Norfolk has many beautiful natural places to visit, but it is also full of quintessential English towns and villages, along with fabulous country houses.

There are so many pretty towns and villages in Norfolk. They can get very busy, but BURNHAM MARKET and HOLT are busy for a reason. The list is too long, but LITTLE WALSINGHAM and WELLS-NEXT-THE -SEA should be on it.

The closest country house is Houghton Hall, one of Norfolk’s most beautiful stately homes and remains one of England’s finest Palladian houses. A collaboration between the two defining British architects of the age – Colen Campbell and James Gibbs – and with lavish interiors by William Kent, Houghton was built with an eye to reflecting the wealth, taste, and power of its owner. 

Holkham Hall is about 25 minutes away through some very pretty countryside. Holkham Hall is described as an exceptional place, rich in history, architecture and wildlife. The seat of the Earls of Leicester, this elegant 18th century mansion is still very much a lived-in family home which the family take pride in sharing with visitors. The hall is an elegant 18th century Palladian style house, based on designs by William Kent and built by Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester. The Marble Hall is a spectacular introduction to this imposing building, with its 50ft pressed plaster dome ceiling and walls of English alabaster, not marble as its name implies. Stairs lead to magnificent state rooms displaying superb collections of ancient statuary, original furniture, tapestries and paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck, Claude, Gaspar Poussin and Gainsborough.

Sandringham House needs little introduction and is the much-loved country retreat of Her Majesty The Queen. It has been the private home of four generations of British monarchs since 1862. Just 15 minutes away, it’s well worth a visit.