England, United Kingdom

England is the biggest of the four nations and it contains almost every version of Britain inside its own borders — the London machine, the northern cities that resent it, the west-country farming towns, the seaside resorts that had their heyday in 1955 and never quite recovered, and the commuter belt that votes differently to everyone around it. The accents alone run from received pronunciation to Geordie to West Country burr, and English people can place each other to within thirty miles.

The country's social engine is the pub, which functions as living room, debating chamber and dating venue at the same time. Saturday night in any English city is a genuine institution — coat-free in January, closing time still dictating the rhythm of the evening, and a taxi queue that everyone accepts as normal because it has always been there. The class system is real and constantly referenced, and it shapes how people talk about themselves more than it shapes anything else.

Expect the fastest and most self-deprecating conversation in Europe, real pub culture, and absolutely no embarrassment about a night out that ends badly.

Nearby: London Manchester Newcastle Scotland