Late availability city breaks in the UK

Fancy a city break? Why go to the expense of flying aboard when you can enjoy a staycation in a city holiday cottage here in the UK.

There are currently 69 cities in the UK. 51 in England, seven in Scotland, six in Wales and five in Northern Island. Each one is steeped in history and home to a wide variety of holiday rental properties.

Although all our holiday homes have fully equipped kitchens, why not take the opportunity to go out for breakfast. Open the door of your city break property and take a stroll to a local café. Read the papers and watch the world go by as you enjoy a relaxing coffee.

After breakfast, why not familiarize yourselves with the city by taking an open topped bus tour? Hop on and off as you go along or enjoy the whole trip and then choose the places you would like to go back to.

From St David’s in Wales, the UK’s smallest city with a population of less than 2,000 to London with a population of over seven million our cities offer holiday accommodation to suit everyone.

Once you have chosen your destination and selected your rental property you will be spoilt for choice as to what to do while you are away on a city break.

The United Kingdom is a country steeped in history which you can explore from your city based holiday cottage.

By definition, the UK’s cities are home to some of the most architecturally amazing cathedrals. Visit any one of them and try to imagine how they were built all those centuries ago with no modern day machinery. From Salisbury Cathedral to York Minster, from the spires of Durham to the northernmost city of Inverness each one has its own history and story to tell.

One of the anomalies to the general rule that a city must have a cathedral is Stirling in Scotland. With its castle perched high on a rocky outcrop and dominating the skyline, Stirling was one of the principal royal strongholds of the Kingdom of Scotland. In 1130 under the rule of King David I it became a royal burgh. Then in 2002, as part of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations Stirling was granted city status. Its close neighbour Dunblane is home to a magnificent cathedral and, of course, Andy Murray’s golden postbox.

Dotted across the UK, we have some amazing castles. Some are moated, some stand high above the cities they were built to protect but every one of them is worth a visit while you are staying in city based accommodation.

As well as cathedrals and castles, a visit to a museum is a must when you are renting a holiday home in a UK city.

The perfect rental property in a UK city will allow you to be within walking distance of some of the most unusual museums in the world.

The Firing Line is the Cardiff Castle Museum to the Welsh soldier, telling the stories and displaying memorabilia of over 300 years of service of two Welsh regiments, 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards and The Royal Welsh. Entry to the Firing Line Museum is included with your ticket to visit the castle.

Ulster Museum in Belfast offers A Night at the Museum tours which start at about 9pm. During the tour visitors are taken on a torch-lit tour of the entire museum illuminating Takabuti the mummy and Edmontosaurus dinosaur. This is followed by early breakfast in the museum’s café before the museum opens to the general public. Tickets for these tours which include a full tour of the museum, night-time activities and breakfast are very popular and should be booked in advance. If you want to stay all night make sure you take your sleeping bag and pillow and you will be in for a spooky experience. However, if you would prefer to return to the comfort of your holiday cottage the tour finishes at about 12.30am.

Other unusual museums include The Colman’s Mustard Shop and Museum in Norwich, The Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, The Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh, The Verdant Works in Dundee which explores the history of jute.

Spend your evenings relaxing in your self-catering accommodation. Choose a holiday cottage with a garden in which you can enjoy a glass of wine after a day spent exploring the city you are visiting - a luxury couples break or a family weekend away.

If you are looking for evening culture, book theatre tickets before you head off for your city break.

Whichever city you choose to visit you will find accommodation options for your city base here at Late Availability Cottages.