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Revealed: The UK’s friendliest destinations
Join us as we unveil the top friendliest cities for your next memorable getaway.
Each year more families in the UK are choosing staycations rather than vacations. Not only are these more eco-friendly (especially when you travel by train!) but they are more budget-friendly. A recent study predicted that 28% of families plan to organise a city break in the UK this year.
Every city boasts its own unique attractions, but seeking out a welcoming and friendly place is a top priority for many travellers. Recognising this, we conducted a study to determine the UK’s friendliest destinations for 2024.
We began by analysing data from the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) on the personal well-being of residents in major towns and cities. Then information from a leading travel platform helped determine a destination’s general level of hospitality. After gathering all of the data, population size was taken into consideration, leaving each destination with a score out of 100 in the final rankings.
UK’s Top 10 Friendliest Destinations
We looked at the UK's largest cities to see which ones were the friendliest on the basis of life satisfaction, hospitality via five-star restaurants in the area and personal life satisfaction of residents, and here's how they rank:
Blackpool
Brighton
York*
Newcastle*
Edinburgh*
Bath
Chester
St Albans
Colchester
Chelmsford
* cities with stations on the LNER route
1. Blackpool
Renowned for its iconic Pleasure Beach, Illuminations (the same one your mum always talks about!) and Tower, Blackpool is a truly endearing place. Now, it has been crowned the friendliest destination in the UK for 2024.
According to the latest ONS data, Blackpool residents report high levels of life satisfaction, happiness and a sense of purpose in life. It could be said that this accounts for the city's exceptional hospitality. Our in-depth research reveals that Blackpool boasts the highest number of five-star rated restaurants and hotels, with 143.3 per 100,000 people.
Travelling to Blackpool can be a breeze, especially when you book through LNER with no booking fees.
Find trains to Blackpool from the most popular UK destinations:
2. Brighton
Taking our second spot as the UK’s friendliest destination is the vibrant seaside resort of Brighton. Following closely behind Blackpool, Brighton also stands out thanks to its considerable number of five-star rated restaurants and hotels, equating to 115.1 per 100,000 people, so there's plenty to choose from during your stay.
While Brighton ranks high for life satisfaction and the feeling that life is worthwhile, it interestingly sits fourth from the bottom in happiness score among the 50 destinations analysed. However, this doesn't stop it from shining at the top of our rankings.
Keen to escape to Brighton after its second place ranking? Get the best fares without booking fees with LNER now.
With LNER you can travel to Brighton from the below destinations with only one change, result!
Find trains to Brighton from the most popular UK destinations:
3. York
Claiming third place is the historic city of York in friendly North Yorkshire. Roman settlements and Viking invasions have enriched the place with a complex – but more importantly unique – history, yet it still showcases a welcoming atmosphere within its ancient walls. Ranking sixth for life satisfaction and third for the number of five-star rated establishments per capita, this delighfully traditional and friendly destination is truly worth a visit.
Located between London and Edinburgh, York is an ideal destination for a UK city break, with LNERs direct trains connecting the Scottish and English capitals in less than a few hours. We have also collated a list of things to do in York, which include stargazing at York Observatory, getting on board at the National Train Museum and to finish things off, a guided chocolate tour – delicious!
Plan your trip to York now from our most popular destinations:
4. Newcastle
In fourth place stands Newcastle. The people of Newcastle are known for being happy, warm and welcoming - nothing beats the friendliness of northerners. This is underlined by the fact that the local community sits in 9th place for life satisfaction.
Furthermore, Historic UK described Newcastle as one of the most iconic cities in Britain, thanks to it's industrial heritage, self titled Newcastle Brown Ale and popular nightlife - Newcastle is one of the only places in the UK that has a license to serve triple measures of alcohol, wild night outs! Newcastle is also accessible from many major cities by train, with trains from Edinburgh to Newcastle taking less than 90 minutes on average.
LNERs convenient direct services can also get you to Newcastle from some of the UK's most popular destinations:
5. Edinburgh
Edinburgh secures the fifth spot as the friendliest destination in the UK and the most friendly destination in Scotland. Edinburgh ranked fourth in life satisfaction and sixth for people feeling that things done in life are worthwhile.
Edinburgh has so much to offer, from historic sites, to amazing walks and modern restaurants and bars, theres something for everyone in this friendly coastal capital.
The Scottish capital also ranked eighth for the number of five-star restaurants and hotels per 100,000 people. If happy locals and friendly hospitality are what you’re looking for, you may want to consider a trip to Edinburgh.
Plus with access to Edinburgh from the most popular places in the UK with LNER, you can't go wrong with a wee trip up to Scotland no matter where you are.
Find trains to Edinburgh from the most popular UK destinations:
6. Bath
Ranking sixth is the city of Bath, renowned for its historical significance and cultural charm with distinctive Roman baths, picturesque abbey and array of restaurants, bars and shops. The city is also listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, perfect for history buffs and explorers to visit!
