The best UK city breaks to take in 2024
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So many places to visit in the UK, so little time. For a quick trip, we've rounded up the best UK city breaks to take in 2024, in no particular order, as selected by the editors of Condé Nast Traveller. Thankfully, the UK is flecked with diverse cities packed with world-class museums, some of the world's best restaurants and bars, cute bakeries, beautiful parks and gorgeous shops. Think weekenders in Edinburgh for incredible food and a serious culture hit; short hops to quirky Bristol or honey-hued Bath; or fast-paced overnight stays in gritty Birmingham or artsy Manchester. Below, we've also recommended the Traveller team's places to bed down while on one of our 13 favourite UK city breaks – to make planning your next jaunt away as simple as possible. Now you just have to decide which to do first.
Which UK city break is best?
There are 76 cities in the UK – 55 in England, eight in Scotland, seven in Wales and six in Northern Ireland. Here, we recommend our 13 favourites for a break. We like Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, Belfast in Northern Ireland and Swansea in Wales, as well as Bristol, Birmingham, Bath and beyond in England.
Iain Masterton / Alamy Stock Photo1. Edinburgh
The beautiful city
After almost two years of muted activity, it’s heartening to see that the pandemic hasn’t affected Edinburgh’s ability to wow visitors. After a long period of darkness, theatres and venues are back in business, with the Gallery of Modern Art showcasing new acquisitions including Dali’s famous lobster telephone and works from Sarah Lucas. There’s brilliant food at West End bistro The Palmerston, which elevates comfort food – roast partridge, crispy pig’s head croquettes – to a whole new level (its owners previously worked at Skye Gyngell’s Spring and The Harwood Arms), while Edinburgh veggie legend Henderson’s has reopened at Bruntsfield Links, doing wonderful things with cauliflower, roasted carrots, pumpkin and sage. And you can carry on till the wee hours at Casablanca Cocktail Club in the House of Gods hotel on Cowgate. Owned by Glasgow-born hotelier Mike Baxter, this outrageously decadent venture is inspired by 1970s maximalism and makes Studio 54 look like a village hall. “After 11.30pm, when the pubs close, we’re letting the party carry on,” Baxter says over its signature cocktail, a mix of gin, pomegranate, hibiscus and citrus, served in a Chanel No. 5 bottle with a silver straw. “There’s this idea that we’re coming into the Roaring Twenties, and I think that’s true.” If it is true, a dramatic city like Edinburgh might just be the place to usher them in.
Where to stay: The Observatory House, a grand, astronomical observatory perched on Calton Hill and owned by the Collective Art Gallery, is set to be Edinburgh’s most impressive Airbnb. Inside are paintings and sculptures from Edinburgh contemporary artists Rabiya Choudhry and Rachel Adams – as well as a circular Gothic tower with 360-degree views of the city. For something more down to earth, Cheval Old Town Chambers are a collection of chic, family-friendly serviced apartments with an airy, laidback new restaurant, Luckenbooth’s, named after the wooden booths which once housed The Royal Mile’s shops. To be where it's buzzing, the city's most exciting newcomer is Gleneagles Townhouse, the little sister hotel and members club to beloved Gleneagles in rural Perthshire. For more, see our pick of the best hotels in Edinburgh. By Lucy Sweet
Alamy2. Glasgow
The wide-awake city
While it might not have Edinburgh’s chiselled profile, Glasgow’s wide-open outdoor spaces, architecture and full-throttle nightlife could still steal your heart in 2024. It shone as host of the UN’s climate-change summit in November 2021 so there’s a hopeful feeling in the air. Glasgow was built to survive hard knocks, even Covid-shaped ones, and continues to flourish with some wildly creative plans in the works. SWG3, a sprawling events and arts complex in the west of the city, is at the centre of a new multimillion-pound project to redevelop the neglected Clydeside. A rooftop restaurant, sculpture garden and street-art-and-graffiti district are set to transform the area. “The night-time economy is still really important, but there’s so much more daytime activity now,” says SWG3 founder Andrew Fleming-Brown. “We’re interested in food, workspaces, community gardens and growing space.”
