Top 10 most inspiring UK cities – is yours on the list?

Building on a rich heritage, the UK is a melting pot of culture brimming with creativity, inspiration, arts and innovation.

But which UK cities are the most inspiring for creatives?

Intrigued, the printing experts at Aura Print ranked the UK’s most creative and artistic cities, considering factors from the density of art galleries and museums, theatres, comedy clubs, the street art scene, TikTok hashtag popularity, to the availability of creative job opportunities and the number of art and design universities.

Rank	City	No. of art galleries & museums per 100,000 people	No. of theatres per 100,000 people	No. of comedy clubs per 100,000 people	Instagram street art hashtag count	TikTok hashtag view count	No. of creative art jobs per 100,000 people	No. of art and design universities in top 84	Final Inspirational Score /10
1	Manchester	6.16	2.98	2.13	60,782	13.1 B	31.46	2	8.33
2	Brighton and Hove	16.24	4.69	2.17	65,217	3.1 B	25.98	0	7.69
3	Bristol	7.05	3.53	1.88	153,159	1.6 B	13.64	1	7.00
4	London	3.63	2.48	1.18	545,989	90 B	9.95	13	6.94
5	Edinburgh	12.67	4.55	0.99	8,213	2.9 B	4.55	2	6.60
6	Leeds	2.80	2.42	1.68	5,568	4.3 B	15.66	3	6.55
7	Liverpool	3.95	2.57	1.38	15,995	65.7 B	10.07	2	6.45
8	Glasgow	8.39	2.85	0.95	37,220	4.6 B	3.32	1	5.71
9	Newcastle upon Tyne	6.63	3.84	1.75	5,701	390.6 M	14.66	0	5.57
10	Belfast	9.41	2.94	1.47	18,336	2.9 B	3.82	0	5.52
11	Nottingham	4.34	2.33	1.33	3,428	1.3 B	23.68	1	5.32
12	Cardiff	5.74	2.87	0.86	5,041	1.2 B	6.31	2	5.27
13	Norwich	6.48	2.99	1.49	2,434	763.3 M	7.97	1	5.22
14	Bournemouth	3.56	2.04	2.55	439	839.2 M	11.71	2	5.12
15	Southampton	2.40	2.80	1.20	286	1.2 B	17.23	2	4.98

For the complete data of all 30 cities analysed, please click here.

The sheet consists of the total number of art galleries, museums, theatres, comedy clubs etc. in each city.

Crowned the UK’s most inspiring city, Manchester earned a remarkable 8.33/10 for its inspirational score. Having the highest number of comedy clubs outside London (2.13 per 100,000 people), the North West city not only fuels creativity with a bustling street art scene which garnered an impressive 60,782 Instagram hashtags, but also had over 13 billion admiring the city on TikTok. The city’s crown jewel, The Royal Exchange, adds to its allure being the UK’s biggest theatre in the round, making it a must-visit for theatre aficionados.

Brighton appears as another strong contender scoring a remarkable 7.69/10. Boasting the highest number of art galleries and museums per head (16.24 per 100,000 people), the coastal city offers a wealth of artistic activities to pursue. Around 72 creative job roles are currently available in the city which is almost 70% higher than its fellow seaside town, Bournemouth in 14th, with a mere 23 creative job openings.

Following closely behind in third is Bristol (7/10). As the birthplace of the legendary Banksy and the host of the Europe’s largest graffiti festival, Upfest, it’s no surprise that Bristol came on top in regard to street art, with over 153K Instagram posts documenting the colourful streets of the city. Beyond the vibrant streets are 27 art galleries, 15 theatres and 8 comedy clubs to immerse yourself in.

Next in line is London, the British capital holding its ground at fourth place, receiving an inspirational score of 6.94/10. With its TikTok views towering over the rest at 90 billion, the capital doesn’t fall short of cultural activities for an artistic escape with a staggering 263 art galleries, 56 museums, and 218 theatres to visit and get inspired.

Edinburgh sits in fifth place scoring a respectable 6.60/10. Known for its artistic flair and well-preserved architecture, the city has allegedly inspired J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series. A visit to the Scottish capital will provide you with 64 diverse art galleries and museums, 23 theatres and a huge annual art festival. Besides, The University of Edinburgh ranks 8th in the UK art and design league tables, drawing creative talent from across the globe.