What is the coolest country in the world? Everyone will have their own answer to this question—Hollywood wannabes will say America, sappy romantics will say France, and bold (possibly crazy) adventurers will say Nepal. But the answer just might be Britain. Name anything you love, and Britain has it. Music? The Beatles. The arts? The Edinburgh Festival. Learning? Oxford and Cambridge. History? On every street corner. Sports? “Football.” Literature? Shakespeare. Celebrity gossip? The royal family.

Britain has everything a traveler could want, and it’s one of the most accessible countries in the world. There’s no language barrier, the waiters aren’t judging you, and everything is packed into a convenient island-sized package. But don’t think Britain is resting on its laurels. This country continually invents and inspires, as musicians create new beats, modern-art museums deliver mind-blowing spectacles, and boy wizards save the world. In 2012, the Olympic Games even come to London for a record third time. Whether you spend your trip touring all of London’s free museums or curled up in front of the BBC with a cuppa, either way you’ll be experiencing British culture at its best. So forget about Nepal, get over France, and bid good day to the USA, because Britain is where it’s at.