Food and drink are also taking centre stage. ("People used to want to be on the guest list for the venue," says Fleming-Brown, “now they want the food.”) Artisan bakeries and coffee shops abound, putting those lazy deep-fried stereotypes to rest. And the city got a Michelin star – the first restaurant in Glasgow for almost two decades – for well-established West End restaurant Cail Bruich, where chef Lorna McNee spins Scottish produce into gold. Also in the West End, an ornate renovated Victorian garage on Vinicombe Street is now a foodie hub – it’s home to South-east Asian favourite Ka Pao, with Glasgow seafood legends Crabshakk also touted to move in. Round the corner, Six by Nico took over the former Fopp record shop on Byres Road. As for that night-time economy, in the Southside, Luchador is a new restaurant inspired by Mexican wrestling, with a speakeasy in the basement.
Then of course, there’s Finnieston, the ever-evolving area close to the proposed Clydeside development. Here, the Kelvingrove Café, a cocktail and brunch spot serving DIY Bloody Mary kits, slap-up brunches and wood-fired pizza, has recently undergone a huge refurbishment. General manager Kirstie Addis is optimistic: “Glasgow’s the most open, honest and friendly city with such a thriving social scene. It’s often eclipsed by Edinburgh, but it’s got so much more to offer.” By Lucy Sweet
Where to stay: No other hotel in Glasgow is more intimately connected to the city than Voco Grand Central Hotel Glasgow – even its walls form two sides of the Central Station. Rooms here are comfortable and contemporary yet retain enough of their Victorian swank (and quirks) to lift them out of the ordinary. For something cheap and cheerful, Yotel Glasgow is hard to beat in terms of price (low), convenience (high) and style (quirky but fine if it is the kind of quirkiness that makes you happy).
Alamy3. Belfast
The screen-favourite city
Where once bright young things absconded to bigger cities, those same locals are now driving a wave of indie restaurants, pop-ups and creative ventures. A relatively small city, Belfast is becoming increasingly cosmopolitan while retaining its soul. To get a sense of it, a Black Taxi Tour will give you the lay of the land, while climbing the mighty Cavehill in the country park just outside town will give you a different slant on the city. The Cathedral Quarter has been the scene for many a bar crawl – try The John Hewitt, named for the much-loved local poet, The Duke of York with its mural walls or the Sunflower – but there are other reasons to wander the streets. We like Rollerboy for elevated sausage rolls, while eclectic deli Sawers is known for its cheese counter and traybakes.
Outside the centre, Belfast’s suburbs have blossomed. In East, Boundary Brewery ferments its own craft beers on-site, while Freight serves brunch and themed dinner menus with a view of CS Lewis Square, which a local market and skaters call home. Along South Belfast’s Ormeau Road, there are bulbous bomboloni at Bread and Banjo bakery and vegan goodies at the 387 café. Fruit Shop café is a not-so-secret gem – seeded by local eco-artists intent on grassroots growing initiatives, its menu includes local lovelies such as fermented rhubarb tonics, Bara Bakehouse sourdough and aubergine galettes made with Cavehill wild garlic. The Dublin Road and Botanic areas traverse a global palate: The Chilli House, Cuban Sandwich Factory, Madame Pho and the recently refurbished Nora’s Palace with falafel the size of your head. Award-winning chef Marty Murphy’s latest venture, tapas restaurant Ora, has natural wines and plates such as pickled chilli crab and Manchego Caesar tacos.
With the local film and TV industry booming – there were whispers of Nicole Kidman 'gramming her morning coffee outside the City Hall – Belfast draws in location-hunters seeking a Netflix or Hollywood fix. Catch the best independent films at the Queen’s Film Theatre, contemporary art at the Golden Thread Gallery, photography at Belfast Exposed, comedy and improv at Accidental Theatre and The Black Box, poetry readings at the No Alibis bookshop – and annual gatherings such as the electronic music and arts AVA Festival in September and the Belfast International Arts Festival in October. Above all, Belfast has kept its counter-culture spirit, rooted in punk and a thriving techno scene. Dress the part by browsing Young Savage vintage shop, and stop in at Voodoo Soup for vinyl, before heading to LGBTQ+ haven Kremlin. Belfast is a city moving to its own beat. By Anna Cafolla
Where to stay: Housed in sublimely restored Victorian merchants' residence, The Harrison's 16 rooms have distinct personalities, all oozing character and fun from bathtubs in the bedrooms, thick velvet curtains, and dramatic antique furnishings. We also rate the Bullitt Hotel, a hip hotel upstart in the city centre that offers a no-nonsense, no-frills, yet still fun and stylish stay. For more, see our pick of the best hotels in Belfast.
