Charming little Somerset city named best for a short break (2024)

The charming city of Wells in Somerset has been crowned as the best small city for a mini-break, according to a survey by consumer group Which?

The city outshone Durham and St Andrews, known for being the university town of Prince William and Kate Middleton, in the poll of nearly 4,000 members.

Wells topped the list with an impressive score of 86 percent, leaving Durham and St Andrews trailing behind at 78 percent each. Despite its modest population of just over 12,000, Wells holds city status due to its historic 850 year old Cathedral, the seat of the Bishops of Bath and Wells

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The survey also highlighted the Bishop's Palace and Gardens, which are open to the public, and Vicar's Close, touted as the only complete medieval street in England. Wells earned four stars for its lack of crowds, cultural sites, tourist attractions and accommodation, but received three stars for its food and drink offerings.

Other small cities that made it into the top 10 include Winchester, Stratford-upon-Avon, Salisbury, Stirling, St David's and St Ives. Visit Wells suggests checking out the Wells Cathedral, Vicars Close, Bishops Palace and Gardens, Milton Lodge Gardens, the city's marketplace and Cedars Hall performance centre, reports the Express.

It is another accolade for Wells, which was last year named the UK's best non-seaside town, even though technically, it's not a town at all. The settlement is often referred to as England's smallest city, due to its 12,000 population who live in the shadow of its magnificent, city-status making cathedral.

And it comes as Bath was named the best medium-sized city alongside Liverpool being the number one big city. The results came from Which?'s latest survey of almost 4,000 members who were asked about their experiences visiting UK cities and towns in the past two years. Each location is rated out of five stars based on accommodation, food and drink, cultural sights and tourist attractions, ease of getting around, lack of crowds, and value for money and then tallied into an average customer percentage score.

Bath received an impressive 82 per cent rating with one person describing it as "one of the top sites in the UK, indeed Europe," for its architecture and historical sites, according to Which? It’s best known for its beautifully preserved Roman baths, the Georgian houses of the Royal Crescent and its literary connections, notably the city's Jane Austen Centre.

Located on the A39, Wells is less than an hour's drive from both Bristol and Bath. Alternatively, it can be reached by bus in an hour and 22 minutes from Bristol, and slightly longer from Bath. While Wells doesn't have its own train station, there are accessible stations in nearby Bath, Bristol, and Shepton Mallet.

According to Which?, the average cost of a hotel stay in Wells is £93. The city and its surrounding areas offer a variety of accommodation options such as The Swan Hotel, Crossways, The Wookey Hole Inn, The Sheep and Penguin, Wookey Hole Hotel, and The Cross at Croscombe.

For dining, establishments like The Olive Tree, The Greek Taverna, The Good Earth, The Fosso Lounge, Long Story Bistro, Captain Jack's, and The Fountain Inn are available.

The best UK cities and towns for a staycation in 2024, according to Which?

Large cities and towns

1. Liverpool - 84 per cent

2. Edinburgh - 83 per cent

3. York - 83 per cent

4. Belfast - 77 per cent

5. Glasgow - 76 per cent

6. London - 76 per cent

7. Newcastle-upon-Tyne - 75 per cent

8. Portsmouth - 74 per cent

9. Bristol - 73 per cent

10. Cardiff - 72 per cent

11. Manchester - 71 per cent

12. Brighton & Hove - 67 per cent

13. Leeds - 67 per cent

14. Hull - 66 per cent

15. Nottingham - 66 per cent

16. Plymouth - 66 per cent

17. Birmingham - 64 per cent

18. Coventry - 63 per cent

19. Sheffield - 63 per cent

20. Milton Keynes - 61 per cent

21. Aberdeen - 60 per cent

22. Southampton - 60 per cent

23. Leicester - 58 per cent

24. Swansea - 58 per cent

25. Derby - 56 per cent

Medium cities and towns

1. Bath - 82 per cent

2. Chester - 80 per cent

3. Lincoln - 78 per cent

4. Worcester - 77 per cent

5. Canterbury - 76 per cent

6. Shrewsbury - 75 per cent

7. Harrogate - 74 per cent

8. Oxford - 74 per cent

9. Norwich - 73 per cent

10. Cambridge - 72 per cent

11. Exeter - 71 per cent

12. Cheltenham - 67 per cent

13. Dundee - 62 per cent

14. Eastbourne - 62 per cent

15. Hastings - 62 per cent

16. Gloucester - 61 per cent

17. Ipswich - 59 per cent

18. Bournemouth - 58 per cent

Small cities and towns

1. Wells - 86 per cent

2. Durham - 78 per cent

3. St Andrews - 78 per cent

4. Winchester - 77 per cent

5. Stratford Upon Avon - 76 per cent

6. Salisbury - 75 per cent

7. Stirling - 75 per cent

8. St David's - 74 per cent

9. St Ives - 74 per cent

10. Ely - 73 per cent

11. Windsor - 73 per cent

12. Chichester - 69 per cent

13. Inverness - 69 per cent

14. Oban - 69 per cent

15. Lancaster - 67 per cent

16. Perth - 65 per cent

17. Truro - 61 per cent

18. Fort William - 58 per cent

19. Torquay - 58 per cent