Despite being the third smallest destination by population in our research, Bath impresses with a notable ratio of 68.6 five-star rated restaurants and hotels per 100,000 people, placing it fifth according to this metric. Residents enjoy a high level of life satisfaction, accompanied by a strong sense that things in life are worthwhile. Additionally, the city boasts a happiness score of 72, the friendliness of its people being one of its key features.
Book your tickets to beautiful Bath from our most popular destinations with LNER and pay no booking fees ever!
Book train tickets7. Chester
In seventh place stands Chester, a vibrant and dynamic city with plenty for all the family to see and do. Chester boasts amazing medieval architecture that will leave you in awe, brilliant shopping malls, and one of the UKs largest zoo's, making it the perfect place to visit for a UK getaway!
Despite being the second smallest city by population among the 50 cities we studied, Chester boasts a significant number of five-star rated restaurants and hotels, with a ratio of 64.1 per 100,000 people. Its residents seem to find satisfaction in life based on a score of 74.4, while a strong rating of 72.9 for happiness makes a warm welcome even more likely.
Buy train tickets to Chester using from LNER and never pay any booking fees.
Book train tickets8. St Albans
Eighth in the rankings is St Albans, the smallest city in terms of population among the top ten.
Within St Albans historic walls you will find plenty of museums, walks and architecture, from grand cathedrals to the ruins of a priory. For anyone who loves to explore and learn about the historic significance of the places they're in, St Albans is perfect!
Despite its smaller size, St Albans shines with the highest life satisfaction score among the top contenders, boasting an impressive 79.7 out of 100. Additionally, it tops the chart with a score of 80.2 for its residents feeling that the things done in life are worthwhile. However, its relatively low number of five-star rated restaurants and hotels per capita – standing at 36.7 – contributes significantly to its placement in the ranking.
Nevertheless, St Albans remains among the friendliest destinations in the UK for 2024.
Book tickets to St Albans from LNER today and pay no booking fees!
Book train tickets9. Colchester
Colchester secures the ninth spot on our list. Despite a moderate ratio of 46 five-star rated restaurants and hotels per 100,000 people, its residents express high levels of life satisfaction, ranking third in this metric with a score of 77.8. It is also important to highlight that this is accompanied by a solid rating of 75.6 for happiness.
With over 2000 years of unbelieveable history, Colchester is known as the first Roman city of the UK, further turning into the first capital city of the UK before the title was moved to London. Colchester is also known for its jam production, with orchards in most of the surrounding areas - get a sweet deal with tickets to Colchester using the LNER Journey planner from the most popular destinations!
Combined with its rich history, the first Roman capital of Britain’s allure continues to earn itself a place among the UK’s top 10 friendliest destinations.
Book train ticketsFind trains to Colchester from the most popular UK destinations:
10. Chelmsford
Last but certainly not least, we have Chelmsford. It is regarded as a small city, with a population of only 111,511.
Known for its impressive architecture such as Chelmsford Cathedral and Shire Hall, the countryside feel of this small city is unmatched. Combined with the friendliness of its residents and you'll probably want to stay!
Despite its size, Chelmsford distinguishes itself thanks to the highest happiness score among the top ten – an impressive 77.9 out of 100. More specifically, the city that was once England’s capital for a matter of days offers a respectable number of five-star rated restaurants and hotels, equating to 47.5 per 100,000 people. With a life satisfaction score of 75.5 and a strong sense that life is worthwhile among its people, Chelmsford is more than deserving of a place in this year’s rankings.
Whisk yourself away to Chelmsford and book with LNER never pay a booking fee!
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Pick your seats
Choose where and which direction you would like to travel in.
Read moreEat at your seat
Eat warm delicious food brought right to your seat.
Read moreGroup savings
Travel with friends and book together and save 20%
Read moreAvoid the jams
Get there hassle free, leave your car at the station and avoid those motorway jams
Read moreEco friendly
With 70% less CO2 emissions than travelling by car, its the responsible way to travel
Read moreGet £5 free
Join LNER Perks to recieve £5 joining credit and 2% cashback for every journey
Read more
How we did the maths
To find the friendliest cities in the UK we used average scores from personal life satisfaction of residents, personal happiness and personal feeling that life is worthwhile from residents (via the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), and the number of five-star rated restaurants in the city per 100,000 people.
This lead us to our results, a complete guide of the friendliest cities in the UK. However, there are plenty of welcoming cities not on this list, waiting for you to explore, so why not see what LNER has to offer and take a well deserved break in the uk.
We started by identifying the top 50 most populated towns and cities in the UK using data from World Population Review. From the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) study into personal well-being in the UK, we gathered data for the Happiness score, Life Satisfaction score and a score dictating whether people feel that life is worthwhile for each city. We also gathered data from a leading travel platform on how many five-star rated hotels and restaurants there were in each city based on consumer reviews. This was then divided by the respective cities' population to get a figure of how many five-star rated establishments there were in each city per 100,000 people.
Each metric was then normalised to get a score out of 100. We had earlier agreed that the most significant metric to this study was the Life Satisfaction score, hence why that metric was double-weighted in the next stage of our analysis.
With each city having an average score out of 100, they were then ranked with the highest average score being ranked number 1 and the lowest average score being ranked 50th.
