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.
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| What we measure | Bristol | Oxford | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 42 | 26 | Bristol |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 347 | 268 | Oxford |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 9 | 9 | tie |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 38 | — | Bristol |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 19 | 12 | 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, Oxford in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
BristolOxford
12 places
legends & myths4 places
3 places
faith & churches9 places
9 places
arts & culture7 places
2 places
royalty & nobility7 places
5 places
crime & dark history2 places
5 places
guilds & trade0 places
4 places
industry & modern era0 places
Bristol scorecard →
The merchant harbour
Oxford scorecard →
The city of spires