WINCHESTER has been named one of the best for a city staycation, beating the likes of Oxford, Harrogate and Chester.

The former capital of England came joint second with Kent's Canterbury, narrowly beaten by Cambridge, in new research completed by Which? magazine.

Winchester was lined up against other similar sized cities to discover what kind of mini-break it can offer.

Which? asked more than 3,600 people to rate more than 50 destinations within the UK across multiple categories, with Winchester scoring 78 per cent.  

The city's accommodation and cultural sights were awarded four out of five stars by the consumer company as well as three stars for food and drink, shopping. Winchester fell short for its lack of crowds, value for money and getting around. 

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The city is home to a broad selection of high quality restaurants, shops, accommodation and its cathedral. A nature reserve and historical sights of the Great Hall, which is the home of King Arthur’s Round Table, the Westgate and Winchester City Mill can also be found. Meanwhile, events and exhibitions such as the recent ‘Hares of Hampshire’ trail, the annual festival line-up, the renowned Cathedral Christmas Market all contribute to Winchester’s tourist appeal.

Cllr Lucille Thompson, cabinet member for business and culture, said: “I was delighted to learn that Which? readers ranked Winchester so highly, noting that we pipped the winner to the post for value for money, which, given the current rise in living costs is another positive.  A strong visitor economy remains pivotal to the overall economic well-being of the district and these findings along with our current data underpin this.”

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Winchester has seen an increase in tourist interest lately with website activity on Visitwinchester.co.uk increasing by more than 200 per cent compared to April to June 2020 and by more than 30 per cent versus the same time period last year. The city’s retail businesses are also reporting a 20 per cent rise in footfall between January and June 2022 compared to the same period a year ago, according to the Business Improvement District Business Barometer.

For the full Which? report go to which.co.uk/reviews/uk-destinations/article/best-city-breaks-in-the-uk-alWQr6P7b1Gx.