The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been named the UK's top experience by leading travel media company Lonely Planet, in a new ranked list of the 500 most memorable, beautiful, surprising and compelling experiences to be had across Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.

A performer on the Royal Mile during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe © VisitScotland

The UK’s four constituent countries and countless small islands comprise a powerhouse of history and culture and now, for the first time, Lonely Planet’s community of travel experts has chosen the best sights and experiences and ranked them in order of their brilliance in Lonely Planet’s Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist.

Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe staked its claim to the top spot because “the Fringe floods the city with art and nowhere beats it for spectacle or scale… There is theatre, comedy, dance, circus, cabaret, opera, music and spoken word, and whatever the time of day, an acrobat, trapeze artist, contortionist or tried-and-tested bagpiping busker will be pleased to entertain you… Simply step through the looking glass and prepare to be dazzled by the greatest show of arts and culture on Earth.”

The Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world and takes place each August alongside the Edinburgh International Festival. 

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “We are enormously proud to be named the UK’s top experience in Lonely Planet’s Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist, a true testament to the creativity, energy and imagination that Fringe artists and audiences bring to Edinburgh each year.”

British Museum © VisitBritain / Jason Hawkes

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is followed by London’s British Museum – “the envy of the world” – at number 2 and “timeless…and unrepeatable” Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland at number 3. The top Welsh experience, at number 10 on the list, is Pembrokeshire National Park, described by Lonely Planet as a"ravishing stretch of cliff-flanked coves, thrashing seas, wildflower-freckled moors and hedge-lined tracks leading to one-pub villages."

Lonely Planet’s VP of Experience, Tom Hall, said: “Lonely Planet’s Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist brings together the UK’s most compelling sights and experiences, ranging from world-class museums and giant cathedrals to rollicking festivals, inky lochs and tiny pubs. We’re thrilled to name the world’s largest arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the UK’s top experience – it’s one of the most exciting and diverse destinations on the planet.”

Giant's Causeway © Tourism Northern Ireland

To create Lonely Planet’s Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist, the Lonely Planet team compiled every highlight from the Lonely Planet guidebooks to Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Every sight, attraction and experience that had caught their writers’ attention over the years were included. Everyone in Lonely Planet’s London office, plus 20 leading figures in the country’s travel sector, were then asked to reveal their favourite spots and experiences before the voting began. Everybody in Lonely Planet’s UK community was asked to vote for their top 20 experiences. With hundreds of votes cast, Lonely Planet ended up with a score for each of the 500 experiences in the book.

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, added: "The United Kingdom has some of the most exciting and inspirational experiences anywhere in the world and this new list from Lonely Planet highlights the best. In every cormer of the UK there is an experience not to be missed and, at Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, we can ensure that your tour takes in the ones you most want to enjoy."

If you or your group would like to enjoy a tailor-made tour of the United Kingdom including the country's top experiences, please do contact our friendly team today.