Most underrated UK City break?

[ILikeBigBurpsAndICannotLie]

Where’s a really great city to explore for 2-3 nights? Like the idea of somewhere less obvious than the capitals.

Calder Valley, Halifax, Hebden Bridge, Slawite, Sowerby Bridge, Todmorden etc...

I took a trip to the North East last Easter. We were travelling from London so spent the night in York on the way up and explored the next day. We stayed in a farm cottage outside Durham and visited all the sights and the amazing Cathedral. We explored Newcastle and visited the Angel of the North. I loved it!

I'd say the most underrated is Slough. It rates incredibly low for place to visit (or go to ever) yet it has cheaper hotels for visiting legoland and Windsor Castle. You can do your own "The office Tour" and see the Mars Bar factory from the outside (you can't go in). The number 4 thing to visit on Tripadvisor in the area is the Train Station - with many people commenting on how easy it to get to London. So overall you might expect it to be terrible and it is merely bad so very underrated.

Margate.
Canterbury.
Liverpool.
Bristol.

I’m boycotting Slough until they put the stuffed dog back on the platform 5.

Portsmouth is great. But don’t tell everyone!
Stay in Southsea (the southern end of the island).
The city is flat so easily walkable, there are e-bikes and e scooter hire pods everywhere. Walk the new sea defences with great views incorporating the Theatre of the Sea.
Historic Dockyard with loads to see, probably two days worth of sights just in the dockyard. DDay story on Southsea seafront, Gunwharf Quays shopping outlet with loads of restaurants and the Spinnaker Tower (watch out for the glass floor) with views all over the Solent.
Catch a hovercraft to the Isle of Wight from Southsea seafront or take the car ferry for the day and visit Osborne House, The Needles etc.

I think Dundee is underrated. It has a new stylish branch of the V&A which has great exhibitions and some interesting old ships you can visit in a development called Discovery Quay - all in easy reach of the train station. It has also a nice museum and art gallery in the city centre and a smart new library where they also sometimes have exhibitions.

Baltic art gallery
The Glasshouse (for music… beautiful views of the Tyne)
History (city walls, Roman wall etc)
Tynemouth (with stunning beach, village and the lovely weekend market) just 20 mins away on the Metro
Michelin dining (Solstice, House of Tides) and other fantastic restaurants (Long Friday, Cook House)
Architecture

The Quayside
The Lit and Phil (for the intellectuals!)
The Grainger Market
Walking in beautiful Jesmond Dene
Ouseburn
Northumberland on your doorstep

You absolutely wouldn’t be disappointed.

Belfast!

I agree - as long as there is a museum/art gallery I'm happy - Derby, Coventry, Nottingham, Dundee, Perth, Stockport, Macclesfield, Leicester, etc, all with places of interest.

Not a city, but I’ve just had the most brilliant three nights on the Isle of Wight. Loads to do, easy public transport, and not expensive.

Liverpool, Chester, Lincoln, Portsmouth, Winchester

Many of mine are here. But I visited Harrogate for the first time earlier this year and loved it. Also very pleasantly surprised by Leicester a few years ago

thats what I mean, I think i’m just blind to it as I lived there for a year and go a few times a year so probably don’t see the obvious from the eyes of a “newbie”! I live in a major tourist hotspot though and could write a huge list for anyone coming to visit.

No, not Plymouth, a long way and not much there!

Technically not a city but Bradford on Avon was a delight. We had an Airbnb as a base for visiting Stonehenge but spent the rest of the weekend in BoA. There’s river and canal walks, lovely independent shops, good restaurants and (we were there over 5/11) a fab fireworks display!

Bradford. And no, I’m not taking the piss. It’s city of culture this and there’s loads going on. Haworth nearby is worth staying in - Bronte country, with sculptures on the moors above until Octoberish.

@JustMeAndTheFish lovely little place but more of a small town/ big village - we live in Bath so go to BOA a fair bit

And you can catch a bus to St Andrews which is lovely

Durham is a lovely little city, not actually that many empty shops. The Cathedral and Magna Carta and museum library (free) for Shakespeare. The cafe in the Cathedral is delicious.
Beamish is a full day, on its own.
Newcastle is lovely for a weekend. Not sure how the people of Gateshead feel about the Baltic and Glasshouse being in Newcastle. The blinking eye bridge is cool.

And Prashad’s!

The nice thing about Bath is that it isn't huge so you can walk everywhere. We lived there for 14 years and I never tired of it.

Hilarious.

I’m from Gateshead. The Quayside is very much its own little Newcastle/Gateshead universe and it’s very interchangeable. The two places are very much united as Tyneside.

I’m sure someone else from Gateshead will be along in a minute to say they care very much! But honestly, when you’re there it really doesn’t matter two hoots. No passport needed to get over the bridges!

I’m from near Durham but work with a lot of people from Newcastle and Gateshead and the Gateshead people get very annoyed with the people from Newcastle about Baltic/The glasshouse and don’t mention the Gateshead Angel now just the Angel of the north🫣