The best hotels for budget city breaks in the UK

Hotel accommodation in Bath is pricey compared to many other UK cities. You can cut costs by as much as half by visiting out of season (say in January or February) and avoiding Friday and Saturday nights throughout the year. Parking is costly too: come by train, or book a hotel with parking included. Otherwise, Bath is not an expensive city to visit. Many key sights – the Royal Crescent, Bath Abbey, the Assembly Rooms – are free, as is the council’s undervisited Victoria Art Gallery. And with Bath compact enough to get around pretty much everywhere on foot, you may not end paying for any transport. Note that tickets to the Roman Baths (pictured below) and Thermae Bath Spa are cheaper on weekdays than weekends. See more on Bath in our guide to the city, and hotels below. 

By Fred Mawer

• A complete guide to the best hotels in Bath

Once a tourism black hole, Belfast is now a vibrant city with glorious Victorian architecture, a great live music scene – the cobbled streets of the Cathedral Quarter have been revived as the buzzing heart of the city’s nightlife – and some fun foodie haunts. 

Cheap eats of note include The Dirty Onion (thedirtyonion.com) in Hill Street for lip-smacking free-range rotisserie chicken and spicy ribs, while the popular Yardbird bar downstairs has an eclectic range of live music seven nights a week. Top an afternoon off with a whiskey at The Friend at Hand in Hill Street (dukeofyorkbelfast.com), which sells miniatures at £5, and head upstairs to see their fascinating free museum on the history of Belfast distilling. Another great browsing spot is St George’s Market, built in the 1890s. Open Fridays to Sundays, it has 200 market stalls selling food, arts and crafts to the accompaniment of live music.

If it’s your first time in the city, the hop-on, hop-off open top bus tour is a great way to get your bearings (an adult one-day ticket is £15; citytoursbelfast.com), and Belfast is compact enough to see all the best bits in a weekend. Or, for a long weekend, add the scenic north coast, Game of Thrones locations and Giant’s Causeway. See more on Belfast in our guide to the city, and hotels below. 

By Geoff Hill

• A complete guide to the best hotels in Belfast

From Gas Street Basin’s waterside bistros to Edgbaston’s quiet tree-lined towpaths, Birmingham’s meandering canals have often been the highlight of a trip to the Second City. But with groundbreaking restaurants like Aktar Islam’s Opheem, curious heritage sites like the Birmingham Back-to-Backs and ornate arcades hosting myriad independent traders, Birmingham’s famous canals are just one of many reasons to visit. Spend time wandering amid the historic streets and laid-back bistros of the Jewellery Quarter or jump on a train to craft beer nirvana in Stirchley. Or just enjoy a rapidly evolving city centre that offers some of the UK’s best theatre, shopping and dining experiences. Here’s our guide to Birmingham, plus pick of the best places to stay.

By James March

• A complete guide to the best hotels in Birmingham

Celebrated for its creativity and diversity, Bristol’s cachet and popularity have recently been further increased with its role as the location for numerous television series, among them Showtrial, The Outlaws, and Wolf Hall (see the Wolf Hall Trail at Bristol Cathedral here). From cutting-edge music and street art to its outstanding food scene, innovative museums and dockside attractions, Bristol delivers – there’s even an inland surfing venue at The Wave. Hop on a boat round the harbour, explore vibrant districts such as Bedminster and Southville, seek out a speakeasy-style bar (The Milk Thistle; milkthistlebristol.com), tour the hidden vaults of Clifton Suspension Bridge, or check on those set locations. Plan ahead and the city won’t disappoint – though you’ll find you’ll want more than a weekend. See our full guide to the city here, plus pick of hotels below.

By Simon Horsford

• A complete guide to the best hotels in Bristol

Cardiff numbers among the planet’s most recently appointed capitals, assuming the role in 1955, and has striven to appeal to all comers ever since. It mixes dignified 19th-century and daring contemporary architecture, boasts a booming music scene, flaunts fantastic museums like the world-class, free-of-charge National Museum and St Fagans Natural History Museum and has transformed its seaside with one of Europe’s boldest waterfront developments, Cardiff Bay.

