City Stories Index · United Kingdom · 2026 edition
Bristol vs Cambridge
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, they tie 2–2 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Bristol is the merchant harbour; Cambridge is the college town on the cam.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | Bristol | Cambridge | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 42 | 33 | Bristol |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 347 | 239 | Cambridge |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 9 | 9 | tie |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 38 | 5 | Bristol |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 19 | 20 | Cambridge |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 2 | — | Bristol |
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: Bristol in orange, Cambridge in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
BristolCambridge
12 places
legends & myths2 places
9 places
arts & culture8 places
5 places
crime & dark history2 places
5 places
guilds & trade2 places
4 places
industry & modern era1 place
Bristol scorecard →
The merchant harbour
Cambridge scorecard →
The college town on the Cam