Revealed: The UK’s Pub Hotspots

Mar 2026, by Maddie

Let’s set the scene: You’re trying to organise a getaway for a large group of friends, but some want to soak up the seaside splendour that Cornwall has to offer, others want to be miles away from civilisation in the Scottish Highlands, while some want to be a stones throw from metropolitan life. But one thing most adults agree on when booking their staycation is that they have to be close to a good old fashioned British pub.

While pubs are synonymous with British people, the culture has been declining over recent years with reports of many much-loved institutions shutting down. So, for those trying to organise a getaway with their friends and family, our travel experts have dived into data to reveal where in the UK you can find the best pub culture.

To do this, the Big House Experience experts analysed the following data streams for every UK postal town:

Postal town/city population
Total number of pubs
Number of pubs listed on the Good Pub Guide
Number of pubs that are CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) listed
Number of microbreweries
Total mentions of ‘best pub’ on TripAdvisor

By analysing the data for each postal area, each stream was weighted to give an overall pub culture score out of 100. Has all this chat about pubs whetted your appetite for a traditionally brewed beer? Scroll on to discover where in the UK is home to the best pub culture.

Bristol Named UK’s Best Pub Hotspot

Scoring a perfect ‘Pub Culture Score’ of 100, Bristol ranks as the UK’s leading destination for pub culture. Located in England’s South West, the city boasts almost 25 pubs per 10,000 residents, making it one of the most pub-dense locations in the country. Of its 1,211 pubs across the wider postal area, 20 are approved by CAMRA and 10 feature in the Good Pub Guide, proving that there is both quantity and quality in this part of the country. From historic venues such as The Hatchet Inn, widely considered one of the oldest pubs in Bristol, to The Cori Tap in Clifton, which is most famous for its traditional ‘Bristol Dry’ cider - the city offers something for every type of pub-goer.

Edinburgh follows closely behind with a near-perfect score of 99.5. The Scottish capital is home to 477 pubs across its postal area, serving both residents and the millions of visitors drawn to the city each year. Its pub scene is raved about online, with more than 348 mentions of ‘best pubs’ on the leading travel review platform, which is impressively the second-highest number recorded in the analysis, behind only London. Notably, Scotland actually features twice in the top 10, with Glasgow being ranked as the UK’s eighth best spot for pub culture.

Completing the top three ranking is Birmingham, scoring 96.9 thanks to an impressive 478 pubs available - meaning you will never run out of places to try a tipple when visiting the West Midlands. If you’re more into your craft ales, then you’re in the right place, as the Birmingham postal area is home to 16 micro breweries. If that’s your kind of thing, then be sure to check out GlassHouse just off the canal, serving up fresh pints and wood fired pizzas.

The UK’s Top 20 Pub Culture Locations

Rank	Postal Area	No. of Good Pub Guide- Listed Pubs	No. of Pubs	No. CAMRA- Listed Pubs	No. of Reviews Mentioning 'Best Pubs'	Pubs per 10,000 People	No. of Micro Breweries	Pub Culture Score (out of 100)
1	Bristol	10	1,211	20	75	24	15	100
2	Edinburgh	7	477	12	348	9	8	99.5
3	Birmingham	6	478	22	83	4	16	96.9
4	Manchester	5	800	18	147	14	5	96.1
5	Reading	7	194	18	80	11	20	94.2
6	Newcastle upon Tyne	10	329	7	166	11	15	94.0
7	Sheffield	2	525	24	65	9	49	90.7
8	Glasgow	1	720	14	141	11	10	89.3
9	London	67	2151	36	357	2	14	87.5
10	Chelmsford	3	129	13	55	7	30	82.3
11	Southampton	4	249	11	63	10	3	81.7
12	Ripon	0	34	3	55	20	3	79.5
13	Colchester	6	157	16	55	8	9	78.6
14	Chester	5	364	8	109	10	17	76.7
15	Shrewsbury	2	145	5	71	19	10	75.9
16	Hereford	3	115	3	60	19	2	71.2
17	Cardiff	4	241	11	121	6	16	70.9
18	Worcester	2	178	5	100	17	5	70.8
19	Circencester	0	43	2	33	21	9	68.2
20	Brighton and Hove	2	260	6	212	9	3	66.3

It’s also worth highlighting how strongly the northern half of the United Kingdom performs in our rankings. Five of the top 10 locations are situated in the North or Scotland: Edinburgh ranks second, Manchester takes fourth place, Newcastle upon Tyne sits in sixth, followed by Sheffield in seventh and Glasgow in eighth.

Also featuring in the top 10 is Reading, Berkshire, which has long been famed for its ‘three B’s’ - beers, bulbs and biscuits. This is thanks to Simonds Brewery which soared to fame for supplying the British Army with goods from 1785; however, this legacy has continued with multiple microbreweries popping up around the town. From Siren Craft Brewery which creates tipples you can find in pubs all across the UK to the tasty brews from Double-Barrelled, it’s earned its place in the top 10 with a ‘Pub Culture Score’ of 94.2.

London narrowly makes the top 10, achieving a score of 87.5. Despite its vast size and population of around 9.1 million people, the capital still maintains an impressive pub scene, with approximately 2.4 pubs per 10,000 residents across the postal area.

Of these, 67 are listed in the Good Pub Guide and 36 are CAMRA-approved, proving that you’re guaranteed a good pint somewhere in the city. London is also home to some of the country’s most recognisable breweries, including Camden Town Brewery and Fuller’s in Chiswick, where the iconic London Pride is brewed. Visitors can even tour some of these original brewing sites to experience the magic that goes into creating the capital’s beer scene.

Pub Culture In Wales & The South of England

Looking more widely at the top 20 list, Wales makes its way onto the list with its capital city, Cardiff, ranking in 17th position. Whether you’re looking within the city centre itself or exploring the outer areas such as Pontcanna and Llandaff, there’s something for everyone in this part of Wales.

Popular tourist areas such as Southampton and Brighton and Hove also claim a place on the top 20 list, ranking in 11th and 20th position, respectively. Impressively, Brighton and Hove has six pubs on offer for every 10,000 people who live there, with highly-rated pubs being The Walrus, Seven Stars and The Hole In The Wall. Plus, if you’re spending all day breathing in the sea air, you’re entitled to swing by a cosy pub and enjoy the local ales (and fish and chips).

If this has you thinking about your next staycation and made you think about booking accommodation that has a good array of pubs on your doorstep, be sure to look at our entire collection of large luxury homes right across the UK: https://bighouseexperience.com/large-houses-to-rent

Methodology

1. Select UK locations (most densely populated cities and towns)

2. For each location, search all pubs within the postal town of each one (e.g., Bath covering all BA areas)

3. Record number of trading pubs from data source Pubs Galore

4. Record number of CAMRA-listed pubs and Good Pub Guide pubs from In a Pub data set

5. Record number of microbrewies using CAMRA and Google Map listings

6. Crawl location review data from a popular travel website to pull the number of mentions for 'best pubs'

7. Source population data from ONS Census to calculate the number of pubs per 10,000 residents

8. To calculate an indexed score of 100, each data stream was weighted:

- Pubs per 10,000 = 0.35

- No. of Microbreweries = 0.25

- Good Pub Guide Listings = 0.20