For such a small country, England certainly sloshes around in mighty big Wellingtons. From The Beatles to the Beckhams, Wordsworth to the Windsors, you needn't have set foot on its soggy soil to be familiar with England's cultural icons.

England is the largest country in Britain, which also includes Scotland in the north, Wales in the west and Northern Ireland across the Irish Sea.

If you don't like incessant rain, indifferent service and parting ways with your life savings, then steer clear of here. Still, 50 million people have chosen to cram into a space of only 50,000 square miles, so there must be something going for it.

Indeed there is, and you'd need months and a mint to take in England's myriad attractions: the dynamic cosmopolitan cities of London, Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle; the refined university towns of Oxford and Cambridge; the chic beachside resort of Brighton; the mysterious, prehistoric monoliths of Stonehenge; Shakespeare's old stomping ground at handsome Stratford-Upon-Avon; the formidable castles of Northumberland; the Gothic spires of medieval York; the stunning Georgian spa town of Bath; Cornwall's rugged coastline and the windswept mountainsides of the Lake District.

England has 39 counties and many more regional accents; keep your ears tuned for the endearing Cockney twang of East London, the rustic lilt of the West Country, the incomprehensible Geordie slang, rough-and-ready Scouse and plum-in-the-mouth Queen's English.

England today is an ethnic melting pot and you'll just as soon see people scoffing chicken tikka masala and celebrating Diwali as getting stuck into a fried breakfast and downing lager at a summer music festival.

Survival guide 

England's weather is temperate but temperamental; the northwest is notoriously cloudy and damp and while it seldom pours in the southeast, drizzle or mist is a near-constant in the winter. As the tourist hordes reflect, summer (June to September) is the best time to travel in England - the temperature hovers in the low-to-mid-20s (Celsius) and the sun is guaranteed to make a regular appearance. July is the warmest month. Snow is frequent in northern England in January and February.

The food in England has improved considerably in the past decade. Nearly every supermarket has a large organic produce section, cheap fresh fruit and veggie markets can be found on every other street corner, gastropubs serve creative fare and Indian chicken tikka masala has become more British than fish and chips.

While most of Europe has moved over to the euro, the British remain protective of their pounds and pence.

London alone has four large international airports - at Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted. British Airways is the national airline.

Ferries connect England with Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland.

If you're touring Europe on the cheap, Eurolines buses is an economical, albeit neck-seizing way to travel.

Train travel to and from England is possible with Eurostar (from London to Paris or Brussels), with Eurotunnel (Folkestone in England to Calais in France) or via train/ferry links with Rail Europe.

Within England, train is the most expensive and unreliable way to get around and Britain does not accept Eurail passes.

National Express is the largest coach company in the United Kingdom, offering a reasonable service, although budget coach company Megabus is a cheaper way to travel between major cities.