There’s so much more to the UK than London. Yes, London is an amazing city and all that but the UK has so many different beautiful and exciting cities that most people miss out on thanks to buzzing bright lights of London.
I have lived all across the UK and experienced life in different parts of the country and even though I currently call London home, it seems right and quite apt to put together a list of some of the UK’s amazing cities (asides London) that you definitely need to visit.
1.) Edinburgh
This is the second most visited city outside of London already and is a city that is truly defined by its beautifully preserved historic buildings, strong and rich culture, food and people.
Edinburgh has been home to me for many years in the past and is the perfect city in that there is so much to see and do here and yet it still manages to be intimate enough (definitely more so than London) that you can actually get to know your neighbours and truly call this amazing city home.
You’ll love the city.
Visiting Edinburgh? See the best bars, best things to do and secret spots
2.) Glasgow
This might sound slightly controversial to some but Glasgow is perhaps best defined as Edinburgh’s grittier, savvier and perhaps edgier sister.
Glasgow is the biggest city in Scotland by population and is a truly vibrant city.
It arguably has better shopping and nightlife than Edinburgh although Edinburgh might boast historical architectural treasures.
Glasgow is louder, wilder and fiercer than it’s sister city while still packing in lots of sights guaranteed to keep you entertained and is definitely worth visiting when you’re in the UK.
Oh, I almost forgot, they also have a whole heap of Scottish foods and meals you have to try.
Visiting Glasgow? Here are the top places you have to explore
3.) Newcastle
Newcastle is one of those cities that always surprises people.
Everyone comes back from the city impressed when they realise it’s so much more than what MTV and tabloid magazines would like to portray it as.
The people are so down to earth and the city is actually quite charming.
The nightlife here is pretty fantastic too and seeing as it’s partway between London and Edinburgh, a trip to Edinburgh definitely requires a stopover in Newcastle. Keep your eyes peeled for the Angel of the North, too.
Read more: Best things to do in Newcastle
4.) Cardiff
The Welsh capital city is one of those cities you would expect to be quiet and a bit more laid-back but it is actually one of the busiest cities to visit (especially on a Saturday night out).
Cardiff is a good starting point for anyone who’s never experienced Welsh life and Welsh hospitality and is easily one of my favourite cities in the UK (I kid you not, I planned on moving here at one point).
It may not have as many sights to see as say London (but let’s face it, no other city has as many sights to see as London really) but what will keep you in Cardiff long after you’ve arrived is the sheer openness, fun attitude and warmth of its people!
Read more: Best things to do in Cardiff
5.) Bath
Famed for it’s Roman Baths (hence the name) Bath is one city everyone needs to visit in the UK at least once.
The city has such an amazing history – along with some of the UK’s more exclusive postcodes outside of London.
Visitors all over the world flock to Bath each year and it’s one of the most popular cities to visit so if you’ve never considered it before, you probably should now.
Make sure to grab a freshly-baked bun at Sally Lunn’s. They’re delicious.
Read more: Best things to do in Bath
6.) Oxford
The ancient seat of academic learning (i.e. Oxford University) pretty much defines this city but that’s not a bad thing.
On the contrary, it lends itself to some amazing architecture, a ridiculously detailed and documented history and a good balance of activities to get involved with even outside of sightseeing.
Oxford is also ridiculously close to London (just over 1 hour on the train from London Paddington station) so you have no excuse for not visiting if you ever find yourself in London.
Read more: Best things to do in Oxford
7.) Cambridge
Cambridge is, without a doubt, one of the prettiest places to visit in the UK.
Like Oxford, the University defines quite a lot of the look and feel of the town but unlike Oxford, it’s spread out over a smaller space. Making it so much easier to see all the sights in Cambridge on foot or via bicycle.
Also, and maybe this is just the Cambridge man in me speaking but the buildings have so much more character than Oxford as Cambridge.
This is mainly due to the fact that the city didn’t have any local stone during the early days of the University. This meant the stones used to make the buildings were all different.
Hence, why you’ll find the different colleges and buildings all have different colours. Make sure to go into King’s College Chapel, too.
Read more: Best things to do in Cambridge
8.) Liverpool
Another city that people are constantly surprised by is Liverpool.
Again, everyone I know who’s visited has been surprised by the startling amount of sights to see in the city, the activities to get up to and the nightlife on offer.
It’s a truly vibrant city also characterised by the down-to-earth honesty that one can expect from a Northern city.
Read more: Best things to do in Liverpool
9.) Inverness
The appeal of this city is not so much the city itself (there’s that too) but instead, its proximity to amazing natural sights!
Inverness is one of those cities that’s fantastic to visit and ‘set your base’ while exploring more of the beautiful spots in the Highlands.
It is by no means as large (or as busy) as some of Scotland’s larger cities but that in itself has its charm that you’ll love.
Read more: Best things to do in Inverness
10.) Bristol
Bristol is a charming city not too far west of London and is another one of the UK’s more vibrant cities.
It’s famed for the artist Banksy (you can still see his murals on the walls of the city) and with Bath really close to Bristol, a trip to one should really go hand in hand with a trip to the city.
Read more: Best things to do in Bristol
11.) Belfast
The Northern Irish city of Belfast is the UK’s pocket full of Irish charm, wit and culture!
It’s one of the trickier cities to visit as it’s not on the UK mainland but it’s a fairly easy city to get to.
It’s definitely worth spending some time in Belfast to get to see another side of the UK you would otherwise miss on the mainland.
Read more: Best things to do in Belfast
12.) Brighton
The UK’s famed beach town. You know a place is worth visiting when even people from the UK recommend going there.
Brighton is known for being a fun place to visit and a quick respite from crazy city life in London.
It’s also quite easy to get to from London, so if you fancy sometimes by the seaside, head over to Brighton for a day or two (or maybe even more).
Make sure to grab a fish and chips on the beach, too.
Read more: Best things to do in Brighton
13.) Manchester
This is another one of my favourite cities and I’d long been plotting ways to move to Manchester.
It’s a city with a surprisingly different mix of the old and new with new buildings merging and weaving into old ones and the city is truly filled with its own unique character and sense of fun.
This probably explains why Manchester is (and has been for a while) the 3rd most visited city in the UK.
Read more: Best things to do in Manchester
14.) York
York is probably best described as one of the UK’s most charming cities.
It’s not the biggest, or the loudest or even the one with the most sights outside of London but what it does have are charming old British buildings, and oodles of homely Yorkshire hospitality.
You’ll gorge on some amazing local food famed across the UK (along with other amazing food) and some of the funniest people you’ll ever meet (and I mean this in a very good way).
Make sure you head to the smaller market town of Malton that’s just outside the city. It’s a food lover’s dream.
Read more: Best things to do in York
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