Scotland, Edinburgh
The Balmoral
A grand Princes Street landmark with a famous clock tower, steps from Waverley station and the Old Town.
Find your room in the Kingdom
Hand-picked hotels in four nations, arranged by train line, by mood and by how many nights you can spare.
591 hotelsReviewed across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Four nations, each with its own pace
Pick the country first, then narrow down to a city, a stretch of coast or a single address worth the journey.
Leave the car at home
Classic train journeys with good hotels at both ends and plenty worth stopping for in between.
London→Edinburgh54 hotels on this line
London→Bath46 hotels on this line
Glasgow→Fort William31 hotels on this line
Manchester→Windermere22 hotels on this line
Cardiff→Tenby11 hotels on this line
Belfast→Portrush12 hotels on this line
Bristol→Penzance14 hotels on this line
Chester→Llandudno9 hotels on this line
This season’s shortlist
Twelve hotels our editors keep recommending, from station landmarks to quiet country estates.
Scotland, Perthshire
Gleneagles
A sprawling estate hotel known for championship golf, field sports and a serious spa in rolling countryside.
England, Bath
The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa
Rooms set within the sweeping Georgian crescent, with a hidden garden behind and the city centre close by.
England, London King’s Cross
St Pancras Renaissance
A restored Gothic Revival landmark fronting the Eurostar terminal, ideal for arriving or leaving by train.
England, Brighton
The Grand Brighton
A Victorian seafront hotel facing the beach and pier, with the Lanes and the Royal Pavilion nearby.
England, Berkshire
Cliveden House
A stately home above the Thames with formal gardens, woodland walks and a long social history.
England, Lake District
Armathwaite Hall
A lakeside country house near Keswick with deer park, spa and walking routes from the door.
Scotland, Fort William
Inverlochy Castle
A Victorian castle hotel at the foot of Ben Nevis, made for Highland touring and long dinners.
Wales, Llandudno
Bodysgallen Hall
A 17th-century house with celebrated gardens and views towards Conwy Castle and Snowdonia.
Wales, Pembrokeshire
St Brides Spa Hotel
A clifftop spa hotel above Saundersfoot harbour, with an infinity pool facing Carmarthen Bay.
Northern Ireland, Belfast
The Merchant Hotel
A lavish former bank headquarters in the Cathedral Quarter, close to Belfast’s best bars and restaurants.
Northern Ireland, Ballymena
Galgorm
A riverside spa resort with outdoor thermal pools, a good base for the Antrim Glens and north coast.
Browse by the mood of the trip
Collections cut across every nation, so you can start with the feeling and let the map follow.
Seaside112 hotels
Promenades, harbours and rooms where you can hear the tide.
Country estates305 hotels
Parkland, walled gardens and log fires at the end of the day.
City breaks238 hotels
Central bases for galleries, theatres and evening walks.
Highlands72 hotels
Mountain air, single-track roads and long northern evenings.
Spa breaks189 hotels
Thermal pools, treatment rooms and nothing on the agenda.
Design34 hotels
Interiors with personality and a confident sense of style.
Family friendly221 hotels
Connecting rooms, gardens and space for everyone.
Rail friendly512 hotels
Hotels a short walk from the station platform.
Plan around the nights you have
Each trip length comes with its own shortlist and a sensible amount of ground to cover.
One night
A single city and one memorable bed.
Two nights
Time for a neighbourhood, a long dinner and a lazy breakfast.
Long weekend
Three nights with a day trip out of town.
By train only
Hotels that work when the station is your starting point.
Sea air
A short reset by the water.
Start from a town or city
The places our readers search for most often, with the number of hotels we cover in each.
- LondonEngland, 46
- EdinburghScotland, 44
- GlasgowScotland, 28
- ManchesterEngland, 19
- BirminghamEngland, 15
- BathEngland, 14
- InvernessScotland, 13
- BelfastNorthern Ireland, 11
- BristolEngland, 10
- CardiffWales, 9
- LiverpoolEngland, 9
- YorkEngland, 9
- AberdeenScotland, 8
- BrightonEngland, 7
- OxfordEngland, 7
- CambridgeEngland, 6
- LlandudnoWales, 5
- Fort WilliamScotland, 5
Honest notes, no countdown clocks
Ruby Regency gathers hotel details so you can compare at your own pace. Availability, prices and bookings are always handled by the hotel itself.
- Pick a nation, route or collection.
- Read the full profile for each hotel.
- Book directly with the property.