The British Isles are an island group to the west of continental Europe which are technically part of Europe. They consist of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, The Isle of Man, the Hebrides and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states in the British Isles; the United Kingdom & the Republic of Ireland.
NB: This page relates to the UK & Ireland only. If you are looking for more information about Continental European Destinations head to our Europe page here.
The largest island in the British Isles and indeed in Europe is Great Britain, which is made up of three countries that are part of the United Kingdom; England in the south, Scotland in the north & Wales to the west of England.
The second largest island is Ireland which is divided into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, though there is currently an open border between the two. The Republic of Ireland is an independent country which is not part of the United Kingdom, whereas Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. Together with England, Scotland & Wales it makes up the UK (which is short for ‘the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland’, but I mean screw saying that all the time!)
The Republic of Ireland is part of the European Union (EU), whereas the UK left the EU in 2020 (after a majority of UK voters favoured leaving the EU in a referendum.) Neither Ireland nor the UK are part of the Schengen Area, which means that border checks are in force when you enter the British Isles.
A number of smaller islands or island groups also make up the British Isles, including Orkney & Shetland (to the north of Scotland), the Inner & Outer Hebrides (to the west of Scotland) and the Isle of Man (located between Great Britain & Ireland.) There are also several islands in the English Channel, that are actually located closer to the coast of France- Jersey & Guernsey. While they are not technically part of the British Isles nor the UK, they are British crown dependencies.
The British Isles offer travellers a huge amount of variety, from bustling cities like London, Edinburgh & Dublin through to quaint English villages and miles of rolling fields. Then there are the windswept moors, spectacular wild coastlines and rocky outcrops of Scotland, Ireland & Wales. Northern Wales and the Scottish Highlands also feature snowy peaks.
England has an extensive rail network, while outside of the main cities Scotland, Ireland & Wales are usually more easy to explore by bus or with a rental car. Throughout the UK the currency is the pound sterling (£) while the Republic of Ireland uses the Euro (€).
Destinations in the UK & Ireland
You can access all the destination guides & itineraries that I have created for the UK & Ireland in the links below.