Great Value UK City Break Hotels

We all have a budget, some more generous than others, but whether you want to see London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, York, Brighton or Bath, it’s better to spend your money on fun things to do and great places to see than to blow it all on an over-priced hotel room. There’s just nothing less fun than going to a new place and then having to scrimp on adventures while you’re there… It can be hard to find great, unique and interesting places to stay on a limited budget, but we’ve spent quite a bit of time doing just that so that you don’t have to start from scratch yourself. Not if you have our recommendations for the best budget UK city getaway hotels at hand. These 20 great value city break hotels are spread across eight great cities, but if we’ve missed out the city you’re heading for then you can always use the search box to check out your destination and see our recommendations for great value city breaks there.

For London

The Good Hotel is based on a really good idea: to create a floating hotel as a social enterprise. It started out in Amsterdam, and spread to London’s Victoria Docks, where its 148 room and suite offering is a friendly bastion of industrial-edged minimalist design. The restaurant is great and the rooftop bar is lively and fun — with incredible Thames views as part of the package. It’s family friendly too.
Close to Spitalfields Markets and Liverpool Street Station, the Qbic Hotel is a quirky cool pick, in an interesting part of London. Its 185 rooms and suites come in a real variety of styles, but all are bijou, arty and minimal – you might want to check out all their photos to give you an idea of how varied they are! But they key is that the facilities are fab, and it’s all very green and hip, plus they offer complimentary bike hire, and the restaurant is open late.

For Edinburgh

B+B Edinburgh is a roomily converted Victorian townhouse centrally located in Edinburgh’s West End, which has the feeling of a member’s club: think wood panelling, fireplaces, portraits in oils and ceiling art (and there’s a cosy bar and library), but without the price tag. There’s no restaurant, but they offer breakfast.
94 DR is a friendly, seven room guesthouse on the southside of Edinburgh, about ten to fifteen minute's walk from the centre — and with a view of Arthur’s Seat. The rooms are all a good size, with luxurious details. And the breakfast is excellent.

For a Romantic City Break

The Yard in Bath is a small and charismatic pick: a former coaching inn converted into a 14 room hotel that’s on Monmouth Street, within about ten minutes stroll of the Royal Crescent and the Roman Baths. The rooms offer the sort of decor you might want to copy at home, and while there’s no restaurant, they do have a courtyard bar and cafe offering cheese and charcuterie, and they deliver breakfast baskets to the rooms each morning.
The Malmaison Birmingham is super central, with all the Malmaison trimmings, including a spa offering a long menu of treatments. There are 193 rooms and suites, decorated in stylish monochrome with pop art prints, plus a great bar and restaurant.

For luxury

Small and smart, Eight, Bath is a cosy pick converted from a townhouse in Bath’s historic part of town. Period features, like high ceilings and working fireplaces, have been retained, but otherwise the eight rooms and suites have been updated with contemporary colours and details: think pale wood flooring and dove greys. There’s an historic bar, and the restaurant is known for its seasonal, gourmet cuisine. This is a romantic pick, but some of the rooms will suit families too.
The Malmaison Aberdeen occupies a building that looks quite a lot like a castlem, but it’s quite a new build, and the interior, with its 80 rooms and suites, plus large bar and restaurant, plus substantial spa, and whiskey snug, is all decorated with contemporary flair, and a fair bit of tartan.

For a Fun City Break

Abode Manchester is a really clever Victorian cotton warehouse conversion, where the 61 rooms and suites, plus stylish common areas, all feature nods to their past, but feel fresh and contemporary as well. Think parquet flooring, black and white tiles, and ironwork columns, but with fantastic library themed murals and lots of whitewash. The higher you climb the Grade II listed original staircase the larger your room, staring from Comfortable, and ending in apartment-sized suites called Fabulous on Fifth. The brasserie buzzes, and the bar hosts DJs.
CitizenM Glasgow is the most northerly CitizenM, but offers the same simple but cool rooms with big beds and all the tech. you could want and need, and then a bit more. In addition to 198 rooms and suites the Glasgow CitizenM has a 24hour bar and canteen and a chic lounge with books and objets d’art you’d probably like to have at home. It’s a bit cookie-cutter, but super cool with it.

