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10 great British cities to visit instead of London (that are far less crowded)
While the capital is a travel hub for overseas visitors, it’s possible to have the trip of a lifetime in the UK without staying there a single night. Here’s where to spend your vacation instead
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London might be considered the headline act of a UK vacation, but don't let it steal all of the limelight, because there are some often-overlooked treasures waiting to be discovered beyond the capital's sprawl.
In fact, while London is the main arrival point for international flights, it's possible to have the trip of a lifetime in Britain without spending a single night there.
There’s the destination in Somerset that’s been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in its entirety; a city in Yorkshire with one of the best examples of a medieval street in Europe; and just 50 minutes southeast of London is the cradle of Christianity in England. And they’re all walkable, photogenic examples of the regions they reside in.
There’s also exciting cities that will please culture buffs – from the one that features in the Harry Potter movies to the birthplace of hit video game Grand Theft Auto, plus there’s the smallest city in Britain, which can be found in remote Wales.
Here’s 10 great British cities to visit instead of London.
1. Bath — Somerset, England
Designated a Unesco World Heritage Site for its beautiful Georgian architecture and Roman remains, and once home to writer Jane Austen, Bath is one of Britain’s most treasured cities.
Here, you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped inside a postcard as you wander past rows of honey-colored buildings on streets little changed since Austen’s early days in the 19th century.
The see-it-at-all-costs attraction is the remarkably intact Roman Baths, where people bathed in the waters of natural thermal springs nearly 1,900 years ago. Hot water flows through the site to this day (you can’t take a dip here, but you can bathe in the same thermal waters at the modern Thermae Bath Spa nearby).
Beside the Baths is Bath Abbey, a striking Gothic landmark with a 212-step tower you can climb for sweeping city views.
For classic British food, visit The Raven pub, which serves comforting pies and local beer.
How to get there
Bath is in the west of England, and trains costing from $28 take around one hour and 15 minutes to journey there from London Paddington, with Bath Spa station just a five-minute stroll from the Roman Baths.
Where to stay
The signature stay is at The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa (rooms from $330), a luxurious property set amid magnificent Georgian terraced houses arranged in a sweeping crescent shape.
Read more: The best hotels in Bath for Georgian grandeur and luxurious spas
2. York — Yorkshire, England
There is perhaps no better place than York to get a concentrated sense of “Old England”. Here, 2,000 years of history — Georgian, medieval, Viking and Roman — are visibly squeezed into the streets and buildings.
The “Shambles” is one of the most photogenic examples, an enchanting thoroughfare lined with delightfully crooked timber-framed buildings dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries.
Then there’s York Minster, an immense Gothic cathedral where you can admire the largest expanse of medieval glass in the world and take in spectacular 360-degree views from the top of the Central Tower, the loftiest point in the city.
Wrapped around York, meanwhile, are beautifully preserved 13th-century walls that stretch (almost) intact for two miles and offer spellbinding views over the rooftops.
To quench your thirst, head to the medieval House of the Trembling Madness at 48 Stonegate. It’s jammed with nooks and crannies, said to be haunted, and serves an impressive array of craft beers. For upscale dining, try Skosh, where inventive British dishes are paired with polished service.
How to get there
The train (from as little as $15 depending on the operator) is the fastest and most stress-free option. LNER services from London King’s Cross to York, in the northeast of England, take as little as one hour and 50 minutes.
Driving up the A1 (M) takes around four hours, while National Express coaches from the capital are cheap (from $28), but take around five to six hours.
Where to stay
The Grand, York (rooms from $210) is housed in the former headquarters of the North Eastern Railway and features luxury interiors in traditional marble and oak.
Read more: The best hotels in York for a history-filled city break
3. Canterbury — Kent, England
Canterbury has a calm, traditional feel, known as the cradle of English Christianity.
Essential itinerary inclusions are the atmospheric ruins of St Augustine's Abbey — founded in the late 6th century by St Augustine, who arrived from Rome to convert the Anglo-Saxons — and breathtaking Canterbury Cathedral, begun in 1070 and visited by pilgrims for centuries. Together, they form a Unesco World Heritage Site.
But it’s the cathedral that draws the most camera flashes, with ornate Gothic flourishes, dramatic towers, and exquisite stained glass (including some of the oldest surviving medieval glass in the world).
The city’s ancient lanes are a joy to wander, but an even more evocative way to take in the medieval architecture is from the water in a wooden boat called a punt. You’ll feel time slow as it glides past pretty gardens and under elegant bridges.
For refreshments, keep the history theme going with a visit to The Parrot, a charming 14th-century pub. Or hop in a taxi to the Michelin-starred Fordwich Arms, about a mile outside the city, for refined riverside dining (think South Coast turbot with vin jaune and dashi butter).
