UK's most welcoming city is home to Hollyoaks and is like a giant friendly village
UK's most welcoming city is home to Hollyoaks and is like a giant friendly village
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A northern city beloved for its 'large village' feel and friendly locals has been named the most welcoming place in the UK for 2025. New research conducted by Booking.com crowned Chester in Cheshire as the place to go if you're after a warm welcome and friendly vibes. The historic gem of a city offers a captivating blend of Roman, medieval, and Tudor architecture, all nestled within well-preserved walls. Known for its friendly locals and vibrant community spirit, Chester exudes a warm, inviting charm that leaves visitors feeling truly at home.
The Mirror spoke with some local residents to find out why they think Chester won the award and why they love it so much. Lee Cullen, founder of search-driven content agency No Brainer, said: "I moved to Chester from Portsmouth in 2005 to study a Journalism degree at university. I’d actually looked at a few different cities first and didn’t know very much about Chester, just that Hollyoaks was based there!.
"But when I visited, I just felt at home very quickly. There’s a huge amount of history in the city and that gives it a very unique charm. In the city centre, the Eastgate Clock is iconic – everyone here says it’s the second most photographed clock in the UK after Big Ben, but I’ve never been sure how true that is!".
Chester is an old Roman city, and today, plenty reminders of that remain, including the famous Chester City Walls, which are about 3km and go right the way around the city centre. "People from Chester are known as Cestrians and I’ve always found them to be friendly and welcoming," Lee added. "People living here are really proud of their city and like to champion local causes and independent businesses. I’ve seen that first-hand having lived and worked in the city for many years, and I now work with quite a few Chester-based businesses too.
