This seaside city has been named the ‘worst’ in the UK – here’s why it’s actually great

Here at Time Out, we believe that every UK city is home to plenty of stuff worth shouting about. That’s why we’ve got locally curated guides to everywhere from Glasgow to Sheffield to Cardiff. But not all publications have such a rosy view of ol’ Blighty. 

Newspaper the Telegraph has just unveiled a ranking of Britain’s 20 biggest cities, naming the ‘best’ and ‘worst’. And with a scathing ‘visitor appeal’ score of just one out of 10, it named Southampton the worst of them all. 

The Telegraph’s writer Chris Moss said of the Hampshire city: ‘It has the UK’s busiest cruise terminal, but in all other matters, Southampton is a minor player. Visitors must make do with moderately well-curated maritime heritage (SeaCity museum), satisfactory shopping (Westquay) and some OK green spaces (Queens Park, Southampton Common), but very limited cultural offerings.’

We beg to differ – there’s much more to Southampton, so long as you know where to look. In fact, Time Out recently named the city one of the best day trips that you can go on from London (it’s less than 90 minutes away from the capital by train).  

Visitors don’t just have to ‘make do’ with the SeaCity Museum. For history enthusiasts, there’s the Tudor House and Garden, a 15th century building that became the city’s first ever museum in 1912; the 12th century town walls, which are some of the best preserved in the whole of the UK and the Solent Sky Museum, which guides visitor through the city’s history of aviation.

There’s also a fantastic amount of art on offer in the city. At Southampton City Art Gallery you’ll find a wide array of European and Renaissance work, and at the John Hansard Gallery you’ll discover an internationally recognised collection of contemporary art. In the past it’s hosted shows by the likes of Andy Warhol, Anne Tallentire and Gerhard Richter, and in 2026 it’s putting on an exhibition exploring punk and post-punk in the ’70s and ’80s, and a solo exhibition of works by artist and filmmaker Melanie Manchot. 

On top of all that, Southampton is brimming with culinary appeal. The Jetty is a swanky seafood restaurant led by Michelin star chef Alex Aitken, La Regata serves Spanish tapas with views over the river, The Pig in the Wall is a relaxed lunch and dinner destination from the award-winning The Pig hotel group, cult spot 7Bone offers filthy burgers and thick milkshakes and Dancing Man Brewery, which sits in a 14th century Grade I listed building on the Town Quay has a menu of house-brewed beer and Deep South-inspired grub. 

See the Telegraph’s full ranking of Britain’s cities from best to worst here.