Toby Mitchell4. Bristol
The independent city
The biggest splash for Bristol is The Wave, an incredible man-made surfing lagoon that's the first of its kind in England, casting out more than 1,000 waves an hour across its 200-metre surface. It opened in 2018 and the city has been busy surfing other scenes ever since.
As for places to eat, one of the best restaurants in Bristol is the innovative, vegetable-centric Root in Wapping Wharf, and zero-waste café Vegetable Diva opened on Brandon Quay, set up by local food nutritionist Sonya Devi-Clarke – try her beet bourguignon and citrus-and-fennel salad. And in Clifton, there's the Spanish-themed Bar 44, while Koocha Mezze Bar has brought a Persian-style concept to Stokes Croft.
Bristol also has some of the best small-scale breweries in the UK – aficionados attend the Bristol Craft Beer Festival in June. And you can map out a museum tour all year round – making sure to visit Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, and Being Brunel museum, which includes the great Victorian's last cigar and original dock office. More showmanship can be found at the Bristol Old Vic, which reopened in 2018 with a new foyer and a programme. By Annabel Herrick
Where to stay: New boutique accommodation includes Avon Gorge in Clifton, overlooking Bristol’s famous suspension bridge, while Artist Residence opened in 2021 in a converted boot factory, following other outposts in Oxfordshire, Penzance and London.
Alessandra Spairani5. Cambridge
The architectural city
The idea of Cambridge as being more fashionable in 2022 than in any other year since, say, 1219 – that is, 10 years after a few ratbag scholar-monks who had just been booted out of Oxford pitched their mead-soaked encampments on the banks of the River Cam – is, on the one hand, frankly risible. Cambridge does not do fashionable. Never has. Never will. It is not that kind of place.
On the other hand, there are two very good reasons why Cambridge is a comfortable UK city breaks right now. First among them is the reopening of the University Arms hotel a few years ago, which has been given a new lease of life by architect John Simpson and interiors guru Martin Brudnizki. By coincidence, Kettle’s Yard gallery, a 10-minute walk from the hotel, has also reopened after a dramatic expansion at roughly the same time as the University Arms. Which is the second reason why 2023 will be such a good year for visitors to Cambridge. Kettle’s Yard, with its exceptional collection of 20th-century British and European art, is one of the most intimate, idiosyncratic and moving exhibition spaces in the UK – quite as marvellous, in its one-of-a-kind way, as Cambridge itself. And not even remotely fashionable. By Steve King
Where to stay: Just off Mill Road, Vaiva’s chic Victorian terrace Airbnb has space for six guests and a sunny garden, so make the most of the bright, minimalist property by gathering a group of friends and renting bikes to freewheel along the River Cam. For a hotel stay, University Arms Hotel is the best in the city. The rooms, particularly the signature suites, named after famous Cambridge alumni, are wonderful; and the playful, sexy, buzzy bar-restaurant combo on the ground floor, Parker’s Tavern, is utterly ravishing.
Getty Images6. Manchester
The foodie city
The city has upped its foodie game over the past few years. Recent openings include Dishoom, the four-storey Ivy Spinningfields, with a rare rooftop bar and separate Asian restaurant, and Mana, from ex-Noma chef Simon Martin, with reindeer moss and bark on the menu. And one of the region's most switched-on vegan restaurants, Allotment, recently moved here from nearby Stockport – a town that has just unveiled The Produce Hall in its Victorian market (and remains a foodie destination for the wonderful, tasting-menu-only When The Light Gets In).
