Oxford

Most come to Oxford to visit the famed university whose colleges date back more than 800 years. When you step inside the honey-coloured Wadham College, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were on the set of a Harry Potter movie.

That said, the city doesn't feel stuffy. Thanks to its young student population, there's a vibrancy where old Oxford traditions like punting sit side by side with a modern music and food scene. This is a town where you can see the Magna Carta at the Weston Library in the morning, hit the upmarket shops in the afternoon and catch a Broadway show at the New Theatre Oxford in the evening.