Bristol has been named the best city in the UK to do your Christmas shopping and with the festive season a mere five weeks away, many of us will be looking to snap up the perfect gift for our loved ones. And with 70 per cent of people likely to begin their festive shopping before December 1, there is no better time to get started than now.
Despite the fact that online gift shopping is becoming more popular, many people enjoy a festive trip to the shops and Christmas markets to get into the holiday spirit. A study by Reboot Link Building Agency examined 21 UK cities well-known for their Christmas shopping by focusing on key factors such as parking costs, Christmas Markets and the number of gift shops, store departments and shopping centres.
Each factor was then ranked out of 100 to determine the best city in the UK and Bristol came out on top beating the likes of London and Birmingham which took second and third place. The city ranked highly in terms of average shopping centre rating, its great selection of independent shops where you can find one-of-a-kind Christmas presents as well as its infamous Christmas market located in the city centre which returned this year with over 50 stalls selling a wide range of gifts.
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Bath rounded out the top five as it is also one of the best places to go Christmas shopping because of its diverse range of independent, luxury, and high-street stores, ensuring that you find something unique and personal. Additionally, the famous Bath Christmas market returns this year for its 20th anniversary.
The best UK city for your Christmas shopping
Rank |
City |
The average cost of city parking per hour (£) |
Is there a Christmas market this year? (2022) |
No. of gift shops |
No. of department stores |
Rating of shopping centres (/5) |
Christmas shopping score (/100) |
1 |
Bristol |
3.92 |
Yes |
169 |
52 |
4.17 |
95.5 |
2 |
London |
5.68 |
Yes |
1,254 |
925 |
3.97 |
90.9 |
3 |
Birmingham |
2.85 |
Yes |
129 |
200 |
4.08 |
86.4 |
4 |
Manchester |
3.16 |
Yes |
26 |
93 |
4.24 |
81.8 |
5 |
Bath |
3.13 |
Yes |
99 |
51 |
4.02 |
77.3 |
6 |
Liverpool |
2.70 |
Yes |
21 |
55 |
4.24 |
72.7 |
7 |
Nottingham |
2.52 |
Yes |
77 |
69 |
4.01 |
68.2 |
8 |
Leeds |
1.73 |
No |
71 |
91 |
4.15 |
63.6 |
9 |
Edinburgh |
4.58 |
Yes |
150 |
9 |
3.75 |
59.1 |
10 |
York |
2.26 |
Yes |
57 |
84 |
4.03 |
54.5 |
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