The best UK cities to visit in the autumn

As the summer nights draw in and leaves begin to fall, Premier Inn has researched over 350 cities on Instagram to reveal the places that are being photographed and shared the most on the social media platform during the autumn season.  

The number of hashtags for #autumnincity and #fallincity were counted and compared for cities in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East.  

Instagrammers are wrapping up warm to capture the bright marigold and bronze leaves that can be found changing colour across the UK’s cities. The nation’s most popular autumn city is London, followed by the beautiful city of Edinburgh. With 112 parks to explore, visitors to the Scottish capital are spoilt for choice for social-media worthy autumn landscapes.  

The largest city in Scotland, Glasgow, ranks in third place, proving that Scotland is popular amongst Instagrammers in the autumn season, with #autumninGlasgow posts showcasing the award-winning Rouken Glen Park, Pollok Park and Botanic Gardens in all their glory.  

With students returning to university this time of year, the stunning architecture of the famous Cambridge and Oxford colleges also feature heavily on Instagram during the autumn season.  

UK’s Top Ten Most Popular Autumnal Cities 

Top UK Cities and Towns	No. of hashtags
London	72,863
Edinburgh	1,992
Glasgow	1,638
Cambridge	1,101
Oxford	975
Bristol	899
Bath	494
York	254
Chester	236
Leeds	213

1. Over 72,000 mentions for autumn in London: London is bursting with life in the autumn, and Instagram users love to post the leaves changing from bright summer green to glowing orange and yellow in places like Knightsbridge, St. James Park and Holland Park. Clear, crisp autumnal skies over Tower Bridge and Kew Bridge also feature heavily in autumn Instagram posts of London, as do cosy-yet-sophisticated snaps of afternoon teas at the likes of The Ivy and The Landmark London.  

1. Over 1,900 mentions for autumn in Edinburgh: Photos shared of Edinburgh at this time of year include everything from solemn gravestones in a wet Greyfriars Kirkyard (usually shared by Harry Potter fans who are excited at seeing the original names that gave inspiration to popular characters) through to trees adorned with red and yellow leaves that starkly contrast with the bright blue skies above. Princes Street Gardens has some lovely examples of changing leaves to snap, and for some autumnal harvest goods head to the market shops on Broughton Street. 

1. Over 1,600 mentions for autumn in Glasgow: There are plenty of stunning shots to capture in Glasgow in autumn, from the low evening sun brightly reflecting off the glass in Buchanan Street to the striking foliage seen in between the evergreens and deciduous trees in Glasgow Green. The city’s university, with its tall tower, provides a great foreground subject for photos of Glasgow’s autumn sunsets. 

1. Over 1,100 mentions for autumn in Cambridge: Locals and visitors to Cambridge share their splendid autumn moments witnessed in the city on Instagram, from rowers taking part in early morning practice on frosty mornings on the River Cam, through to twinkling street lamps lighting up the brickwork in Trinity Lane. The Bridge of Sighs shines in the late autumn sun, and there is some stunning deep red foliage to capture on the walls of Peterhouse College.  

1. Over 950 mentions for autumn in Oxford: From dew-jeweled cobwebs and staid swans in University Parks, to quivering crunchy leaves strewn across the canal towpaths, the city of Oxford is brimming with gorgeous autumn scenes. Instagram users love to capture the seasonal harvest fare on sale in Wolvercote Community Market, and others lovingly share their snaps of frothy coffees and sticky pastries against a backdrop of Oxford’s famous stone masonry.  

1. Nearly 900 mentions for autumn in Bristol: The parkland surrounding Blaise Castle features a lot in people’s photos of Bristol in autumn thanks to its high concentration of deciduous trees and attractive waterfall. Those looking for more of an autumn city scape will find some pretty scenes in Clifton Village, where crunchy light brown and yellow coat the gardens in front of chalky white Georgian houses.  

A spokesperson from Premier Inn commented  

“The autumn season is a really nice time of year for a city-break both in the UK and further afield; the rush and crowds of summer have often departed, allowing travellers to enjoy the city-sights under crisp skies, fine-dining and popular urban activities during the quieter season. Instagram is the perfect place for holiday inspiration and whilst it’s nice to dream about long haul adventures, there is still plenty to enjoy and discover in the UK’s cities at this time of year, from cozy pubs to beautiful woodland parks.”  

When looking at the most popular autumn cities across the globe, it’s the USA’s Big Apple that makes it as the favorite amongst users of the social media platform, with over 151,000 hashtags for New York during the autumn season. Following London is Paris, followed by Chicago, Moscow and Seoul.    

Most Popular Autumn Cities Around the World 

City	Region/State & Country	No. of Hashtags
New York	New York, USA	151,136
London	United Kingdom	72,863
Paris	France	66,258
Chicago	Illinois, USA	25,213
Moscow	Russia	22,961
Seoul	South Korea	22,114
Seattle	Washington, USA	19,692
Melbourne	Victoria, Australia	19,423
Rome	Italy	17,594
Berlin	Germany	16,667
Sydney	New South Wales, Australia	15,376
Milan	Italy	15,031
Kyoto	Japan	13,043
Boston	Massachusetts, USA	12,399
Miami	Florida, USA	12,385
Vienna	Austria	11,833
Prague	Czech Republic	9,882
Amsterdam	Netherlands	9,867
Tokyo	Japan	9,325
Perth	Western Australia, Australia	7,649

With 2,017 hashtags, Cape Town’s crisp bright weather earns the city the top spot as the most popular autumn city in Africa on Instagram. Whereas in the Middle East, Dubai is the most popular city in autumn with Instagrammers sharing visits to Jumeriah beach to soak up the cooler post-summer rays. 

Instagrammers in South America are most inspired to share snaps of Buenos Aires in the autumn season, capturing shots of the barrio of Palermo’s stunning architecture.  

Seoul’s Naejangsan Mountain is popular amongst autumn travellers in Asia, famous for its cherry blossom and azaleas that are still in bloom during the season. With 19,423 photos snapped and shared by Instagram users in autumn, Melbourne takes the crown for most beautiful Australian city during the season, whilst in Europe it’s London who takes the autumn city break crown, followed by Paris, Moscow and Rome.  

The USA is one of the most popular countries on Instagram for autumn cities with five featuring in the world’s top 20 most Instagrammed Autumn Cities list: New York, Chicago, Seattle, Boston and Miami. 

A full breakdown of the most Instagrammed autumn cities can be found at https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/news/2021/instagram-autumn-cities.html