The beautiful UK gardens 'better' than Buckingham Palace and Stonehenge - 4.8 out of 5

When it comes to the UK's must-visit attractions, names like Buckingham Palace, Stonehenge, and the Tower of London are often the first to come to mind. But according to thousands of glowing reviews, one lesser-known destination is quietly outshining them all. Located in the rolling Wiltshire countryside, Stourhead, a spectacular National Trust estate, is receiving even higher visitor ratings than Britain's most iconic landmarks.

With an outstanding Google rating of 4.8 out of 5, Stourhead has been praised by visitors as more impressive than Buckingham Palace Gardens (rated 4.6) and Stonehenge (4.5). This 18th-century landscape garden, often described as a "living work of art" is centred around a tranquil lake, framed by classical temples, a romantic grotto, elegant bridges, Iron Age hillforts, and meandering walking paths that seem lifted from a painting.

In the 2,650-acre estate, you'll find one of the earliest grand Palladian-style villas built in England. Inside, visitors can discover treasures of the Hoare family, including Chippendale furniture, a unique Regency library, and artworks collected from across Europe.

The Hoare family are the founders of one of Britain's oldest private banks, and they purchased the Stourhead estate in the early 18th century.

Yet, it's the gardens that often leave the strongest impression. Designed by Henry Hoare II, the landscape was inspired by his Grand Tour of Europe and shaped to reflect classical ideals of beauty, harmony, and storytelling.

Standout features include stunning temples like the Temple of Flora, the Roman-inspired Pantheon, the Temple of Apollo, and the much-photographed Palladian Bridge.

Visitors can also climb Alfred's Tower, a 160ft triangular folly built in 1722, said to mark the place where King Alfred the Great once rallied his forces. From the top, sweeping views stretch across three counties.

One TripAdvisor reviewer wrote: "This is the most beautiful and amazing place ever! The grounds are perfection! I want to commend you on what a wonderful job you've done. What an amazingly stunning estate, grounds, buildings, grotto, area! So many people and not a peck of rubbish. Pristine. Absolutely pristine. The staff were all SO friendly, polite, helpful and inviting!"

William, from London, said: "Of all the places I've visited in the UK, this one is still my favourite. To me, this is THE hidden gem of the UK."

Someone else from Swindon wrote: "Without a doubt these are my favourite gardens in the UK. On a beautiful sunny day it's on a par with some of the gardens I've been to in Italy. A beautiful walk through woods around a gorgeous lake, interspersed with beautiful Italian style buildings; Temple of Apollo, The Pantheon, a Grotto, the Temple of Flora, and a stunning Palladio style bridge.

"I was lucky to have a free National Trust ticket, but if I had had to pay, I would not have been disappointed. I will definitely go again and make the very most of the stunning grounds.

"As for the house; I don't normally care for the stately homes, but there was enough to see here and it was worth it for the stunning library alone. But it's the gardens here that are the true show stoppers."