City Stories Index · United Kingdom · 2026 edition
Bristol vs Colchester
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Colchester leads 4–0 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Bristol is the merchant harbour; Colchester is britain's first city.
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| What we measure | Bristol | Colchester | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 42 | 54 | Colchester |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 347 | 312 | Colchester |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 9 | 11 | Colchester |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 38 | — | Bristol |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 19 | 24 | Colchester |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 2 | 2 | tie |
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, Colchester in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
BristolColchester
0 places
fortification & siege15 places
3 places
faith & churches12 places
12 places
legends & myths1 place
2 places
royalty & nobility10 places
9 places
arts & culture8 places
5 places
crime & dark history3 places
5 places
guilds & trade2 places
4 places
industry & modern era4 places
Bristol scorecard →
The merchant harbour
Colchester scorecard →
Britain's first city