How to get there
Canterbury lies about 54 miles southeast of London and is easily reached by high-speed train from London St Pancras (journey time around 51 minutes, fares from $40). It takes around one hour and 30 minutes to reach by car via the M2 or M20. Coaches from London Victoria cost from $10 and take just over two hours.
Where to stay
The Canterbury Cathedral Lodge (rooms from $150), uniquely, is set within the cathedral precinct. Backdrops don’t get much more heavenly.
Read more: The 20 best Christmas markets in the UK, from Bath to Edinburgh
4. Chester — Cheshire, England
Handsome Chester is full of history. Even its mall takes you back to old England.
“The Rows” is a timbered, two-tiered shopping arcade dating back at least 700 years, where you’ll find cafés, restaurants and quirky little shops. Take the free audio walking tour to learn more about its storied past, then step onto the extraordinary city walls, which take you back even further, to Chester’s origins as a Roman fortress in the first century AD.
The walls were first built between AD 70 and 100 and form a complete two-mile loop around the historic center. Although rebuilt in medieval times, you can still spot Roman-era stones embedded in the lower sections. Britain’s largest known Roman amphitheatre is also visible just outside the walls near St John’s Church.
The highlight, however, is probably the ornate Eastgate Clock, which like Big Ben you’ll see in many social media shots.
If all of this walking is thirsty work, stop for a drink at The Brewery Tap. Set in a stunning medieval hall dating to the 13th century, it’s part pub, part artefact.
How to get there
Trains from London Euston to Chester, which is in northwestern England, take around two hours and start from about $45 one way. Coaches take around five hours (fares from about $15), while driving takes up to four hours from London via the M40 or M1.
Where to stay
The Chester Grosvenor (rooms from $220), located right by the Eastgate Clock, has an excellent spa and opulent rooms.
Read more: The best budget-friendly hotels in the Lake District for an affordable trip
5. Norwich — Norfolk, England
Norwich is one of England’s most quietly enchanting cities — much less crowded than London while being crammed with culture and history.
It’s England’s first Unesco City of Literature, and you’ll notice that it’s liberally peppered with independent bookshops.
But don’t spend too long with your nose in the pages of a novel, because there are sights to see — most crucially the cathedral, which with its 315-foot-tall spire and a riverside setting is one of the most postcard-worthy in the UK.
Stop for tea and cake in Elm Hill, a storybook medieval lane, and perhaps something stronger in the Adam & Eve, a pub dating back to 1249 and reputed to be the oldest in the city.
How to get there
Norwich is around 110 miles northeast of London and reachable by direct train from London Liverpool Street in about one hour and 45 minutes, with fares from around $35 one way. Coaches from London Victoria cost about $12. Driving takes up to three hours along the A11.
Where to stay
The Assembly House (rooms from $170) is just a short walk from the cathedral and oozes Georgian opulence.
Read more: The best family-friendly UK holiday destinations for kids and adults of all ages
6. Dundee — Central Lowlands, Scotland
Welcome to one of Britain’s most unexpectedly cool destinations, a city that has shed its industrial past to become a creative powerhouse.
To begin with, Dundee is the birthplace of Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings. Both hit games were created by Dundee-based DMA Design (later Rockstar North) in the mid-1990s, and the city’s Abertay University is recognized as a top institution for game design.
As a visitor, you’ll feel the city’s creative energy in the galleries, street art, in the cafes populated with young designers, but most vividly in the stunning, ship-like V&A Dundee museum on the waterfront, which houses rotating exhibitions on design, fashion and architecture.
Also not to be missed is Discovery Point museum, where you can step aboard the carefully preserved RRS Discovery — the ship that carried Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton on their legendary 1901 Antarctic expedition.
Afterwards, toast your visit with a whisky at characterful Trades House Bar.
How to get there
Direct trains from London King’s Cross take around six hours and 15 minutes, with fares from about $55 one way. Trains from Glasgow Queen Street take around one hour and 20 minutes (from about $15) — and you’ll cross the magnificent Tay Bridge as you arrive.
Dundee Airport is served by Loganair flights from London Heathrow, Stansted and London City. Flight time is about one hour and 30 minutes, with fares from around $120.
Driving takes eight to nine hours from London or around one hour and 30 minutes from Glasgow.
Where to stay
Malmaison Dundee (rooms from $120) has chic rooms, views of the river and is just moments from the V&A.
Read more: 7 castles in the UK where you can enjoy a Traitors-style getaway
7. Stirling — Central Scotland
Stirling is Scotland’s historic heart — it was here that William Wallace defeated the English in the 1297 Battle of Stirling Bridge, lighting the blue touch paper for Scottish resistance and putting it on a pathway to long-lasting freedom.
