The UK’s Most Christmassy Towns and Cities

New research from Betway reveals the UK’s best towns and cities for Christmas festivity.

As winter approaches and festive cheer starts to fill towns and cities across the UK, have you ever wondered which locations truly offer the most magical festive experience?

A new study by Betway online casino ranks the UK’s most Christmassy towns and cities using a range of festive-themed criteria. These include average December snowfall and temperature, the number of cosy cafes, and the volume of online articles about Christmas along with their engagement.

Here are some of the key findings:

• The UK’s number one Christmas town is Bowness-on-Windermere, with 84mm of snowfall in December 2024, an average temperature of 4°C and 14 cafes.

• Bakewell, Derbyshire comes second, thanks to 31mm of December snow and an incredible 35 cafes serving a population of just 3,276.

• Low snowfall (9mm) and a high average temperature (7°C) see London finish sixth, despite festive attractions like Winter Wonderland and Leicester Square’s Christmas market.

The UK’s Top 10 Best Christmas Towns and Cities

There’s an unmistakable romance about the festive season – one of life’s great pleasures is visiting a traditional Christmas market, with the snow falling around you, then finding a cosy little cafe to warm yourself with a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

Towns and cities across the country go all out to celebrate the festive period – but which are the UK’s most Christmassy of all?

1. Bowness-on-Windermere

Located next to Lake Windermere in the heart of the Lake District, first-placed Bowness-on-Windermere is picturesque at any time of the year. But the town’s stunning landscape really comes into its own at Christmas, when the temperature drops and the surrounding hillsides are covered by a thick layer of snow.

Average December snowfall of 84mm is more than double the amount recorded in any of the other regions studied, while temperatures drop to around 4°C, creating a perfect winter setting for your Christmas celebrations. Luckily, Bowness-on-Windermere has 14 cafes dotted around the town, where you can warm yourself up after braving the cold.

2. Bakewell

Home of the Bakewell tart – even the name evokes nostalgia – second-placed Bakewell has a population of just 3,276 but finds space for 35 cafes. That’s the most per capita in our study, so you’ll have no problem finding somewhere that offers the traditional jam and pastry dessert.

The study shows that Bakewell recorded 31mm of snow and an average temperature of 4°C in December 2024, creating a charming wintry backdrop for long walks in the town known as “the capital of the Peak District”.

3. York

The top city on our list is famous for its rich history, having been ruled by the Romans and the Vikings centuries ago. York has lots of little eccentricities for visitors to enjoy – it’s home to the shortest road in the UK (the intriguingly-named ‘Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate’) and is alleged to be Europe’s most haunted city. It really comes alive during the festive period, though, thanks to its thriving Christmas market and services at York Minster Cathedral.

Although York has relatively mild snowfall (12mm) and average temperature (5°C), it places third on the list due to its presence in the UK media’s Christmas coverage. Over the course of two years, Christmas related articles have had over 400,000 engagements – helping solidify York as one of the most Christmassy places in the UK.

4. Keswick

Just 22 miles from Bowness-on-Windermere, fourth-placed Keswick shares many of the UK’s number one Christmas town’s festive qualities. The town has an average December temperature of 4°C and 14mm of snow, giving you a great excuse to wrap up warm and soak up the Christmas vibes.

With 42 outlets for a population of 4,466, Keswick has the second-highest number of cafes per 10,000 capita in the study, perfect for thawing out at the end of a long hike.

5. Buxton

The Derbyshire spa town of Buxton finishes fifth on the overall list, but claims the title of coldest town studied, with an average December temperature of 3°C. It also sees around 31mm of December snow – the second highest on the list after Bowness-on-Windermere. There’s also 37 cafes to warm up in (a healthy 17 per 10,000 people), meaning you don’t have to look hard to find a cosy hideaway from the elements.

The Christmas pantomime is a festive tradition at the Buxton Opera House, while the Christmas market and Pavilion Gardens Christmas fair add to Buxton’s festive atmosphere.

