Glastonbury Abbey is one of the most important medieval ruins in England — and one of the most atmospheric. Founded probably in the 7th century on the site of an older Christian community, it grew into the second-wealthiest monastery in the country before Henry VIII's commissioners dissolved it in 1539. The last abbot, Richard Whiting, was hanged on the Tor and his head spiked on the abbey gate.
What remains is a roofless skeleton of soaring Norman and Gothic arches on a 36-acre lawn. The Lady Chapel, the Abbot's Kitchen (the only intact medieval building), and the marked site of King Arthur's tomb are the main features. A small museum near the entrance covers the monastery's history and the dissolution. Allow at least 90 minutes; the grounds reward unhurried wandering.