Where to stay: The city's recent biggest openings include the Dakota Manchester hotel, dressed in designer black near Piccadilly, with a seriously grown-up bar and restaurant and terrace views of the canal, and Ducie Street Warehouse, on the edge of the Northern Quarter. A former goods warehouse that's also home to Native Manchester hotel, it’s an ambitious space with 166 apartments, including 8 penthouses with private terraces. For more, see our edit of the best hotels in Manchester. By Rick Jordan
Getty Images7. Newcastle
The riverside revival city
The city’s Quayside, once a tumultuous clank of coal and steamships, has been on the rise since the Millennium as a reimagined riverside for urban escapism. But if you want to catch the next wave of the city’s resurgence, head to Ouseburn, once one of Newcastle’s roughest, toughest industrial areas, home to a whaling dock and a bleach factory. While relics of the past remain, it’s now one of the city’s most rapidly evolving neighbourhoods, clustered around the well-established Cluny music venue and Seven Stories, the national centre for children’s books. The Ship serves some of the best vegetarian food on Tyneside, the Kiln does great breakfasts, while the subterranean Brinkburn Street Bar & Kitchen has more than a dozen cask beers plus small dishes such as vindaloo Scotch egg and Hasselback potatoes. And for smart dining with a spin, try Anna Hedworth’s superb Cook House.
In the city centre, Spanish food specialist Kaltur now has a restaurant in Dean Street to complement its tiny tapas place in High Bridge. Huddled on the other side of the Tyne in Gateshead is another container community: the excellent By The River Brew Co, with open-fire cooking and a bike café. By Harry Pearson
Where to stay: Check in to Jesmond Dene House, a neighbourhood boutique hotel set within a historic mansion.
Getty Images8. Birmingham
The design city
Britain’s second city is enjoying a remarkable renaissance, and it's not just down to the continuing success of Peaky Blinders. An industrial blackspot has become a dynamic cultural and commercial hub as its old factories have been transformed into shopping centres and galleries – such as the Odox, an artist-run space in former brass workshop. The Roundhouse, red-brick stables and stores from the 19th century, is being transformed into a canalside hub by the National Trust – you can see it with a gin and tonic from The Distillery next door, with its open kitchen and pizza oven.
But the best thing about Birmingham is its lively street life, which you can sample all year round. Take a walk along the rejuvenated canal, and check out the quirky shops and cafés in the Jewellery Quarter and the Custard Factory in Digbeth – one of the hottest neighbourhoods in town, with highlights including Baked in Brick for pizzas, and The Clean Kilo supermarket for zero-waste everything.
The best restaurants in Birmingham include Adam Stokes' seafood restaurant, The Oyster Club, which opened in April 2021 close to the chef's Michelin-starred place, Adam's, and the city's first taste of Hawaii, Kuula Poké, which opened on a corner of the beautiful Great Western Arcade. By William Cook
Where to stay: Following a 20-year hiatus to undergo a £50 million facelift, The Grand Hotel Birmingham is back to take the crown as best place to stay in the city.
Getty Images9. Bath
The new foodie city
The city has dined out for centuries on its association with Jane Austen and its Georgian crescents, along with the Roman Baths that were deep-cleansed and given a Bill Bryson audio commentary a few years ago. But just as Bristol’s foodie scene has taken root and scattered seeds around the city in the past few years, near neighbour Bath is showing an appetite for more than Mrs Bennet-themed scones and tea.
Tapas and small plates, street food, supper clubs, vegan menus and cooking classes are gathering momentum with the best restaurants in Bath, from the hole-in-the-wall Chai Walla to the Vietnamese-flavoured Noya’s Kitchen, whose supper club gets booked six months in advance. A local pioneer was the Corkage wine bar, which now has a sibling; but other highlights include Beneath, a bar underneath the Botanist restaurant, and the Beckford bottle shop. Elsewhere, there’s Francis Gallery, created by Cereal co-founder Rosa Parks and with interiors inspired by Korean ceramics, and the boutique Tivoli cinema, with armchairs and sofas to watch movies from.
