City Stories Index · United Kingdom · 2026 edition
Bristol vs Nottingham
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Bristol leads 3–1. Character is a different question: Bristol is the merchant harbour; Nottingham is the outlaw's county town.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | Bristol | Nottingham | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 42 | 27 | Bristol |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 347 | 239 | Nottingham |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 9 | 5 | Bristol |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 38 | — | Bristol |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 19 | 16 | Bristol |
| 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, Nottingham in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
BristolNottingham
12 places
legends & myths9 places
9 places
arts & culture1 place
5 places
crime & dark history3 places
5 places
guilds & trade1 place
4 places
industry & modern era5 places
2 places
royalty & nobility4 places
3 places
faith & churches4 places
0 places
fortification & siege3 places
1 place
parks & leisure3 places
Bristol scorecard →
The merchant harbour
Nottingham scorecard →
The outlaw's county town