City Guides

Quieter than nearby Margate, easy to reach from London and compact enough to explore on a day trip or coastal weekend break, Kent’s coolest creative enclave thrums with indie shops, galleries, seafood restaurants and modern-retro stays. A brilliant escape from the city, fish and chips on the beach at golden hour is a must.

Cool and creative, Bristol is often voted as one of the UK’s best places to live in the UK, and the happiest too. There’s always been a vibrancy and edginess to the place, and although many once-neglected areas are fast becoming gentrified, this is a city that will never lose its grit.

Bright, brash and rainbow-striped, the seaside playground of Brighton and Hove has been the UK’s bohemian home of hedonism since the 18th century. Beyond the annual Pride parade, its independent spirit manifests in design-forward shops and hotels, sustainable restaurants and locals who are as welcoming as they are creative. Here, they let us in on the city’s best hangouts.