The city understands when to trumpet its history and its coal-exporting Victorian heyday that fuelled the flamboyant decoration of its castle, the making of its dashing market and its atmospheric shopping arcades. And it knows when to showcase the new, as strolling round architectural showcase Cardiff Bay will confirm. Continue the walk out to impressive Cardiff Bay Barrage, poised between harbour and ocean, from where the city skyline is one of Britain’s most distinguished. Discover more in our guide to the city, and pick of the best hotels below.

By Luke Waterford

• A complete guide to the best hotels in Cardiff

Edinburgh is an ‘iconic’ city, but icons seldom come cheap. Happily, for every luxury hotel there’s an affordable alternative nearby, but costing £50-£90 a night. And if you have Michelin stars in your eyes but not your budget, consider Pitt Market, Leith’s ‘you tasted it here first’ street food venue. Find information about events (many free), on whatsoninedinburgh.co.uk, and swap pricey City Tour buses for cheaper alternatives (Lothian Buses day ticket costs less than half). Just remember to leave your umbrella at home (it’s a windy city) unless you’re channelling Mary Poppins. For a rooftop tour, try St Giles Cathedral instead (£6). Here’s our full guide to the city, plus top picks below.

By Linda Macdonald

• A complete guide to the best hotels in Edinburgh

Liverpool is booming as a city-break destination and there are plenty of cheaper hotel options – typically under £80 per night. But book ahead. Weekends are busy with football home games and live events, from the M&S Bank Arena to the Liverpool Philharmonic. The three hotels below are all handy for the city’s two landmark cathedrals, which are both free to visit (although the tower tour is paid), and The Old Dock Tour, a free tour of the docklands run by National Museums Liverpool (whose museums are also free to visit; visitLiverpool.com).

By David Atkinson

• A complete guide to the best hotels in Liverpool

London has so much to offer for all budgets, and there’s plenty to do if you’re visiting on a shoestring – or just want more bang for your buck. The range of affordable restaurants, pubs, pop-ups, performance art and large-scale festivals is astounding, and there are hundreds of free museums, tours, galleries and events to lose yourself in. Even entry to the bigger attractions like the Tower of London, London Eye and Sealife Centre can be discounted up to 40 per cent with the London Explorer Pass (gocity.com). There are wonderful parks dotted throughout the city and markets galore – especially in East London, the land of the hip and happening. It’s a great place to wander and take in the atmosphere and characters, especially because it’s easy to get from one place to the next.

If you’re planning a trip with smaller pockets, you can find amazing accommodation for under £150 per night in the city. Granted, it might not have a Mayfair location or the butler service of the Ritz, but our recommendations will always offer affordable prices without sacrificing quality. See our full guide to London here, and budget hotel picks below.

By Alison Taylor

• A complete guide to the best hotels in London

On a city break in Manchester, you won’t have to spend a fortune to have a good time. There are daily free walking tours of the city centre, many of its top attractions, such as art galleries, libraries and museums are free to enter, and there’s street art to admire in the creative Northern Quarter. Plus, the city centre is extremely walkable and there are free bus services from Piccadilly station (tfgm.com) if you have luggage.

Manchester’s hotel scene is currently thriving, too, with almost 1,200 new rooms having been added to the city centre in the first two months of 2022 alone. This means that there are more bedrooms in self-catering aparthotels, budget boutique hotels and design-led chains to choose between than ever. To find the best hotel prices, avoid visiting when there’s a big football match or event such as Parklife on. A full guide to the city can be found here, plus hotel picks below.

By Cathy Toogood

• A complete guide to the best hotels in Manchester

York’s big plus is that it’s easily walkable – no need for taxis, buses or, if you arrive by train, expensive parking. And some of its greatest showpieces are free: the medieval walls with their birds-eye views; the National Railway Museum (check out Queen Victoria’s silk-lined carriage); quirky snickelways (medieval alleys) that lead to hidden courtyards; and the city’s Art Gallery with its national collection of ceramics.

Shambles Market – over 70 independent stall holders – is fun to wander and pick up a picnic; eat in the riverside Museum Gardens or those of the Treasurer’s House with its Minster views. Children aged up to 16 have free entry to the Minster if with an adult, while pre-booked tickets for the scary-but-great-fun York Dungeon are cheaper than buying on the day. If little legs get tired, the city’s open-topped tour bus lets you hop on and off when you want. Staying doesn’t have to be too costly either, with some great budget and boutiquey places to base yourself for under £100 a night. Here’s our guide and hotel picks below.

By Helen Pickles

• A complete guide to the best hotels in York