City Stories Index · United Kingdom · 2026 edition
Edinburgh vs Oxford
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Edinburgh leads 4–0. Character is a different question: Edinburgh is the old town and the new; Oxford is the city of spires.
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| What we measure | Edinburgh | Oxford | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 55 | 26 | Edinburgh |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 254 | 268 | Edinburgh |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 13 | 9 | Edinburgh |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 20 | — | Edinburgh |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 16 | 12 | Edinburgh |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 4 | — | Edinburgh |
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: Edinburgh in orange, Oxford in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
EdinburghOxford
21 places
crime & dark history2 places
16 places
arts & culture7 places
13 places
royalty & nobility7 places
13 places
legends & myths4 places
9 places
faith & churches9 places
8 places
guilds & trade0 places
6 places
industry & modern era0 places
Edinburgh scorecard →
The old town and the new
Oxford scorecard →
The city of spires