Daniel Dylan Wray

When it comes to planning a city break in the UK, a lot of places will probably spring to mind: London, Manchester, Edinburgh. Don’t get me wrong – these are all brilliant cities in their own right, but they shouldn’t always overshadow the other excellent destinations which are slightly more off the beaten path.   This country is home to sprawling metropolises, cobbled mediaeval towns, foodie hidden gems and cultural hotspots which double as gateways to stunning countryside. So how do you choose the top spots? To put together this list, we asked our team of editorial staff and expert local travel writers based all over Great Britain to tell us their recommendations for fantastic city breaks. From Scotland to Stoke, here are the best UK city breaks, chosen by us.  What is the cheapest UK city break? It’s widely known that London is a pricey place to visit. Edinburgh isn’t much better these days. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a decent hotel room in any large UK city for less than £100 a night, so if you’re looking to save on cash, we’d recommend heading somewhere a bit smaller. Sheffield, our top UK city break, generally offers one-bed Airbnbs and hotel rooms for less than £100. Wells, Stoke and Dundee also offer more affordable accommodation – just bear in mind you’ll probably have to spend a little bit extra to get there, if you’re coming from London. What is the best UK city to get to by train? If you’re travelling from the capital, you’re less than two hours on the train f

As a child Nam Tran grew up obsessed with hi-fi systems. ‘At school I was recording radio shows onto tape decks,’ he recalls. ‘And then cutting out the talking to make my own playlists.’ He’s telling me this as we sit in Ōdiobā, his slick, three-floor audio bar in Stockport which opened earlier this year. Beautiful towering speakers, encased in warm wood, with shelves of records, dominate the top floor. For the horns on one of the speaker set-ups, he drove 36 hours to collect them from a specialist maker in Germany who had built them by hand.  This level of audiophile geekery in a bar may have once been rare, not only in Stockport but in the whole of the UK. But in recent years, the number of bars with high-end speaker systems – often called listening bars, hi-fi bars or audiophile bars – are growing. ‘It seems to be getting more and more popular,’ says Tran, who also owned NAM, an audiophile bar and kitchen, in Manchester before running costs got too expensive. ‘And I’m a massive advocate for people who want to spend their time in such establishments. If you love music then why would you not want to listen to it in the best possible way?’ Photograph: Courtesy of OdiobaInside Odioba The origin of these places can usually be traced to the listening cafes of Japan, many of which popped up post-war, playing modern jazz, blues and rock. Others, such as the Lion Café in Shibuya, Tokyo, date all the way back to 1923 and play purely classical, inviting people to sit and listen in

Here at Time Out, we love a good curry. And the best thing about the UK is that every city has a great curry spot – each of them with their own fabulous signature curry. So Time Out editors and contributors have put our heads together to select the very best out there.  Be you a korma person, a balti person, a blow-your-head-off-spicy kind of person or fancy something else entirely, there’s a curry on this list for you. From veggie delights at London’s Rasa to the classic balti at Birmingham’s famous Shababs, here are the best curries in the UK right now. Enjoy!  RECOMMENDED:🍴 The best restaurants in the UK🍺 The best pubs in the UK☀️ The best beer gardens in the UK📍 The best places to visit in the UK This guide is by the editors and writers at Time Out UK. For all our latest recommendations, check out our travel guides page.   

Sheffield has been having its moment for a while now. Last year, we even crowned it the second best city break spot in Europe. This is a mighty cool city, and the world has (finally) woken up to it.  Not only is Sheffield one of the UK’s greenest cities, it’s got a thriving arts, culture and food scene to match. Pair that with its cracking bars, clubs and general nightlife scene, and you’ve got yourself a seriously packed-full weekend away (or a new home altogether, we guess). From festivals to animal parks, here are the best things to do in Sheffield right now.  RECOMMENDED:🍝 The best restaurants in Sheffield📍 The best things to do in Leeds☀️ The best things to do in the UK his guide was recently updated by Nicole Collins, a writer based in Sheffield. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

When it comes to feasting, don’t sleep on Leeds: the food scene here is one of the most eclectic and exciting in the UK, and the best part? It’s constantly evolving with its culturally diverse population. And we’ve truly got it all. From quick affordable bites to budget-blowing fine dining, you’ll find pretty much whatever you’re craving in this fabulous city. So whether you fancy ramen and karaoke, 12-course British-fusion food or some of the tastiest Chinese dishes in the UK, here’s our round up of the very best restaurants in Leeds right now. RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in Leeds🍸 The best bars in Leeds🖼️ The best art galleries in Leeds🌳 The best things to do in the UK This guide was recently updated by Time Out writer Alex Sims, who is originally from Leeds. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. 

