A study now reveals Liverpool charts in the top five best cities to see street art in the UK.
The research by South Western Railway investigates the best places to see British street art by tallying up Instagram hashtags, TikTok views and Google search data of each town and city’s street art to award a score out of 100.
Street art is a major pull for tourism around the UK thanks to our painted, colourful towns and cities full of world-class urban art. Since the 1970s right up to today, there’s an abundance of artists constantly at work crafting new pieces around every street corner waiting to be discovered.
To reveal the UK’s top locations to explore British street art, South Western Railway has analysed Instagram hashtags, TikTok views and Google search volume of each town and city with the terms ‘[town/city] street art’ and ‘street art [town/city]’ to capture all relevant results. These metrics were put into a weighted rank to award a score for each location out of 100.
The UK’s 10 best cities for street art
| Rank | City/Town | Total number of Instagram hashtags | Total TikTok video views | Annual Google search volume | Total score (out of 100) |
| 1 | London | 549,728 | 27,610,800 | 16,200 | 100 |
| 2 | Bristol | 90,583 | 31,100 | 11,980 | 36.2 |
| 3 | Manchester | 34,768 | 209,500 | 6,190 | 18 |
| 4 | Glasgow | 31,807 | 36,767 | 5,430 | 15.8 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 10,444 | 1727 | 4,560 | 12 |
| 6 | Brighton | 47,653 | 2,386 | 3,400 | 11.9 |
| 7 | Sheffield | 29,547 | 0 | 3,200 | 10.1 |
| 8 | Belfast | 9,260 | 2,925 | 3,630 | 9.6 |
| 9 | Birmingham | 16,116 | 169 | 1,790 | 5.6 |
| 10 | Edinburgh | 5,046 | 523 | 2,080 | 5.5 |
- Liverpool’s street art has over 10,000 Instagram hashtags and 1,700 TikTok views
- The city’s street art dates back to the 70s when murals dedicated to artists like Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd were found across the city. Fast forward to today, and it’s filled with beautiful artwork partly thanks to the 2018 Contrast Murals Festival, which boosted the city’s enthusiasm for urban art
- Many of Liverpool’s murals can be found in the Baltic Triangle, a once derelict neighbourhood full of life today. On Jordan Street, you’ll discover Akse’s ode to LFC legend Jürgen Klopp, and up-and-coming artists frequently update the skatepark on Jamaica Street
- Paul Curtis is among Liverpool’s most prolific artists. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Abbey Road album, Curtis was commissioned by The Beatles Story to create a mural at Cains Brewery Village. The nearby For All the Liver Birds on Jamaica Street is another must-visit that makes a great photo backdrop
Calli Ward, head of marketing, at South Western Railway says:
“It’s important to acknowledge and celebrate everything that street art has and continues to do for tourism here in Britain. Often making headlines when new statement art and murals appear, we have a rich culture of urban art in the UK.
“While we’re familiar with London and Bristol’s credentials in this space, it’s great to discover all the other places we can explore equally amazing street art such as Manchester, Liverpool and Belfast. With plenty of walking tours and workshops available across the UK, we hope that by putting a spotlight on all of these locations you can get inspired to visit and immerse yourself in the UK’s street art scene.”
Researched by South Western Railway
