THE BEST OF BRITISH HISTORY

Explore London and Edinburgh with Rocco Forte Hotels

 

Few cities in the world have more stories to tell than London. With a history stretching back to Roman times, London boasts countless world-famous landmarks, and even more less well-known treasures: take the time to seek out the remains of a Roman amphitheatre rediscovered in 1988, for example, or the Palace of Placentia, where Sir Walter Raleigh is said to have laid his cloak over a puddle so that Queen Elizabeth wouldn’t get her feet wet. Ideally, just wander the city’s streets and feel the history oozing from its pores.

 

As London’s first hotel, opened in Mayfair in 1837, Brown’s Hotel has many stories of its own. Over the years it has hosted a roll call of famous names, including Theodore Roosevelt, Napoleon III and Empress Eugene, and Joseph Conrad. It’s worth arranging a private tour of the hotel to fully appreciate its rich history, or take a walking Royal Warrant Tour and find out where the royal family shops.

 

With a medieval Old Town and an Elegant Georgian New Town, Edinburgh also has more than its fair share of historic landmarks. Dominating the skyline of the Scottish capital is Edinburgh Castle, home to Scotland’s Crown Jewels. The famous Royal Mile links the castle with Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. 

 

But perhaps Edinburgh’s most famous thoroughfare is Princes Street, famous since Victorian times for its shops and hotels. And located at 1 Princes Street is The Balmoral, a legendary hotel with a landmark clock tower. A galaxy of stars from every field have visited over the decades, including Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, and Paul and Linda McCartney. Allow our concierge to arrange a private history walking tour of the Old Town or find out if your ancestors played a part in Scottish history with a private genealogy session.

 

Reap rewards with Rocco Forte Friends

Sign up to Rocco Forte Friends and benefit from lazy day late check-outs, exclusive discounts on all dining experiences and spa treatments, as well as a number of surprise perks to be revealed throughout your visit. 

 

To book a stay at Brown’s Hotel in the heart of London’s Mayfair, email reservations.browns@roccofortehotels.com or call +44 20 7493 6020

To book your next visit at Edinburgh’s most prestigious address, The Balmoral, email reservations.balmoral@roccofortehotels.com or call +44 131 556 2414.


You may also like

The Spirit of a City, Made by Hand

The soul of a destination – that special something all travellers yearn to glimpse – is really the soul of its people. It is timeless humanity refracted by a place’s unique qualities, by its bounty and scarcity, its landscape and climate.

A Creative Retreat in Florence

Florence becomes the most compelling creative retreat when you fall in step with the city’s pace. In Milan you might ‘get your hustle on’ and Rome leans into a meandering walk or Vespa ride, this city, the birthplace of the Renaissance, draws us more towards strolling.

The New Grand Tour of Italy

The Grand Tour has had its day, in the most fortunate way. What was once a rite of years is now within reach of anyone with the curiosity to make it. The prescribed list of sights has loosened too, leaving the traveller free to follow Goethe's original instinct, to stand where the present is being made as well as where the past is preserved. Today, our journey through Milan, Florence and Rome begins, as it always did, in the north…