I visited one of the UK's most popular cities but left underwhelmed — not London or Bath

As a self-proclaimed newbie to travelling, my heart's desire is to travel across the world and see all of its wonders, but sometimes the best adventures begin at home. I grew up only truly exploring within London, but as I got older with more freedom (and more money), I have been fortunate enough to visit some of England's most historic and cultural cities, such as Oxford, Bristol, Peterborough, Brighton, and more.

Yet, with up to 76 cities in the country, there's still so much more to see. With a much-needed girls' trip away for my cousin's hen-do, we decided to visit one of the UK's most popular areas: Canterbury. According to the Telegraph's top 25 list for Britain's best cities in 2024, the medieval city in Kent ranked a respectable tenth place.

Speaking on Canterbury's ranking, the travel writer shared: "With the conviviality of a market town, a cathedral for the ages, and a rich history due to its location, Canterbury rarely fails to dazzle visitors. This shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, the Kentish 'capital' invented tourism, if that’s not too impolite a term for pilgrimages."

As much as this city boasts a great formula that's ideal for tourists, I was left rather underwhelmed. I didn't really experience such "dazzlement" the writer spoke of, as it rather felt more mediocre at best. Now that I have experienced it, I wouldn't go back; here's why.

According to the Telegraph, "The city as a whole scores high on green spaces. St Augustine’s Abbey, the Roman Museum and Dane John mound add further layers of interest. Narrow medieval alleys, riverside gardens and ancient city walls complete the impressive architectural tableau and make the city a joy to walk around."

Without a doubt, this city is incredibly beautiful. Stepping onto the cobbled stones and seeing the vast number of Victorian and Gothic buildings was like being transported back in time. The only thing that ruined this image was seeing all the fast food chains and popular clothing stores within the city centre; nonetheless, it was a nice blend of modern and old.

Walking down the narrow alleys was my favourite aspect of the city centre; they were so small yet cute and bursting with life. Canterbury is also full of beautiful nature. I recommend taking the historic boat tour to see the city's true beauty with a guide who shares its history.

However, I was rather disappointed by how small the city is; there are only a few touristy things to explore, and most of the roads look the same, so once the novelty of the 'medieval' architecture wears off, you are left rather underwhelmed. We went to the Cathedral, but the line was incredibly long, and it cost £21 on the weekend, despite it being under renovation, and most parts of the building were restricted from entry.

As a Londoner, I am big on exploring how convenient and easy transport is in different cities. One of the main reasons I refuse to return to Exeter and Milton Keynes is due to their terrible bus system, which relies on you having to guess where your stop is or pray that the blue dot on Google Maps doesn't lag whilst you're travelling.

My accommodation was only 20 minutes away on foot from the city centre; however, I was with some family members who could not walk long distances due to medical conditions. Despite us being close to the heart of the city, getting to a bus stop was the same distance as walking to our destination.

The taxi services were also quite bad. Every time we called, they said it would be a 30-minute to an hour wait. Call me spoiled, but I am used to the efficiency of an Uber, and these long wait times dampened the experience.

The Telegraph writer went on to say, "Canterbury has a lively student population and a good smattering of pubs (the oldest, The Parrot, pre-dates the famous pilgrims), restaurants, and independent shops—the King’s Mile is a superb example of old meets new, traditional and trendy. The Goods Shed might be the loveliest food hall-cum-farmer’s market in the land."

The city's major downfall is its reliance on the students for energy and livelihood. We visited at the end of July, when most of the students had returned home. As someone in their mid-twenties, I was quite glad to know that I wouldn't be partying with 18-year-olds, but this was a bad outcome.

The streets were basically empty on a Saturday night, and the bars and clubs also lacked many visitors. Despite us bumping into three other brides-to-be, it felt like a ghost town with no one partying. There was an odd club or two that had some people, but after 1am, everyone hit Maccies and returned home.

1. Bath
2. Wells
3. Bristol
4. Oxford
5. Edinbrugh
6. St Albans
7. Cambridge
8. Ripon
9. Worcester
10. Canterbury