6. London

The nation’s capital is famous around the world for its Christmas traditions, from the Oxford Street Christmas lights to the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree ceremonially gifted by Norway each year.

London finishes sixth in the list, with low December snowfall (9mm) and mild winters (average temperature: 4°C) making it a little more difficult for the city to truly pull off that Hollywood movie Christmas vibe. That said, there are 3,574 cafes in the capital for you to get comfy with a good book and a warm drink, and the capital also leads the UK for Christmas-related media coverage, with 9,899 articles referencing the city and an article engagement of 355,714, reflecting its prominence as a festive destination.

7. Arundel

Arundel is another Christmassy town situated in a national park, West Sussex’s South Downs. The rolling hills and panoramic views provide a picturesque setting all year round, although light snowfall (8mm) and an average December temperature of 6°C are relatively low, leaving Arundel in seventh place on the list.

The town celebrates Christmas with yearly events including a tree-lighting and carol service, and a lantern procession. These eye-catching Christmas attractions contribute to Arundel claiming the highest number of Christmas-related searches on the list, with 2,571 per 10,000 over the Christmas period.

8. Haworth

The West Yorkshire village of Haworth, home of the Brontes, offers visitors the taste of a Dickensian-era Christmas. Average December snowfall of 27mm is the fourth highest of the areas studied, while an average temperature of 4°C is the joint-second lowest of the locations in the study.

Haworth has a number of local traditions to help transport you back in time: the Christmas Tree Festival sees residents compete to create the best-decorated tree, while many shops in the town centre fit out their interiors with traditional decor, with some staff even dressing up in period costume.

9. Glasgow

Although Glasgow has the same average temperature as Edinburgh (4°C), it beats the Scottish capital in the Christmas rankings thanks to almost double the amount of snowfall – an average of 21mm in December.

Glasgow’s city centre streets are illuminated by a stunning Christmas light display, while George Square’s street market provides an endless array of festive treats, as well as a popular ice rink. The city may even have finished a little higher on the list, if not for a relative lack of cafes. 432 for a city with 1,718,940 is the lowest per capita in the top ten.

10. Edinburgh

Scotland’s capital has a deep connection to Christmas, with traditions dating back centuries. The city’s Christmas market is famous for its festive treats and many craft stalls, or you can practice your skating at George Street’s fairy light-adorned ice rink.

Edinburgh’s winters certainly promote a Christmassy vibe – the city’s average December temperature for 2024 was 4°C, and it saw 12mm of snow. However, it has one of the lowest number of cafes per capita of the regions studied – 591 cafes for a city of 563,534 leaving it in tenth place in the rankings.

Where has the highest chance of seeing a white Christmas?

If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas this year, your best chance of seeing snow is in Bowness-on-Windermere, nestled in the Lake District. With an average December snowfall of 84mm and cool temperatures around 7.8°C, it tops the list as the most likely spot for snow among the locations compared.

Other strong contenders for a snowy Christmas include Bakewell and Buxton, both in the Peak District, each averaging around 31mm of December snowfall. In contrast, Cardiff (1mm), Exeter and Bath (2mm) are the cities least likely to see snowfall in December.

Will you be visiting any of these Christmassy locations this year?

Sources and methodology

To find the UK’s most Christmassy towns and cities, we created a seed list of 37 UK towns and cities using travel and news articles. We then ranked them based on the following metrics, to establish the top 10 most Christmassy locations:

• Number of cafes (scored by number per 10,000 people)

• Average Dec 2024 temperature. Windermere used for Bowness on Windermere.

• Average Dec 2024 snowfall (mm) – Braithwaite used for Keswick -the closest place with data available was used.

• Christmas-related Google searches – Google Keyword Planner. Windermere used for Bowness on Windermere.

• Christmas-related articles and engagement – Buzzsumo (scored by number per 10,000 people)