Inverness, Scotland.
Using data from TripAdvisor, the study explores 6771 attractions across 68 UK cities to reveal which cities are the top destinations for cultural staycations.
A study by online ticketing platform TicketSource has revealed the top UK destinations with the most culture per mile², outside of London*.
Top 10 UK Destinations for Cultural Staycations
This summer, if you’re looking for a UK city break packed with cultural attractions, then take a look at these destinations:
- Inverness – Scotland – 11.26 Culture Per Mile²
- Durham – North East – 10.28 Culture Per Mile²
- Bath – South West – 9.38 Culture Per Mile²
- Stirling – Scotland – 9.31 Culture Per Mile²
- Chichester – South East – 7.75 Culture Per Mile²
- Cambridge – East Anglia – 7.7 Culture Per Mile²
- Bangor – Wales – 7.53 Culture Per Mile²
- Oxford – South East – 7.21 Culture Per Mile²
- Wells – South West – 7.06 Culture Per Mile²
- Armagh – Northern Ireland – 5.78 Culture Per Mile²
10 UK Destinations with the LEAST Culture Per Mile²
If you want to know where to avoid, then these three Northern cities Carlisle, Lancaster and Wakefield have the least culture per mile², with fewer than 1 cultural element per square mile, per city.
The Best Place to take a Culture-filled Road Trip
Scotland tops the list, containing a grand total of 39.45 attractions for every square mile, followed by the South West and South East.
Taking last place on the list with just 8.23 cultural elements per mile², is the North West, which is surprising considering Liverpool was crowned 2008’s European Capital of Culture.
Alternative Theatre Capitals of the UK
Outside of London’s West End, our survey found Edinburgh, Glasgow and Birmingham to be the top three cities with the most theatres.
The UK’s Most Entertaining Cities and Regions
Grouping together the entertainment categories revealed Edinburgh to be top of the list for entertainment, followed by Glasgow and Birmingham.
When it comes to least entertaining city, Ely in Cambridgeshire, Lisburn in Northern Ireland and Ripon in Yorkshire were at the bottom of the table.
UK’s Most Educational Region
Scotland tops the list for the region with 391 educational attractions, followed by Yorkshire and the South West. In comparison, Wales lags behind in last place with a total of just 80 educational attractions.
The Top 5 Destinations in Each Area Loaded with Culture
Terry Rosoman, Head of Marketing at TicketSource commented on the results of the study: “There’s no doubt that the cities of the UK offer up some of the most diverse landmarks and attractions, which led us on our quest to find the UK’s most cultural city, outside of London.
“Our study revealed some surprising results, shining a light on the cities with some fantastic cultural attractions and highlighting the cities which could be making more of their cultural contributions to the UK.
“It was particularly interesting to see Birmingham hailed as one of the top 3 locations for theatre, alongside cultural heavy hitters like Glasgow and Edinburgh.
“Similarly, Durham in the North East was in the top two, offering up almost as much culture per mile² as Inverness, who we are crowning the most cultured capital in the UK”.
*Excluding London, data from TripAdvisor, correct as of 23rd May 2019.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
