One of the world’s leading travel and entertainment guides has just named Hull as one of the best places to visit in 2024.
While Time Out put Bristol at the top of its latest ‘staycation’ bucket list, Hull came in at number two, partly thanks to becoming “a surprising capital for the UK’s LGBTQ+ community in 2023″.
New bars and clubs helped clinch second spot, but Time Out also praised the UK’s 2017 City of Culture’s many attractions, including The Deep, picturesque Old Town, art galleries and historic pubs.
Compiling its list of top destinations for visitors holidaying at home, the magazine has picked what it believes are the top 15 UK hotspots for 2024, from seaside resorts to bustling cities.
Helping Hull to stand out is the city’s new “Freedom Quarter”, which has seen Savile Street in the city centre transformed into a thriving home for the LGBTQ+ community with a host of new venues.
A driving force behind the change has been Monroe’s Bar, which launched in 2021, but the new Quarter is now home to several more, including Unit 49, which opened spring 2023, and the latest arrival, Cherry’s Bar – named after the late ‘Ru Paul’s Drag Race’ star Cherry Valentine – which opened in November.
But as well as the thriving LGBTQ+ scene, Time Out highlighted Hull’s wider cultural appeal – along with its award-winning tourist attractions.
Singled out for special mentions were The Deep – one of the world’s most spectacular aquariums and home to 5,000 marine animals – and Hull Old Town, the picturesque heart of the historic maritime city, which still retains its medieval footprint and is rich in Georgian and Victorian architecture.
Over recent years the cobbled streets have become a magnet for TV and movie film crews because of its old-style charm and period buildings, with recent productions including director Steve McQueen’s Blitz, set for a 2024 release, Netflix drama Bodies, released in October 2023, as well as The Crown and Enola Holmes 2 starring Henry Cavill.
Elsewhere, Hull’s indie art galleries, and its historic pubs are also among Time Out’s highlights, while the century-old Hepworth’s Arcade – where Mr Marks and Mr Spencer opened one of their first penny bazaars – is picked out for its independent shops, including the famous Dinsdale’s joke shop.
For more on Time Out’s ‘staycation’ wishlist, see www.timeout.com/uk/things-to-do/best-places-to-visit-in-the-uk-2024
For all tourism information about Hull, see www.visithull.org