Visit the soul-stirring National Wallace Monument overlooking the battlefield and climb the 246 steps to the top of the 19th-century tower for commanding views to the Forth Valley, the Ochil Hills and, on a clear day, ancient volcano Ben Lomond.
More epic views are available from Stirling Castle, moulded to a volcanic crag since the 15th century. Inside you’ll find lavishly restored Renaissance apartments, portraits of kings and queens and Scotland’s largest medieval banqueting hall.
Right next to the castle is the cosy Portcullis pub, where you can grab a fireside table and refuel with hearty Scottish comfort food.
How to get there
From London, take the train from King’s Cross with a change at Edinburgh Waverley. Journey time is around five and a half hours, with fares from about $60 one way. Trains from Glasgow Queen Street take around 30 minutes (from about $6).
You can also fly to Edinburgh from London, then catch a train north (total from around $120 one way).
Driving takes about eight hours from London and around 35 minutes from Glasgow.
Where to stay
The Stirling Highland Hotel (rooms from $130), set in an old Victorian school, is just minutes away from the castle and features a luxury spa with an indoor pool.
Read more: The best Isle of Skye hotels for outstanding Hebridean views and coastal walks
8. Durham — County Durham, England
Durham — so magical that it was used as a filming location in two Harry Potter movies.
The pillared courtyard (the cloisters) of the Unesco-listed Norman cathedral appears when Harry releases Hedwig in The Sorcerer’s Stone and when Ron vomits slugs in The Chamber of Secrets, while the Chapter House doubled as Professor McGonagall’s classroom and the columned nave was used for a handful of atmospheric walking scenes. Climb the tower for an owl’s-eye view of the landscape.
Durham Castle, now part of Durham University, is similarly spellbinding, and together the two buildings form mesmerizing backdrops to serene cruises along the River Wear, which loops around the old city.
For further fairytale moments, visit the wood-panelled Victoria Inn.
How to get there
From London, the train is the best option to the destination in the northeast, with direct services taking around two hours and 45 minutes and one-way fares from about $45. The drive from the capital takes around six hours, and coaches (from about $15) take between 6.5 and nine hours.
Where to stay
Hotel Indigo Durham (rooms from $150) has a superb steakhouse restaurant and is a few minutes’ walk from Durham’s sights.
Read more: The best wild swimming stays for quick dips or a week-long holiday
9. Ely — Cambridgeshire, England
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Ely is a tiny city with an impressive skyline thanks to its incredible 12th-century cathedral, which dominates not just the buildings around it but the landscape for miles around.
It has two towers, both of which can be climbed for sweeping views across the marshy countryside. But don’t forget to wander the interior, where you’ll want to linger beneath the impressive painted ceiling.
Assign some time, too, for the half-timbered former home of controversial 17th-century leader Oliver Cromwell — a signatory of the death warrant for King Charles I in 1649, which shocked the nation. The house is now a fascinating museum with interactive exhibits where you can try on a costume or two and play historical games.
Round off your visit with a stroll along the Great Ouse river and call in at The Prince Albert pub for a post-sightseeing plate of something hearty.
How to get there
From London, Ely can be easily reached by train, with direct services from King’s Cross taking just one hour and 15 minutes (fares from $25).
Alternatively, driving from London on the A10 takes up to two hours.
Where to stay
The Poets House Hotel (rooms from $180) is opposite the cathedral and offers sumptuous rooms with roll-top baths.
Read more: 15 best pubs with rooms in the UK for cosy winter breaks
10. St Davids — Pembrokeshire, Wales
St Davids is Britain’s smallest city. But this village-sized settlement — measuring just one square mile and tucked away at the far western edge of Wales — packs a punch when it comes to sightseeing, largely thanks to its grand 12th-century cathedral beside the River Alun. It’s a sight so unexpected it borders on surreal.
After exploring its enchanting interior, stroll from the city centre along a clifftop path to the ruins of St Non’s Chapel — traditionally said to be the birthplace of St David, the patron saint of Wales — and enjoy sweeping views of the Atlantic as seabirds wheel overhead.
A boat trip out to Ramsey Island for more dramatic sea cliffs is also highly recommended.
Back in the city, reward your clifftop efforts with a generous portion of comfort food at The Bishops, overlooking the cathedral square.
How to get there
The fastest route from London is the train from Paddington to Haverfordwest (about four hours and 30 minutes, fares from around $50), followed by a local bus or taxi to St Davids (around 30 minutes).
Driving from London takes up to 6.5 hours via the M4.
Where to stay
Twr y Felin Hotel (rooms from $220), housed in a former 19th-century windmill, offers stylish rooms and more than 250 pieces of contemporary art displayed throughout its interiors and grounds.
Read more: All the best things to do in Pontcanna, Cardiff’s most stylish neighbourhood
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