For tourists and locals alike, there are cultural attractions and landmarks all over the country waiting to be wowed at. Whether you prefer to marvel at the historic ceilings of century-old cathedrals, head for long strolls among the country’s natural beauty or tend to find yourself eyeing up the modern art in a gallery, you’ve sure got plenty of choice in the UK. But which should you choose if you’ve only got a limited time to explore?
Luckily for internet browsing thrill seekers, Google collects a bunch of reviews for mostly every tourist attraction in the country, written and rated by fellow travellers. We’ve compiled a list of the top attraction within or nearby each of the UK’s 65 cities by taking a look at Google’s Travel Guides for each city and finding the top reviewed ‘thing to do’ there.
All attractions were categorised as either ‘museum’, ‘religious’, ‘nature’, ‘entertainment’, ‘landmark’ and ‘library’. There were:
- 24 natural attractions
- 17 museums
- 10 religious buildings
- 9 entertainment venues
- 3 landmarks
- 2 libraries
It seems that the great outdoors is a popular choice for city explorers, with nature coming out as the most frequently occurring category in our list of the top things to do around the UK. Museums and art galleries are also a popular choice for tourists, being the second most commonly occurring category in our list. Religious buildings are highly rated amongst Google reviewers in smaller, historical cities, with cathedrals making up the majority.
Chris Johnson, head of Operations at Vouchercloud, commented:
“It’s really encouraging that so many of the top attractions – so close to cities – are focused on nature, and it feels quite refreshing knowing that most cities offer a way to escape to the great outdoors.
“Despite some of the quirkier options among the top attractions, we’ve definitely shown that every corner of the UK offers something different, and there’s always a fun day to be had”.
In terms of country-specific differences, in Scotland 4 out of 6 of the top attractions listed are natural, and similarly 50% of the highest rated attractions are nature-based both in Ireland and in Wales.
Interestingly, only three landmarks make the list as top-rated attractions; the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, the HMNB in Portsmouth, and Free Derry Corner in Londonderry.
| City | Top Attraction on Google | Rating | Number of Reviews | Category | Miles from centre |
| Aberdeen | David Welch Winter Gardens | 4.7 | 154 | Nature | 1.29mi |
| Bangor | Zip World Panrhyn Quarry | 4.8 | 1,339 | Entertainment | 2.24mi |
| Bath | Alexandra Park | 4.7 | 253 | Nature | <1mi |
| Belfast | Grand Opera House | 4.7 | 1003 | Entertainment | <1mi |
| Birmingham | The Electric | 4.7 | 572 | Entertainment | <1mi |
| Bradford | Oakwell Hall Country Park | 4.7 | 111 | Nature | 5.21 mi |
| Brighton and Hove | Devil’s Dyke | 4.7 | 131 | Nature | 4.98 mi |
| Bristol | Clifton Suspension Bridge | 4.7 | 2412 | Landmark | 1.72mi |
| Cambridge | Imperial War Museum Duxford | 4.8 | 3910 | Museum | 7.57 mi |
| Canterbury | Wingham Wildlife Park | 4.6 | 1291 | Nature | 6.48 mi |
| Cardiff | Principality Stadium | 4.7 | 3517 | Entertainment | <1mi |
| Carlisle | Watchtree Nature Reserve | 4.7 | 141 | Nature | 6.15 mi |
| Chester | Chester Cathedral Falconry and Nature Gardens | 4.8 | 238 | Nature | <1mi |
| Chichester | Goodwood House | 4.7 | 593 | Museum | 2.86mi |
| City of London | British Museum | 4.7 | 41,716 | Museum | 1.62mi |
| Coventry | Coventry Transport Museum | 4.7 | 2543 | Museum | <1mi |
| Derby | Make Your Escape | 4.8 | 63 | Entertainment | <1mi |
