Manchester vs Oxford
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Manchester leads 3–1. Character is a different question: Manchester is the city that rewrote pop; Oxford is the city of spires.
Change the matchup
Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Manchester
65
Oxford
26
Manchester leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Manchester
293
Oxford
268
Oxford leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Manchester
12
Oxford
9
Manchester leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Manchester
23
Oxford
—
Manchester leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Manchester
19
Oxford
12
Manchester leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Manchester
1
Oxford
—
Manchester leads
| What we measure | Manchester | Oxford | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 65 | 26 | Manchester |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 293 | 268 | Oxford |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 12 | 9 | Manchester |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 23 | — | Manchester |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 19 | 12 | Manchester |
| 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: Manchester in orange, Oxford in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Manchester scorecard →
The city that rewrote pop
Oxford scorecard →
The city of spires