London misses out on top spot

WE have to admit we are utterly sceptical, but apparently, allegedly, supposedly, there are three cities in Britain that are even better than London.

We know, that can’t be right surely.

Despite London clearly – in our admittedly biased opinion – being by far the best city in the world, it has only come in at number four in Britain after readers were asked to vote for their favourite city for The Telegraph’s Top 20 Travel Destinations.

So which cities are meant to be even more magical than London? Let’s take a look.

■■3. Bath

Famous for its hot springs and 18th-century Georgian architecture, it is full of history but, hello, if you want history London has it coming out of its ears.

There are the famous Roman baths, but these days most hotels have impressive power showers so we are not sure that is a major selling point.

It is known for its links to Jane Austen who used to live there, but the likes of Charles Dickens, George Orwell and TS Eliot have all lived in London – and we have always preferred all of their books anyway. ■■2. York

Known for its pretty streets full of really old, wonky houses which basically were not built properly and have now become tourist attractions as a result.

If you like cathedrals it has got York Minster but, hey, we’ve got St Paul’s, the most beautiful cathedral in the world, so save yourself the train fare.

There is the Jorvik Centre where you can learn all about what a totally barbaric bunch the Vikings were and it’s also the home of snooker’s UK Championship, which no doubt played a major part in voters’ thinking.

■■1. Edinburgh

The Scottish capital has claimed the Telegraph’s top spot in its survey for the fifth year in a row.

Edinburgh Castle is pretty cool we suppose, although we reckon the Tower of London is better.

There is the Royal Mile in the historic Old Town, which is admittedly pretty, and outside of the city there is Arthur’s Seat. Basically it’s a big hill you can walk up to get rid of a hangover if you are there on a hen party or a stag do, which most people seem to be.

On occasion it’s always worth leaving London, if only to allow yourself to feel smug at the fact you live here.

So you might want to check out some of the other cities that made the top 10, if only to confirm how inept they are compared to London.

Edinburgh

Bath York