The Top UK cities for a romantic mini-moon

Since 19th July, engaged couples who have been waiting to tie the knot can now take the next step in their relationship.

COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, and there are no limits on the number of guests allowed, no requirements for social distancing, and no enforcement of face masks.

People looking to get hitched last year in the peak of the pandemic were forced to either postpone or cancel their big days – a stressful decision after so much planning. Wedding planner Katrina Otter told The Telegraph that more than 50 per cent of clients have postponed their weddings to 2022, with peak dates on weekends fully booked, and more couples looking at months out of season, such as April, October, and November.

The honeymoon is one of the most important decisions for many couples when getting married. This is the first time you spend together as newlyweds and will be your first memorable moment. Honeymoons set the tone for your new life and will keep the spark burning as you reminisce.

The popularity of minimoons

Even though lockdown restrictions have ended in the UK, other countries have different rules. Social distancing may continue to play a role in our travel decisions. More couples are opting to stay safe and make plans that are less likely to change. Due to the everchanging traffic light system, some destinations may become out of reach whereas others may require yourself and your guests to isolate upon return to the UK – time people might not be able to get off work.

Because of this, more people are taking minimoons – a domestic honeymoon taken instead of travelling overseas. Just because you’re hitting the city doesn’t mean you need to ditch your favourite flat sandals. We’ve created the Minimoon Destination Index to help you decide on the best places to holiday in the UK to celebrate your marriage.

Using Tripadvisor, we collected the total number of romantic hotels, restaurants, attractions, and spas to reveal which is the most loved-up place to visit. Romantic hotels and restaurants were found by filtering for ‘romance’ on Tripadvisor’s reviews. These were then tallied up and ranked as the best city destinations.

Top five cities in the index

The top five cities are London, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Glasgow, and Birmingham.

Rank City Number of romantic hotels Number of romantic restaurants Number of attractions (things to do) Number of spas Total
1 London 281 1,870 7,925 713 10,789
2 Edinburgh 104 268 1,609 88 2,069
3 Liverpool 13 167 1,296 37 1,513
4 Glasgow 14 212 1,059 54 1,339
5 Birmingham 9 176 846 26 1,057

It isn’t surprising to see that London came top – the capital is the biggest city in the UK and has more than enough fun activities, romantic hotspots, and fantastic and intimate places to enjoy food and drink. London’s score was much higher than other cities, with 281 romantic hotels, 1,870 romantic restaurants, 7,925 attractions, and 713 spas, which brought the total to 10,789.

Although London hasn’t been given the same romantic reputation as Paris or Venice, it certainly has its own charms. Get dressed up for a high-end night in the city with your favourite heeled boots or dress down for green spaces and relaxation.

The Scottish capital Edinburgh ranked second with 104 romantic hotels, 1,870 romantic restaurants, 7,925 attractions, and 88 spas, making a total of 10,789.

With a medieval atmosphere and feelings of chivalry, Edinburgh is a romantic hotspot for many couples to elope to, full of castles and stunning architecture.

Liverpool ranked third with 13 romantic hotels, 167 romantic restaurants, 1,269 attractions, and 37 spas, totalling a score of 1,513.

Liverpool offers a unique range of things to do with cruises, walks, and incredible sightseeing including late Georgian architecture.

Glasgow ranked fourth with 14 romantic hotels, 212 romantic restaurants, 1,059 attractions, and 54 spas, bringing the total score to 1,339.

Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city and is adorned with beautiful Georgian architecture. With a rich history for those looking to explore and a vibrant nightlife for the partygoers, there is something for everyone.

Birmingham ranked fifth in the Minimoon Destination Index, with nine romantic hotels, 176 romantic restaurants, 846 attractions, and 26 spas, resulting in a total score of 1,057.

Birmingham is home to Cadbury World in the leafy suburb of Bournville, as well as a Peaky Blinders tour, and a Tolkien Trail (home to The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien).

Make your minimoon a time to remember and plan some romantic yet fun ways to spend your time together – romantic walks, intimate meals, and fantastic drinks in a new city.

Rank City Number of romantic hotels Number of romantic restaurants Number of attractions (things to do) Number of spas Total
1 London 281 1,870 7,925 713 10,789
2 Edinburgh 104 268 1,609 88 2,069
3 Liverpool 13 167 1,296 37 1,513
4 Glasgow 14 212 1,059 54 1,339
5 Birmingham 9 176 846 26 1,057
6 Manchester 13 150 777 45 985
7 Leeds 11 184 666 39 900
8 Belfast 15 95 676 24 810
9 Bristol 6 150 625 16 797
10 Brighton and Hove 20 139 528 41 728
11 York 40 110 554 22 726
12 Bath 39 84 483 17 623
13 Cardiff 7 110 466 35 618
14 Plymouth 2 59 547 10 618
15 Newcastle upon Tyne 10 124 445 31 610
16 Sheffield 11 110 475 13 609
17 Nottingham 3 104 433 15 555
18 Oxford 11 69 441 10 531
19 Norwich 14 55 380 20 469
20 Bradford 2 212 233 13 460
21 Cambridge 7 44 401 6 458
22 Southampton 3 86 339 13 441
23 Aberdeen 11 62 318 23 414
24 Chester 15 63 314 17 409
25 Salford 3 291 95 4 393
26 Portsmouth 8 64 277 11 360
27 Inverness 23 28 280 3 334
28 Leicester 1 10 309 13 333
29 Swansea 6 54 263 5 328
30 Canterbury 7 42 263 5 317
31 Kingston upon Hull 1 50 228 6 285
32 Derby 4 41 236 3 284
33 Exeter 4 35 227 12 278
34 Dundee 5 36 221 5 267
35 Lincoln 10 38 195 7 250
36 Stoke-on-Trent 2 8 235 4 249
37 Gloucester 2 35 196 8 241
38 Londonderry 9 20 202 0 231
39 Preston 3 43 175 8 229
40 Stirling 5 31 181 3 220
41 Wolverhampton 4 30 173 8 215
42 Peterborough 5 31 159 14 209
43 Coventry 2 23 170 6 201
44 Chichester 8 35 125 10 178
45 Worcester 5 32 136 4 177
46 Carlisle 11 37 120 5 173
47 Newport 2 32 135 4 173
48 Salisbury 8 20 135 9 172
49 Chelmsford 2 49 113 7 171
50 Sunderland 1 41 125 3 170
51 St Albans 1 45 117 7 170
52 Winchester 10 26 125 5 166
53 Durham 5 31 123 7 166
54 Perth 5 26 127 2 160
55 Wakefield 2 41 111 5 159
56 Hereford 8 21 97 1 127
57 Lancaster 5 30 89 1 125
58 Truro 3 35 84 2 124
59 Bangor 1 11 96 0 108
60 Lichfield 2 21 57 2 82
61 Ripon 3 25 45 1 74
62 Ely 2 9 52 1 64
63 Lisburn 4 15 40 2 61
64 Wells 1 25 35 0 61
65 Newry 3 12 41 0 56
66 St Davids 1 5 43 1 50
67 Armagh 1 2 43 1 47
68 St Asaph 1 2 9 0 12

Sources – telegraph.co.uk & travelersjoy.com

Main image via unsplash

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