London.

Red buses, black cabs, and a 900-year-old fortress guarding diamonds the size of golf balls. London does pageantry on a Tuesday — then sends you off to Stonehenge before the crowds arrive.

London layers a thousand years of royal drama onto a thoroughly modern city — and it makes the perfect launchpad. Our London lineup leans into day trips: stand inside the stone circle at Stonehenge, soak up Georgian Bath, tour Windsor Castle and the Tower of London with entry tickets included, or wander Hampton Court's storied corridors. Film fans can chase Harry Potter from the Warner Bros. studios to real shooting locations, while private walking tours and chauffeur-driven cars cover the capital at your own pace.