There’s a reason why people from Leeds are intensely proud of their city. It’s a beautiful blend of old and new, where cutting-edge bars, restaurants and bass-shuddering clubs sit next to grand, soot-darkened Victorian architecture and ornate shopping arcades. In short, it’s got basically everything you need for a brilliant weekend away – and that’s before you take into account everything the picturesque surroundings of West Yorkshire have to offer. Leeds’s proximity to beautiful national parks and the Yorkshire Dales means that a trip to scenic, rolling green hills, dotted with chocolate box villages, is always an option for a day out. Whether you’re here for the top-notch galleries, the pioneering food and drink scene, or to escape into nearby beauty, here are some unmissable things to do in Leeds right now. RECOMMENDED:🍔 The best restaurants in Leeds🍸 The best bars in Leeds🖼️ The best art galleries in Leeds🌳 The best things to do in the UK This guide was recently updated by Time Out writer Alex Sims, who is originally from Leeds. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

With all its cobbled alleyways, grand cathedral and romantic bridges, Durham knows how to impress just on its quaint aesthetics alone. But behind the pretty facades of old-fashioned buildings is a smorgasbord of kitchens serving up enticing, flavour-packed, lip-smacking food.  Whether you’re looking for a fancy spot overlooking the River Wear, pub classics with contemporary twists, decent, hearty, dirty burgers or a snack in a literal UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s all crammed into this tiny little town. So, here’s our pick of all the very best places to eat in Durham. RECOMMENDED:🍃The best things to do in Durham🎭The best things to do in Newcastle🍝The best restaurants in the UK At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

The Toon is renowned for its spirited nightlife and charming accent, but you’d be a proper doylem to overlook the city’s excellent roster of restaurants. The thing is, Newcastle’s food scene is absolutely thriving – there’s no two ways about it – and paying it a visit will have you commending the willpower of the locals who resist getting dinner out every single night.  All culinary budgets are catered for, whether you’re looking to try a swanky new spot in Jesmond, an award-winning fine dining restaurant or just keen to sample as much street food at Grainger Market as you can. Is your stomach rumbling yet? Good – here are our top picks for the best places to eat in Newcastle. RECOMMENDED:🎭The best things to do in Newcastle🏖️The best seaside towns in the UK👙The most beautiful wild swimming spots in the UK🎨The best things to do in the UK right now  At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

You could argue that Whitby is most famous for its eerie, gothic novel-worthy vibe, and with an imposing old abbey, a clifftop graveyard and hello, Whitby Goth Weekend, it’s not hard to see where it gets its spooky reputation.  However, this former fishing town on the North Yorkshire coast has always been an idyllic and well-rounded seaside getaway. If you’re heading to spend the day in Whitby, you’ll find everything from fantastic seafood and a Blue Flag beach to pretty cobbled streets and ridiculously cute pubs – there’s so much that makes it well worth visiting. And if you’ve got the kids in tow, even better – the exhibitions and activities here are endless. Here are the best things to do in Whitby right now. RECOMMENDED:🏖️The best beaches in the UK🍻The best beer gardens in the UK🚵‍♀️The ultimate guide to Yorkshire☀️The best seaside towns in the UK

Yorkshire brags some of the UK’s finest scenery. It’s so fine in fact, that the county’s wild moors and rolling hills have inspired some of our beloved literary minds, and Haworth in the South Pennines was once home to some of the most famous.  Tucked away in this tiny hilltop village is the former home of the Brontës sisters, but it’s hardly surprising this place has been the basis of so many works of literature – it looks like it fell out of a picture book. But while this is certainly one for the bookworms, you’ll still love it here if you haven’t picked up something to read in a while – this place is steam trains and quaint cafés and wholesome vibes galore. So, here are the best things to do in Haworth. RECOMMENDED:🚵The best national parks in the UK🛍️The best things to do in Harrogate🌤️The best places to visit in the UK🍝The best restaurants in the UK

Newcastle has long had a reputation as being a bustling, thriving, nightlife-packed city that is a go-to haven for students. That's certainly true, but the northern city is also an underrated destination for everyone from families of five to loved-up 20-somethings.   It’s packed with world-class concert halls, art galleries and delicious foodie spots that will blow your mind. The aforementioned nightlife is some of the best in the country and it has a beautiful blend of history and heritage, plus plenty of green walks and idyllic riverside settings to unwind. Honestly, what more could you ask for? This is our round-up of Newcastle's best bits.  RECOMMENDED:🍴The best restaurants in Newcastle ☀️ The perfect day in Durham🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 The best things to do in England📍The best things to do in the UK At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

