Best-value UK cities for a weekend break

Planning a weekend away on a budget? Forget London and Edinburgh. A one-bedroom Airbnb will typically cost you £143 in the Scottish capital and an eye-watering £170 a night in London.

Consider booking a trip to Dundee instead. Scotland’s fourth-largest city was highly rated by visitors in our best city breaks survey and the average price of a one-bedroom Airbnb is £85 - half the price of a night in London.

The six other destinations below also scored four out of five stars for value for money, and tend to have cheaper accommodation than the UK's big cities. And you won't be short of things to do - their attractions range from ancient castles to state-of-the-art museums.

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Belfast

Average one-bedroom Airbnb: £107 

Northern Ireland’s capital clinched an impressive destination score of 85% in our best city breaks survey and four out of five stars for its attractions. Its importance as a port has faded, but two gantry cranes, Samson and Goliath, still loom over what was the shipyard, and Titanic Belfast is a huge draw. The Botanic Gardens have a refurbished Victorian hothouse and the free Ulster museum, where you can admire an Egyptian mummy and treasures from a Spanish Armada shipwreck.

Belfast also scored top marks for its food and drink. For an inexpensive lunch, head to St George’s Market for a Belfast Bap (sausage, bacon and a fried egg) or the Common Market, a new food court in the lively Cathedral Quarter.

Check with booking.com to easily compare and find accommodation deals in Belfast. 

Durham

Average one-bedroom Airbnb: £106 

This small city has a mighty cathedral that dates back to the 11th century. From the top of its bulky tower are plummeting views down to the Palace Green and the network of cobbled streets that lead down to the heart of the town and the market place, where you can buy hand-crafted wares on Saturdays. The indoor market has plenty more independent traders and tempting food stalls.

Durham’s 1000-year-old castle is now part of the university and students give guided tours. The loveliest walks are those along the wooded riverbanks on either side of the Wear, with near-vertical views back up the cathedral.

Check with booking.com to easily compare and find accommodation deals in Durham. 

Chester

Average one-bedroom Airbnb: £108

Cheshire’s cathedral city doesn’t have any showstopping landmarks, but it’s a pleasure to walk around. The two miles of Roman and medieval city walls dip to pavement level then rise to offer views of the River Dee.

In the cobbled centre, shops squat on top of each other in half-timbered, double-decker arcades known as the Rows. Although most are Victorian replicas, some original 13th-century buildings remain. There’s also an art deco cultural centre, Storyhouse, and a new food court, while the 128-acre Chester Zoo is a 20-minute bus ride north of town.

Check with booking.com to easily compare and find accommodation deals in Chester. 

Portsmouth

Average Airbnb price: £102

Combine a seaside break with naval history in Portsmouth. In its Historic Dockyard, climb aboard Lord Nelson’s flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar and see the remains of Henry VIII’s warship, including salvaged sailors' uniforms and cutlery. (It’s cheaper to book in advance or get a free pass from the visitor centre if you just want to wander around the dockyard.)

The best view in town is from the 170-metre Spinnaker Tower. Work up an appetite for fish and chips ambling along Southsea’s four-mile shingle seafront and lovingly restored Victorian pier.

Check with booking.com to easily compare and find accommodation deals in Portsmouth. 

Dundee

Average Airbnb price: £85

This east coast city’s biggest attraction is only five years old. The V&A Dundee, which looks like a spaceship perched on the bank of the Firth of Tay, has examples of Scottish fashion, and decorative arts. The Beano - Britain’s oldest comic - is published here. 

The spruced-up waterfront also has ill-fated Antarctic explorers Scott and Shackleton’s polar expedition vehicle RSS Discovery. Dundee’s other attractions include the 199-year-old frigate HMS Unicorn, which claims to be Scotland’s oldest ship, and the grand McManus art museum.

Check with booking.com to easily compare and find accommodation deals in Dundee. 

Norwich

Average one-bedroom Airbnb: £92

Medieval churches, ancient halls and half-timbered merchant’s houses lie within easy walking distance of Norwich’s compact, largely pedestrianised city centre. These are the legacy of the city’s heyday in the Middle Ages, made rich by the East Anglian wool trade.

To get a feel for medieval Norwich, stroll down Elm Hill with its cobbles, half-timbered houses and sloping pavements, then seek out the 900-year-old Norman castle, which is being revamped. The huge open-air market has craft and street food stalls.

Check with booking.com to easily compare and find accommodation deals in Norwich. 

Sheffield

Average one-bedroom Airbnb: £88

The Steel City is becoming known for its excellent food scene as well as its industrial heritage and for producing the likes of Pulp and Arctic Monkeys. Sheffield was one of only seven cities to score five stars for food and drink in our survey.

Check out Victorian polymath John Ruskin’s art collection at the free Millennium Gallery, and plants from around the world next door in the Winter Garden - a huge glasshouse. The city’s former industrial district, Kelham Island, has a great free history museum, a trendy food court and real ale pubs. The Antiques Quarter has thrift and indie shops and welcoming cafés.

Check with booking.com to easily compare and find accommodation deals in Sheffield. 

Our research

In April 2022, 3,662 Which? members completed an online survey about UK towns and cities they had visited for leisure in the past year and stayed in for at least one night. We asked members to rate the food, accommodation, sights and attractions, level of crowds, and value for money at destinations across the UK. The city score is based on overall satisfaction and how likely people are to recommend the city as a destination to a friend. 

We used short-term rental data platform AirDNA to find the average nightly rate of a one-bedroom Airbnb or Vrbo in each city over the past 12 months.