EKTA
Gold
2k$36.48 AUD
United Kingdom highlights on a budget
Doing United Kingdom on a budget means the cheapest third of what is worth doing: Strathclyde Grain distillery, Willow Tearooms. Activities in this plan start from about $23.
Your 5-day highlights plan for United Kingdom
Where you stayGlasgow 3 nightsBelfast 2 nightsabout 175 km between them
5 days · packed · 4 of 19 bookable now · activities from about $128
-
Day 1 Glasgow
-
morning
Strathclyde Grain distillery
Whisky distillery in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Dates from 1927.
Just turn up -
afternoon
Willow Tearooms
Tea house. category A listed building.
-
evening
Glasgow City Centre Walking Tour
-
evening
Glasgow Street Art Walking Tour
Where to eat
-
Breakfast
Bridgeton Cross Retail Market
A morning market, open 10am to 3pm.
-
Lunch
Horse Shoe Bar, 17-21 Drury Street, Glasgow
The Horse Shoe Bar (or Horseshoe Bar) is a public house on Drury Street, Glasgow, Scotland.
-
-
Day 2 Glasgow
-
morning
Glasgow Botanic Gardens
Botanical garden. Dates from 1817. Inventory Garden and Designed Landscape.
-
afternoon
Auchentoshan distillery
Trademark. Dates from 1823.
-
evening
Littlemill distillery
Scottish whisky distillery. Dates from 1772.
Just turn up -
evening
Antonine Wall
Defensive wall. Dates from 142. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Just turn up
-
-
Day 3 Glasgow
-
morning
St Mary's Cathedral
Church building in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Dates from 1893. category A listed building.
-
afternoon
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Art museum. Dates from 1901. category A listed building.
-
evening
Riverside Museum
Transport museum. Dates from 2011.
-
evening
St Andrew's Cathedral
Catholic cathedral in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Dates from 1816. category A listed building.
-
-
Day 4 Belfast
-
Travel day
Glasgow to Belfast
Journey time is an estimate rather than a timetable - check the operator before you book anything tight on either side of it.
Book direct -
afternoon
Ox
Restaurant in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
-
evening
Belfast Hop-On Hop-Off City Sightseeing Bus Pass
-
evening
Game of Thrones, Westeros & Giant's Causeway Day Tour from Belfast
Where to eat
-
Breakfast
St George's Market
The last surviving Victorian covered market in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
-
Lunch
Has had a Michelin star since 2016.
-
Dinner
Awarded a Michelin star in the 2020 Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland.
-
-
Day 5 Belfast
-
morning
WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre
Nature reserve in United Kingdom.
-
afternoon
St George's Market
Market hall. Dates from 1899. Grade B+ listed building.
Just turn up -
evening
Deanes
Restaurant located in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
-
evening
Carrickfergus Castle
Irish castle near Belfast.
Where to eat
-
Lunch
Crown Liquor Saloon
A pub in Great Victoria Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
-
Dinner
Kelly's Cellars
Built on March 14, 1720, it is one of the oldest pubs of Belfast.
-
Prices are indicative and in Australian dollars. Flights and accommodation are not included. Distances between stops are straight-line, so a walking or driving route will be longer, and they are shown only where both stops have a known location. Items marked also worth doing sit outside the highlights theme and are there because they are among the best things to do in United Kingdom.
Before you fly to United Kingdom
The part an itinerary app leaves out. These are United Kingdom's rules for Australian passport holders, re-read from the official source and dated below.
Entry
No visa, but Australians need an approved UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before boarding.
Passport
Check your passport covers the whole trip with room to spare. A fare is non-refundable long before a passport renewal is.
Your checklist
21 things to sort for United Kingdom, built from these same rules, 3 of them essential.
- Passport valid - valid for the duration of your stay
- Apply for your UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
- Take out travel insurance
Last reviewed 2026-10-24. Entry requirements change without notice. Always confirm with the official sources below before you book or fly.
Sort these before you go
The two things worth having arranged before a highlights trip to United Kingdom, compared on price.
United Kingdom travel insurance
Klook
Travel insurance
Set at quote
Fast Cover Best value
Standard Saver
9k$18.10 AUD
Compare only
United Kingdom eSIM plans
Airalo
1GB · 7 days
32k$8 AUD
Saily Cheapest 10GB
10GB · 15 days
6k$14 AUD
Airalo Recommended
10GB · 15 days
32k$15.50 AUD
Prices are indicative, shown in AUD and refreshed from provider APIs where available. Always confirm the final price on the provider's site - it is the price that applies. We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, which never changes what you pay. Partners are listed before providers who pay us nothing, as our terms set out; sorting by price ignores all of that and orders on the number alone. How we make money.
Budget highlights questions
What counts as budget here?
The lowest-priced third of everything worth doing in that country, measured against that country's own prices rather than a fixed dollar figure. A budget day in Norway and a budget day in Vietnam are not the same number, and pretending otherwise would just describe the exchange rate.
Does a cheaper plan mean a worse one?
No, and the ordering is the same either way: everything is ranked on its review score first, so a budget plan is the best-reviewed cheap things rather than the cheapest things. Flights and accommodation are not included in any of these figures.
What goes into a highlights plan?
It rotates between wellness, sightseeing and food items rather than clustering them, so no single day is three museums or three meals. If you would rather lean one way, switch the theme at the top of the page and the plan rebuilds.
Can I change the plan once it is built?
Yes. Pace and length are controls on the page, and changing either rebuilds the plan instantly. The itinerary is deterministic, so the same choices always produce the same plan - you can send someone the link and they will see what you see.
Other ways to do United Kingdom
United Kingdom wellness itinerary
Hot springs and spa days, but also gyms, yoga, hiking and open water. Rest and movement, not one or the other.
United Kingdom sightseeing itinerary
Coastlines, lookouts, day trips and the landmarks that are actually worth the queue.
United Kingdom food itinerary
Markets, cooking classes, wine regions and the places worth planning a day around.
Highlights trips in other countries
Still deciding where to go? These are built the same way - real activities, in an order that works, with the entry rules for Australians attached.
🇮🇹 Italy highlights itinerary
Schengen visa-free - with EES biometrics now in force and ETIAS coming.
🇪🇸 Spain highlights itinerary
Visa-free, late-eating, and cheaper than its neighbours.
🇳🇿 New Zealand highlights itinerary
Closest to home, easiest to plan.
🇯🇵 Japan highlights itinerary
Visa-free, cash-friendly, and worth over-preparing for.