Kate Wickers

With more than 70 cities across the UK, you’d be a fool if you only ever visited heavyweights like London, Manchester and Edinburgh. Everyone knows how brilliant those cities are, with their cultural offerings and culinary scenes. But we all know how expensive they can be, too – so it’s about time other spots got their flowers.  Every British city has a distinct personality. We have places that are packed with reminders of their medieval history, that are emerging as sporting hotspots, that offer world class nights out and that have bars and restaurants good enough to give London a run for its money.  So, who better to let you in on the UK’s best-kept secrets than Time Out’s editorial staff and expert local travel writers, who hark from all over the nation? From Derby to Dundee, here’s our roundup of the UK’s most underrated city breaks.  What is the cheapest UK city break? Smaller cities on the list, like Sheffield, Wells, Stoke and Dundee, offer more affordable accommodation than their larger counterparts. The sames tends to go when it comes to the price of a pint. Pubgoers in Dundee get to enjoy a cold one for an average £3.96 and in Durham and Sunderland, the average pint is around £4.60.  What is the best UK city to get to by train? If you’re travelling from London, you’re less than two hours on the train from Canterbury, Salisbury, Bristol and Bath – as well as from Sheffield and Stoke, if you can get a speedy service. Fast trains from London also regularly service Leed

Over the past fifteen years I’ve watched Deal blossom from just another Kent seaside town to one of the UK’s most desirable coastal weekend boltholes, luring DFLs (the name given to those Down from London) away from the capital with the promise of beach walks, vintage shopping and proper fish and chips. Along the award-winning High Street, you’ll find a wealth of independent shops, bars, and restaurants, but it’s Deal’s sedate (yet uplifting) atmosphere that remains its biggest draw. Ten miles from Dover, this is a town beside the sea, rather than a seaside town (for kiss-me-quick amusements, head to Margate): it’s creative, classy and also happens to be one of the UK’s top hidden foodie destinations. Here are the best things to do in Deal, right now.  RECOMMENDED: 🚆The best day trips from London🦪 The best things to do in Whitstable☀️ The best things to do in Canterbury🚂 The best day trips from London🏖️ The best things to do in Kent Kate Wickers is a writer based in Deal. 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.

From my home in the seaside town of Deal it is eighteen miles to Canterbury, and I’m lured there often by my love of its tangible history and show-stopping 11th century cathedral, ever the marvel no matter how many times you’ve stepped through the magnificent Christ Church Gate. But this isn’t a city stuck in the past. Canterbury University students keep the café and pub scene on its toes, and brilliant new restaurants are opening all the time. So here are its best things to do; from cutesy tea-rooms and classy cocktail bars to wondering through the living museum of its Medieval back streets. –Kate Wickers RECOMMENDED:🎡 The best things to do in Margate🐟 The best things to do in Whitstable🍃 The best things to do in Kent🏖️ The best seaside towns in the UK Kate Wickers is a writer based in Deal, Kent. 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.