As with any historical English city worth its salt, York loves a pub. They say that there is a pub for every day of the year here, and while we aren’t entirely sure if that is true, we’re more than happy to volunteer to investigate. For now, you’ll just have to make do with our selection of the best pubs in York, from old-time boozers to craft beer contentment and beyond. Of course, the peculiar York soul runs through all these places, whether in the weird ale flavours or unexpected settings. Is there a pub for every day of the year in York? Maybe, but keep your pub crawl to these brilliant places for the time being. RECOMMENDED:🍝 The best restaurants in York🍸 The best bars in York🏘️ The best Airbnbs in York At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Head into Shakespeare’s in Sheffield on a Thursday afternoon and you’ll be greeted with a scene fairly typical of a traditional boozer. Solitary blokes reading their paper and nursing a pint, real-ale aficionados scribbling away in little notebooks, someone sitting quietly munching on a pork pie and crisps in the corner. But return just hours later and the steady thump of techno will be sending bouncing ripples into those glasses of foamy beer.  Slamming dance music and real-ale pubs may not be things you would necessarily associate with one another, but on the first Thursday of every month you’ll find the GROUNDWORK crew in the upstairs function room merging these two worlds with great success. ‘The combination of club tunes and the warmth of a real-ale pub, drinking good beer at a reasonable price and finishing by midnight seems to satisfy people,’ says Alex Hatch, who runs GROUNDWORK with Isaac Crookes, Jamie Roberts and Oliver Heaviside.  Photograph: Groundwork They bring their own PA system, with subwoofers that Roberts built himself, and turn the 100-capacity function room that’s normally used for pub quizzes and open-mic nights into a sweaty, bouncing, vibrating, early-doors party. As evidenced by the huge success of Annie Mac’s Before Midnight club night, there’s clearly an appetite for an alternative for those who want to avoid ‘going the full slog till 6am’, as Hatch describes it.  However, while Mac’s night may be geared more towards to ravers-turned-knackered pa

Sheffield provided the backdrop to a lot of lyrics for Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and the secret tunnels and rivers that run underneath the city centre were no different. On the tune ‘Wickerman’, Cocker even recalled his own time spent wading through the mysterious passages. The song acts as an underground journey through Sheffield, the Yorkshire city that exists ‘below other people’s ordinary lives’. He sang: ‘Underneath the city through the dirty brickwork conduits / Connecting white witches on the Moor with pre-Raphaelites down in Broomhall / Beneath the old Trebor factory that burnt down in the early seventies / leaving an antiquated sweet-shop smell and caverns of nougat and caramel.’ Sound intriguing? As it happens, that magical underground world Cocker described around twenty years ago is now opening up for guided tours via the Sheaf and Porters River Trust. Built during the mid-nineteenth century, the tours will take visitors around the city’s vast network of Victorian tunnels – including a huge brick-vaulted space referred to as the Megatron.  Ready to fish out your waterproofs and wellies? This could be the ideal chance to learn more about the history of the place (as well as retrace Cocker’s footsteps, of course). Tickets for the trips are on sale here. Like your subterranean attractions? Take a virtual tour of the Paris Catacombs’ burial chambers.

On Thursday Sheffield music venue the Leadmill revealed some unexpected news. ‘Today we have received some devastating news,’ it announced. ‘In one year’s time, our landlord is evicting us and forcing us to close.’ This was met with widespread shock. Artists including The Pogues, Billy Bragg, Self Esteem, Sleaford Mods and Tim Burgess all voiced support, as did other venues like Leeds’s Brudenell Social Club and Manchester’s Gorilla, while local MPs Paul Blomfield and Louise Haigh also expressed the need to fight and save it. Now the landlords, Electric Group, have issued a statement saying the building will still be used as a venue, but the Leadmill as it exists – its name, its staff, its independence – may all go. So, what does Sheffield stand to lose? The fact you have such a wide-reaching number of voices showing support for the Leadmill is indicative of its impact and legacy. It has been running for 42 years, initially opening in 1980 in a derelict flour mill and was as much a social and community centre as it was a radical performing arts space. The venue quickly became home to a burgeoning scene, with bands such as Pulp, Cabaret Voltaire, Clock DVA and Artery all playing some of the earliest shows. From there it had a 40-year run as one of the most important pit stops on the UK touring circuit, playing host to countless bands that would go on to be huge (Oasis, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Kings of Leon, you name it). But it was also a home for acts that woul

With constantly-changing border restrictions and testing requirements now getting in the way of most foreign travel, demand for holidays within the UK has soared. And that means that prices have too. In fact, anyone on a budget may struggle to find accommodation at a decent rate. Enter ‘Be Our Guest’ – the latest in a series of initiatives led by UK cities aiming to lure back visitors this summer. A joint venture by Visit Leeds and the Leeds Hotels and Venues Association, it means travellers can claim free third night for every two they book at any of 12 top hotels in the city. That would give you that little bit longer to taste your way around Leeds’s thriving food and drink scene, to soak up some culture at its array of excellent museums and galleries, or indeed tick off all the other ace things the city has to offer. And not only that – the first 100 bookings will get to experience a ‘taste of Leeds’ thanks to a hamper filled with local produce. Lovely stuff. Sound good? You can find out more about the ‘Be Our Guest’ scheme here. And if you’re looking for more great deals? Manchester is offering free hotel nights too.