Where to stay: The Gainsborough Bath Hotel, which opened in 2015, is still the most dramatic place to stay, but other projects are afoot. Hotel Indigo recently opened, taking over a honey-stoned Georgian terrace house on South Parade. For more, see our pick of the best hotels in Bath. By Rick Jordan
Getty Images10. Liverpool
The music city
Liverpool’s Docks continue to thrive as a heartland for the arts. Following Liverpool's year as UNESCO City of Music, the nearby Baltic Triangle hosted Liverpool Sound City in October 2021 after a successful 6 Music weekend. Digital and tech businesses thrive here too, next to street-food mecca Camp and Furnace and quirky bars such as Hobo Kiosk. And in 2023, the city will host the Eurovision Song Contest.
Go a mile-and-a-half out of town, too, to Granby Street in Toxteth, a road transformed by the community in collaboration with Turner Prize-winning architecture firm Assemble. The Granby Workshop sells groundbreaking architectural ceramics, while the Granby Winter Garden opened this spring. A creative space transformed from two derelict terraces, its urban indoor garden grows toward its glass roof, and hosts artists-in-residence. See our guide to the best things to do in Liverpool for more. By Jude Rogers
Where to stay: For a smart stay with a view, ALoft Liverpool sits within the Grade II-listed Royal Insurance Building, perfectly placed near Moorfields Railway Station.
Alamy11. Brighton
The seaside-escape city
Ever since the Prince Regent pulled on his woolly bathing costume here in the 18th century, Brighton has had a certain cachet. There are now as many individually minded hotels and bars to be seen in within the BN1 postcode as there are fortune-tellers and fish-and-chip shops, and several recent new additions make the trip even more worthwhile.
For Brighton restaurants, the Hanningtons Estate development is in The Lanes, and combines smart shopping with foodie opportunities. The Flint House, a new restaurant from local kitchen hero Ben McKellar of The Gingerman Group, is particularly anticipated. And just a pebble’s throw away, the Brighton Dome café on New Road will provide latté-sippers with an on-street space in which to enjoy the buzz of North Laine.
Where to stay: For those planning to stay the night, 12-room ‘self-service’ hotel One Broad Street is open in Kemptown, and blends clean-eating urban style – exposed brickwork and faux greenery – with an innovative, digital-only approach that allows guests to be masters of their own mini-break destiny. See our pick of the best hotels in Brighton for more. By Rufus Purdy
Rapid Visual Media12. Dundee
The Scottish renaissance city
Dundee’s ascendance as one of the UK’s must-visit cultural destinations continues unabated after the opening of the dramatic waterside V&A, Scotland’s first design museum.
As for food, there's exciting Scottish cuisine by Masterchef winner Jamie Scott at waterfront restaurant The Newport, where you can see beautiful sunsets over the River Tay from its windows (and stay the night in one of its four bedrooms). Explore the town on one of the 300 new e-bikes which were installed across the city from July 2021 – keep an eye out for the West Ward Works, a print factory that made DC Thomson’s Beano and Dandy annuals, that will host live performances, festivals and exhibitions, and become a base for designers, artists and other creative workers and companies.
Where to stay: Try the recently-opened Staybridge Suites, in a cleverly-converted former jute mill. By Giovanna Dunmall
Alamy13. Swansea
The Welsh arts city
Swansea has stealthily become the new hothouse for culture in Wales. The city’s high street is at the heart of it, where derelict units have become thriving artist and theatre spaces. A new permanent home for Elysium, an artist-led social enterprise comprising more than 83 studio spaces, opened in summer 2020, while local dynamo Jane Simpson, a Swansea-born Young British Artist, curates probing exhibitions and talks from the GS Artists gallery.
The Volcano Theatre in a former supermarket also runs shows all summer – you’ll recognise it from the huge mural of a weeping Elizabeth Taylor outside. Experimental music and spoken-word gigs run by the brilliant NAWR collective are also constantly curious, thrilling nights. The Swansea Museum runs immersive, challenging exhibitions, such as the one on the history of the town’s asylum that ran in summer 2020, and the recent £6-million restoration of the town’s stunning Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is spearheading one-off residencies. By Jude Rogers
Where to stay: This Plum Guide penthouse makes the most of its coastal views via floor-to-ceiling windows, while Swansea Beach is a 10 minute stroll away.