come form Liverpool if you stay a little longer. June until September will see the 25^th anniversary of Liverpool Biennial, the UK’s largest contemporary arts festival. It’s set to take over galleries, museums and other public spaces throughout the summer.

Celebrating its 50^th anniversary in 2023 is the South West Coast Path, the UK’s longest footpath and National Trail at more than 1,000km in length. The picturesque path stretches from Somerset, along the shoreline of Devon and Cornwall, and ending in Dorset, with around nine million people accessing the path every year. During May's National Walking Month, the South West Coast Path association will be putting on a range of celebratory events, including a photography exhibition and Trailblazer Walk. All funds will go towards preserving the well-trodden path for future stompers to enjoy.

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