Birmingham vs Edinburgh
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Edinburgh leads 4–2. Character is a different question: Birmingham is the city of a thousand trades; Edinburgh is the old town and the new.
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Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Birmingham
20
Edinburgh
55
Edinburgh leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Birmingham
231
Edinburgh
254
Birmingham leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Birmingham
1
Edinburgh
13
Edinburgh leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Birmingham
12
Edinburgh
20
Edinburgh leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Birmingham
23
Edinburgh
16
Birmingham leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Birmingham
2
Edinburgh
4
Edinburgh leads
| What we measure | Birmingham | Edinburgh | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 20 | 55 | Edinburgh |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 231 | 254 | Birmingham |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 1 | 13 | Edinburgh |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 12 | 20 | Edinburgh |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 23 | 16 | Birmingham |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 2 | 4 | Edinburgh |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Birmingham in orange, Edinburgh in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Birmingham scorecard →
The city of a thousand trades
Edinburgh scorecard →
The old town and the new