London doesn’t exactly have a great reputation when it comes to being polite – just stand on the left side of the escalator and you’ll find out.
But in an unexpected turn of events, the capital only takes second place when it comes to the rudest cities in the UK.
Shattering the friendly perception of the north, it’s bad news for Mancunians, as Manchester was found to be the most ill-mannered and unwelcoming city of them all.
In a ranking which analysed Trip Advisor reviews, the home of Coronation Street and Oasis scored just 3.6 out a possible 30, to claim the top spot.
Perhaps predictably, London came in second, followed by Sunderland in third.
And it’s fair to say reviewers didn’t hold back when sharing their thoughts on their trips to the North West.
‘Horrible people,’ wrote one visitor. ‘Be careful if visiting.’ And another described their time in the city as a ‘very unpleasant experience.’
The study, by Preply, analysed thousands of Tripadvisor reviews, searching for phrases associated with politeness like ‘polite’, ‘friendly’, ‘welcoming’, ‘fantastic’, ‘would come again’, and ‘outstanding’, these were given a numbered score out of 10.
This data also included scores on safety and cleanliness too.
With all three scores added together, each city was given a final score out of 30, with Manchester scored the lowest.
It had a poor polite score of just 1.5 out of 10, a safety score at just 0.6, and a cleanliness score of 1.5.
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But despite, the paltry ranking, travellers are still flocking to Manchester, and the city was named by Booking.com as the most popular British destination in 2023.
If you love to shop, you’re spoiled for choice in Manchester. While the Arndale is colossal, head to the Northern Quarter for vintage pieces and bargains galore. Oxfam Originals and Pop Boutique on Oldham street are worth a visit, as is Blue Rinse, where you can buy preloved clothing by the kilo.
The clothes haul alone may be enough for us to overlook some grumpy locals.
Trains from London start at £26.70, but you can save more if you have a railcard. Go for off-peak times where possible, not only for a reduced fare but to (hopefully) nab a seat for the two-and-a-half hour journey.
Other cities that made the top 10 most ill-mannered were the seaside city of Plymouth, Newport, Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow and Nottingham.
If you look elsewhere in the UK, you’ll find pastures less hostile, as we’ve got the scoop on the most polite cities too.
Taking the number one spot for the most well-mannered is Cambridge. The overall score of 26 out of 30 is leagues above that of Manchester and London.
Coming in hot in the second spot is the home of the Geordies – Newcastle, and rounding out the top three most polite cities was Sheffield, just a hair behind The Toon.
Other polite locations included Leicester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Milton Keynes – so where does your home city rank?
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