BristolOxford
City Stories Index · United Kingdom · 2026 edition

Bristol vs Oxford

Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Bristol leads 2–1 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Bristol is the merchant harbour; Oxford is the city of spires.

Change the matchup

VS
  • Places with a story

    spots where a route tells you what happened there

    Bristol

    42

    Oxford

    26

    Bristol leads

  • How often you pass a story

    metres from one story to the next; fewer is better

    Bristol

    347

    Oxford

    268

    Oxford leads

  • Historical figures

    real people you meet in its stories

    Bristol

    9

    Oxford

    9

    Tie

  • Instagrammability

    score /100, on the index’s fixed scale

    Bristol

    38

    Oxford

    Bristol leads

  • Group outings

    of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+

    Bristol

    19

    Oxford

    12

    Bristol leads

  • International visitors

    % of player reviews written in a foreign language

    Bristol

    2

    Oxford

    Bristol leads

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, Oxford in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.

BristolOxford
12 places
legends & myths
4 places
3 places
faith & churches
9 places
9 places
arts & culture
7 places
2 places
royalty & nobility
7 places
5 places
crime & dark history
2 places
5 places
guilds & trade
0 places
4 places
industry & modern era
0 places

Bristol scorecard →

The merchant harbour

Oxford scorecard →

The city of spires