

Cambridge vs Manchester
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Manchester leads 3–2. Character is a different question: Cambridge is the college town on the cam; Manchester is the city that rewrote pop.
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Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Cambridge
33
Manchester
65
Manchester leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Cambridge
239
Manchester
293
Cambridge leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Cambridge
9
Manchester
12
Manchester leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Cambridge
5
Manchester
23
Manchester leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Cambridge
20
Manchester
19
Cambridge leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Cambridge
-
Manchester
1
Manchester leads
| What we measure | Cambridge | Manchester | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 33 | 65 | Manchester |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 239 | 293 | Cambridge |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 9 | 12 | Manchester |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 5 | 23 | Manchester |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 20 | 19 | Cambridge |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | - | 1 | Manchester |
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: Cambridge in orange, Manchester in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Cambridge scorecard
The college town on the Cam
Manchester scorecard
The city that rewrote pop