For the location

Aloft Liverpool is about as central as you can be, a spectacular old building cleverly converted into 116 rooms and suites, plus a New York style bar and restaurant taking up most of the incredibly proportioned ground floor. It feels like a really impressive place to stay while still being super affordable.
Brooks Guesthouse is perfectly positioned in cool Bristol’s old town, and features all the mod cons, and superb, locally sourced breakfasts as standard each morning. But it also offers a choice of two kinds of accommodation, either a classically country chic bedroom, or an airstream-style caravan on the roof terrace.
Grasshoppers is a 30 room hotel close to Glasgow’s Central Station — which is the perfect spot for seeing the city’s sights. Rooms are simply dressed in cheerful hues, and there’s a friendly kitchen restaurant with some communal facilities and communal dining too.
The Cairn Hotel is just north of Newcastle’s city centre, in Jesmond, and offers a collection of 43 rooms and suites, decorated with a minimalist feel and a nod towards Japanese aesthetics. There’s a Pan-Asian restaurant which does more to highlight the Asian design elements, and there are lots more places to eat and drink within a short stroll.
The Hotel Indigo Birmingham is a sleek, contemporary hotel, both on the outside and inside. The location is ideal: around ten minutes walk from the Birmingham Museum and the Art Gallery, and close to the Chinese Quarter. The 52 rooms and suites are compact but stylish, and there’s a pool, spa and restaurant — all sleek and stylish too.

For a Weekend Break

Birmingham’s Saint Paul's House is a restaurant and bar with rooms in the up-and-coming Jewellery Quarter. There are 34 suites, all with simple, contemporary decor and generously proportioned bathrooms. The restaurant is open all day, and offers casual and formal dining, and the bar is known for its cocktails.
Offering easy access to the centre of Manchester, the Ainscow Hotel is a great value, industrial chic pick, with 70 rooms and suites and a fantastic roof terrace and restaurant. The decor is simple, in white and grey, with orange soft furnishings and exposed brick and timber features.
The Grey Street Hotel has been carefully converted from a very handsome Georgian era bank in a superb central Newcastle spot. The monochrome decor is seriously added to by the cool black and white exterior photos that have been made into murals in the 49 rooms and suites. The views are of the rooftops and city, so if you fancy something quieter opt for one of the rooms overlooking the courtyard. There’s no restaurant, but you’re surrounded by places to eat and drink.

For families

Malmaison Liverpool is right on Liverpool’s historic waterfront, and offers the combination of friendly service, clever decor and good food that the Malmaisons are known for. The decor has an industrial edge, which suits the location, but this is a recent build, so it’s just a hint of work and plenty of luxury. There are 130 rooms and suites, in a large range of sizes — including great options for families — and the restaurant and bar are stylish and popular.
Just a short walk from London’s Old Street Station, Z Shoreditch is smart, chic and unfussy. Its 111 rooms and suites offer all the comforts you need: like big bathrooms, big screens with Sky Sports and Movies, nice linen on comfortable beds, big windows, and coffee and tea making facilities. Their suites run to family-sized too.

Still not sure where to book?

Refine your search by location, and use the ‘sort by’ button on best places to stay in London, for example, so it shows you our recommended hotels in price order,
or use the Destinations tab to see our curated lists of the best hotels in London, for example,
or contact one of our friendly Gurus for advice and personalised recommendations.

20 Great Value UK City Break Hotels

ABode Manchester

Manchester

Victorian warehouse building turned trendy boutique hotel. Contemporary rooms feature chic design with subtle nods to their past in parquet flooring and ironwork columns, not to mention super comfy beds. Buzzy Brasserie Abode offers great food and resident DJs for those who want to stay in!

City Style - Victorian warehouse conversion turned trendy boutique hotel with parquet floors, high ceilings and fun young crowd.
Views
Lively
Full of character

from £95 for 1 room, 1 night including taxes & fees

20 Great Value UK City Break Hotels

For London

For Edinburgh

For a Romantic City Break

For luxury

For a Fun City Break

For the location

For a Weekend Break

For families

Still not sure where to book?

20 Great Value UK City Break Hotels

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