Top 5 UK Cities

TripAdvisor has recently revealed what it considers to be the Top cities in the UK. It was no surprise that London was in the number one spot. It was followed by Edinburgh, Bath, Cambridge and Oxford. The interesting thing is that it was the pretty cities that were topping their polls rather than the ones that were famed for being big and bustling. Manchester and Birmingham are considered to be big but were not even featured in the top ten list, let alone managing a top 5 place.

The fact that historical Bath, Oxford and Cambridge were there indicates that we are looking for a city which has something more interesting than shops. Of course, these places do have plenty of shopping opportunities but are not so famous for them, as some other places. All of these top 5 cities have some interesting buildings to look at which reflect their past. You can spend time finding out about the place or just admiring the architecture. Having this sort of opportunity can mean that you have a better chance of keeping all of the family entertained as there are a selection of different things to do.

It is a good idea, when choosing a city to visit, to get a good balance. It is fun to have some shopping and some history but also nice to be able to relax and see some parks or green areas. All of the top 5 cities have parks, but they also have rivers which are lovely to walk by the side of or to go to for a picnic. Location is also important and being near to other places of interest, so that you can have a day out of the city is important and all of these have this. From London it is great to go to the coast and visit Brighton. From Bath it is an ideal location to visit the Cotswolds and see some pretty villages. Edinburgh is near to Glasgow, which is a contrasting city. Oxford is not too fr away from London but also near to Stratford-Upon-Avon where Shakespeare was born and an interesting tourist town. Cambridge is also fairly close to London but also the East coast of England.

Of course, you need to really see for yourself to judge what your top cities are. However. Looking at this sort of list and thinking about what you would like to get fro a city break and then researching whether particular cities can give you that, is a great exercise. By doing the research yourself, you can have confidence that you will enjoy your holiday. Just going on someone else’s recommendation is not always a good idea as what they want from a city break, may not be what you want from one.

There are some problems with choosing these popular cities though. Firstly the cost. It is likely that you will pay more to stay at a more popular city and you may not get a better service for that. You will also find that they are more crowded, but if you travel outside of peak hours then this could help. Travelling out of peak season will also help as well, although it might be very cold if you do this. However, choosing alternative destinations could also provide a solution to these problems.