There’s a reason international language students flock to England in droves (and no, it’s not the weather). With language schools in England in both charming, cozy towns and dynamic, world-class metropolitan cities, language students are guaranteed to find a program somewhere in this compact country. Cor blimey!

Where else to learn English but in the country’s capital, “The Big Smoke?” While the air pollution that gave birth to this nickname may have since diminished, London remains the destination for language study in England. Join the tourists gazing incredulously at Britain’s national treasures; visit London Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, and, of course, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. For a more local experience, kick back and enjoy lounging in deck chairs and a summer’s picnic at St James’ park. Students taking language courses in London won’t be short on evening entertainment, thanks to the city being internationally renown for its theatre, nightlife, and restaurants. For those craving nature or further international travel, there are trains and planes leaving London every minute of the day; hop on and make the most of a three-day, bank holiday weekend.

Nestled in the lush fields of the West Country, and surrounded by Downton Abbey-style country houses, Bath is another quintessentially English place to pursue language studies in England. While you’ll no longer find Jane Austen meandering through the streets of this prim and proper little Georgian city, Bath still calls itself home to delicious afternoon teas (yes, cucumber sandwiches, with the crusts cut off) and Britain’s only natural (and very luxurious) thermal waters.

Perhaps most famous for a sport known on this side of the pond as futbol, Manchester is another popular city for language programs in England. Once described by George Orwell as “the belly and guts of the nation,” it has much more to boast than just the two globally-eminent teams; this city bleeds cutting-edge music (The Stone Roses, Oasis, and Take That all hailed from Manchester) and hipster cafes that’ll leave you wishing you could grow a better beard. A smaller, but equally-thriving city when compared with the great capital, language students will soon start to wonder whether Manchester isn’t the heart of this nation as well.