from the dreaming spires of oxford to canterbury's stunning cathedral, england boasts some of the greatest architectural gems and historic attractions in the world and with spring on its way, it's a great time to take a city break oxford university's radcliffe camera is one of the many incredible sights to visit in england this spring  oxford  home to the oldest university in the english speaking world, oxford has been wowing students for hundreds of years with its honey hued domes and sky piercing spires its colleges have nurtured some of the nation's greatest minds   from astronomer edwin hubble to playwright oscar wilde   but you don't have to be student to take a tour alternatively, follow in the footsteps of jrr tolkien and cs lewis and sink a pint at the 17th century the eagle and child it's where their university group, the 'inklings', used to meet to discuss literature over a tipple or two cambridge  with its grand buildings, historical shops and bustling market, cambridge is just as striking as oxford the river cam runs along the backs of the university   the ultimate place for punting visit one or two of the colleges   many are architectural marvels with centuries of history and culture to discover the river cam runs along the backs of the university at cambridge   the ultimate place for punting  trinity college is perhaps the most famous, counting isaac newton and lord byron among its alumni stop for lunch at the eagle, where molecular biologist francis crick announced that he and james watson had discovered the structure of dna lincoln  it's 800 years since england's most important document, magna carta, was sealed, and if you head to the newly restored lincoln castle, you can see one of only four surviving original copies of the charter in a state of the art underground vault reopening on april 1, the refurbished castle will also have a new 360 degree walkway along its walls, letting visitors see the historical building from a new angle, and giving unprecedented access to its 18th century prisons, as featured in television's downton abbey canterbury  along with a visit to the famous cathedral, a tour of the river stour is a must when you visit canterbury  canterbury was the final destination of geoffrey chaucer's not so holy pilgrims as they made their way from london to thomas becket's shrine in canterbury cathedral the tales were written in the 14th century, but it's still easy to imagine a fat monk or a drunken miller travelling on horseback through winding cobbled streets to what is now a unesco world heritage site along with a visit to the famous cathedral, a tour of the river stour is a must from the comfort of the boat, you'll glide past gems that include a 13th century franciscan island, the beautiful westgate gardens and the king's bridge, which dates back to 1134 bath  ever wondered what the romans got up to in their lavish leisure centres? during peak summer months, you can ask your private guide to elaborate on an evening tour of one of the best preserved roman structures in the world visitors to bath can listen to famed travel writer bill bryson's fascinating audio commentary  and all year round, you can listen to famed travel writer bill bryson's fascinating audio commentary, which offers an insight into roman life, beliefs and spirituality, as you peer into ancient changing rooms, wander through a temple dedicated to a goddess with healing powers, and admire the torch lit great bath
lincoln oxford uk magna carta england spring english
spring is a great time to take a city break in the uk  england boasts some of the greatest  historic attractions in the world  oxford is home to the oldest university in the english speaking world  england's most important document, magna carta, was sealed at lincoln  for more holiday ideas go to visitenglandcom 