Winchester named as best small city for Christmas shopping in 2024 by Which survey

A survey by Which found that Winchester was the best small city to go shopping in outside of the major cities such as London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. Just over a half an hour drive from Portsmouth, Winchester is famous for its Christmas market as well as its cathedral.

While 18 of the 19 small cities in the survey received low scores, Winchester was given a visitor rating of four out of five stars.

The Which survey found: “England's medieval capital might not have as many shops as London but it's a much more pleasant place to wander around in the weeks before Christmas. You'll also have a better chance of quickly finding something special and different.

“Its narrow streets are pedestrian friendly and lined with independent shops selling clothes, crafts or food that you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. It also has one of the country's greatest cathedrals and any number of great cafes and restaurants. On top of all that it gets four stars for lack of crowds and four stars for value for money.”

Other results in the survey found that Liverpool was best large city in the UK for shopping while Bath was the best medium sized city.

The full details of the survey and its results can be found here.