| Dundee | McManus Galleries | 4.6 | 439 | Museum | <1mi |
| Durham | Durham University Oriental Museum | 4.8 | 85 | Museum | <1mi |
| Edinburgh | Arthur’s Seat | 4.8 | 579 | Nature | 1.21mi |
| Ely | Ely Cathedral | 4.6 | 325 | Religious | <1mi |
| Exeter | Red House Mysteries | 4.9 | 67 | Entertainment | <1mi |
| Glasgow | Glasgow Film Theatre | 4.7 | 593 | Entertainment | <1mi |
| Gloucester | Gloucester Cathedral | 4.7 | 409 | Religious | <1mi |
| Hereford | Hereford Cathedral | 4.5 | 201 | Religious | <1mi |
| Inverness | Plodda Falls | 4.8 | 126 | Nature | 24.33mi |
| Kingston upon Hull | Escape Room Hull | 4.8 | 57 | Entertainment | <1mi |
| Lancaster | Williamson Park | 4.7 | 1276 | Nature | <1mi |
| Leeds | Royal Armouries Museum | 4.7 | 2737 | Museum | <1mi |
| Leicester | BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir | 4.9 | 71 | Religious | 1.95mi |
| Lichfield | National Memorial Arboretum | 4.8 | 2306 | Nature | 5.29mi |
| Lincoln | Lincoln Cathedral | 4.8 | 552 | Religious | <1mi |
| Lisburn | Wallace Park | 4.6 | 519 | Nature | <1mi |
| Liverpool | 251 Menlove Avenue | 4.8 | 71 | Museum | 5.03mi |
| Londonderry | Free Derry Corner | 4.7 | 379 | Landmark | <1mi |
| Manchester | John Rylands Library | 4.8 | 295 | Library | <1mi |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Beamish Museum | 4.8 | 4549 | Museum | 6.86mi |
| Newport | Belle Vue Park | 4.6 | 379 | Nature | <1mi |
| Newry | Slieve Guillion Forest Park | 4.8 | 179 | Nature | 4.98mi |
| Norwich | City of Norwich Aviation Museum | 4.7 | 102 | Museum | 3.49mi |
| Nottingham | Wollaton Hall, Gardens and Deer Park | 4.7 | 2832 | Nature | 2.21mi |
| Oxford | Oxford University Museum of Natural History | 4.7 | 1703 | Museum | <1mi |
| Peterborough | Peterborough Cathedral | 4.7 | 241 | Religious | <1mi |
| Plymouth | National Trust – Plymbridge Woods | 4.7 | 277 | Nature | 3.66mi |
| Portsmouth | HMNB Portsmouth | 4.7 | 3,195 | Landmark | <1mi |
| Preston | Worden Park | 4.6 | 758 | Nature | 5.38mi |
| Ripon | Studley Royal Park | 4.7 | 174 | Nature | 2.51mi |
| Salford | John Rylands Library | 4.8 | 295 | Library | 1.77mi |
| Salisbury | Boscombe Down Aviation Collection | 4.7 | 139 | Museum | 1.77mi |
| Sheffield | Peak District | 4.8 | 13,575 | Nature | 4.73mi |
| Southampton | Royal Victoria Country Park | 4.6 | 697 | Nature | 3.92mi |
| St Albans | St Albans Cathedral | 4.7 | 430 | Religious | <1mi |
| St Davids | Pembrokeshire Coast National Park | 4.8 | 5,109 | Nature | 15.13mi |
| Stirling | Dumyat | 4.7 | 53 | Nature | 3.67mi |
| Stoke-on-Trent | Gladstone Pottery Museum | 4.7 | 187 | Museum | 2.28mi |
| Sunderland | Ryhope Engines Museum | 4.7 | 78 | Museum | 2.92mi |
| Swansea | The Escape Game Swansea | 4.9 | 57 | Entertainment | 1.53mi |
| Truro | Kennall Vale Nature Reserve | 4.8 | 89 | Nature | 6.42mi |
| Wakefield | Clarence Park | 4.5 | 84 | Nature | <1mi |
| Wells | Wells Cathedral | 4.7 | 272 | Religious | <1mi |
| Westminster | British Museum | 4.7 | 41,716 | Museum | 1.56mi |
| Winchester | Winchester Cathedral | 4.6 | 717 | Religious | <1mi |
| Wolverhampton | Royal Air Force Museum Cosford | 4.8 | 3,018 | Museum | 8.81mi |
| Worcester | Worcester Cathedral | 4.7 | 242 | Religious | <1mi |
| York | National Railway Museum | 4.7 | 5,880 | Museum | <1mi |
The Data
The data was collected by Vouchercloud using Google’s ‘Things to do’ feature to search every UK city list of reviewed attractions. The attractions with at least 50 reviews and the highest star rating were selected.
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