City guides
Where to live in the UK
Honest, in-depth guides to the UK’s major cities: what each place is really like, its schools and universities, how you get around, the local economy, and what homes cost. Explore 75 cities, then browse what’s for sale and to rent.
England
Greater London
The UK capital and one of the world’s great cities: a collection of distinct villages and neighbourhoods, each with its own character, wrapped around the Thames.
West Midlands
The UK’s second-largest city, remade over two decades into a young, green and fast-growing place with more canals than Venice.
North West
A confident northern powerhouse of music, sport and industry reborn as one of the UK’s most exciting places to live and work.
Yorkshire
A confident Yorkshire city with a thriving financial centre, handsome Victorian arcades and some of the best value in the country.
North West
A proud maritime city of waterfront grandeur, unbeatable culture and some of the friendliest streets in the country.
Yorkshire
The greenest city in England, with a third of it inside the Peak District National Park and a warm, down-to-earth character.
South West
Creative, independent and harbourside, consistently voted one of the best places to live in the UK.
North East
The Tyne, the bridges and a legendary welcome, northern city living at its most sociable, and remarkable value.
East Midlands
A compact, spirited city with two universities, a famous castle and excellent connections.
East Midlands
One of the UK’s most diverse cities, rich in history, food and real affordability, right in the heart of the country.
West Midlands
A revitalised Midlands city, UK City of Culture 2021, with two universities and superb transport links.
Yorkshire
A UNESCO City of Film and UK City of Culture 2025, with grand Victorian architecture and outstanding value.
West Midlands
A characterful Black Country city with strong value, good rail links and a proud manufacturing heritage.
South West
A historic ocean city with a dramatic waterfront and the wilds of Dartmoor on the doorstep.
South East
A vibrant waterfront city, a major port and the gateway to the New Forest and the Isle of Wight.
South East
The UK’s only island city, maritime history, a landmark tower and sea on every side.
East Midlands
A compact, prosperous city at the heart of England, on the edge of the Peak District and famed for engineering.
West Midlands
The Potteries, home of British ceramics, with some of the most affordable housing in England.
Yorkshire
A proud maritime city with a revived Old Town, a landmark aquarium and remarkable value for money.
South East
London-by-the-sea, Regency terraces, the Lanes, and a famously open, creative spirit.
East of England
A fine medieval city with a cathedral, a castle and cobbled lanes, gateway to the Norfolk Broads and coast.
South West
A cathedral city between Dartmoor and the sea, compact, historic and thriving.
Yorkshire
Roman walls, medieval streets and the Yorkshire countryside all around, history you get to live in.
South East
The city of dreaming spires, historic colleges, the Thames and the Cotswolds beyond.
East of England
Punts on the Cam, world-leading science and a beautiful, walkable historic centre.
South West
A honey-stone World Heritage city of Georgian crescents, Roman spa waters and rolling hills.
North West
Roman walls, black-and-white timber galleries and the Cheshire countryside at the door.
North East
A dramatic Norman cathedral and castle above a wooded river, ringed by County Durham’s hills.
East Midlands
A magnificent hilltop cathedral and castle above a compact, affordable city.
North West
A well-connected Lancashire city, gateway to the Forest of Bowland and the Lake District beyond.
North West
Manchester’s neighbour and home to MediaCityUK, regenerated quays and a young, creative population.
Yorkshire
A historic West Yorkshire city with world-class sculpture parks and excellent value.
South East
A cathedral city of cobbled lanes in the Garden of England, close to the coast and the Continent.
South East
England’s ancient capital, a beautiful cathedral city in the rolling Hampshire countryside.
East of England
A fast-growing cathedral city on the East Coast Main Line, popular with London commuters.
South West
A historic cathedral and docks city on the Severn, gateway to the Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean.
North East
A North East city on the mouth of the Wear, with sandy beaches, a proud football club and some of the best value in the country.
North West
Cumbria’s historic border city, a castle and cathedral between the Lake District and Hadrian’s Wall.
North West
A historic Lancashire city with a castle above the Lune, a leading university and the Lakes and Dales close by.
West Midlands
A handsome cathedral city on the River Severn, famous for its porcelain, its sauce and Elgar.
West Midlands
A market and cathedral city on the Wye, home of the Mappa Mundi and the heart of cider country.
East of England
Essex’s county city, a fast-growing commuter hub with quick trains to London and countryside all around.
East of England
Essex’s seaside city on the Thames Estuary, home to the world’s longest pleasure pier.
East of England
Britain’s oldest recorded town, now a city, with a Norman castle and Roman roots in the Essex countryside.
South East
A Roman cathedral city between the South Downs and a beautiful natural harbour.
South West
A Wiltshire cathedral city with Britain’s tallest spire, on the edge of the plain that holds Stonehenge.
East of England
A prosperous cathedral city on the site of Roman Verulamium, one of London’s most sought-after commuter towns.
South West
Cornwall’s only city, a Georgian centre with a soaring cathedral at the head of a wooded creek.
West Midlands
A Staffordshire cathedral city of three spires, the birthplace of Samuel Johnson.
East of England
A small Fenland city dominated by its magnificent cathedral, the “Ship of the Fens”, just north of Cambridge.
Yorkshire
One of England’s smallest and oldest cities, with an ancient cathedral on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.
South West
England’s smallest city, a medieval gem beneath the Mendip Hills, built around a spectacular cathedral.
Yorkshire
A South Yorkshire city with a proud racing and railway heritage and superb national connections.
South East
The UK’s most successful new city, a green, grid-planned hub halfway between London and Birmingham.
Scotland
Scotland
Scotland’s biggest city, grand Victorian tenements, a buzzing West End and a peerless music scene.
Scotland
A capital of two halves, medieval Old Town and elegant Georgian New Town, with festivals all year.
Scotland
The Granite City on the North Sea, grand silver-grey architecture and a working harbour.
Scotland
Scotland’s sunniest city, a waterfront transformed by the V&A and design at its heart.
Scotland
A historic castle city at the gateway to the Highlands, ringed by dramatic scenery.
Scotland
The capital of the Highlands, on the River Ness near Loch Ness and some of Britain’s finest scenery.
Scotland
The “Fair City” on the Tay, an elegant former Scottish capital surrounded by beautiful Perthshire.
Scotland
Scotland’s ancient capital in Fife, an abbey city and the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie.
Wales
Wales
The Welsh capital, a waterfront reborn, a castle in the centre, and green space everywhere.
Wales
A sweeping bay, the Gower peninsula and Wales’ second city just behind it.
Wales
A well-connected city on the Usk, between Cardiff and the English border, with strong value.
Wales
North Wales’ largest town, granted city status in 2022 and lately world-famous for its football club.
Wales
One of Britain’s smallest cities, a university city on the Menai Strait between Snowdonia and Anglesey.
Wales
One of the UK’s smallest cities, built around a compact cathedral in the Vale of Clwyd.
Wales
The UK’s smallest city, a cathedral settlement on the wild Pembrokeshire coast.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s vibrant capital, grand Victorian buildings, a regenerated waterfront and famous warmth.
Northern Ireland
The only remaining completely walled city in the UK or Ireland, on the banks of the Foyle.
Northern Ireland
A prosperous city just south of Belfast, popular with commuters and families.
Northern Ireland
The ecclesiastical capital of Ireland, a Georgian city of two cathedrals and an historic observatory.
Northern Ireland
A border city between the Mourne Mountains and Carlingford Lough, midway between Belfast and Dublin.
Northern Ireland
A seaside city on Belfast Lough, with a marina, coastal paths and a fast commute into Belfast.