Top 20 Most Charming Towns and Villages in the UK

While some travelers might prefer a bustling cityscape from a high-rise hotel, others find solace in quaint cottages nestled in serene villages—something the UK offers in abundance.

To guide you in selecting the perfect peaceful getaway, FBM Holidays, a vacation cottage company based in West Wales, has curated lists of the 10 most picturesque towns and villages in the UK. Their research examined 160 locations, assessing factors such as Instagram hashtag counts, mentions in articles about the UK’s most beautiful spots, Google image results, proximity to National Trust sites, and accolades like 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,' 'Special Area of Conservation,' and 'Village of the Year.'

Based on these criteria, Keswick in the Lake District of Cumbria ranks as the UK’s most stunning town. While it’s far from obscure—boasting around 400,000 Instagram hashtags—it offers vast stretches of untouched nature within the Lake District National Park, providing a sense of seclusion. Additionally, it’s home to the Derwent Pencil Museum, as Keswick is where modern pencil manufacturing originated.

Keswick boasts everything from picturesque hills to fascinating pencil museums. | ChrisHepburn/iStock via Getty Images

For those seeking a quieter escape, Castle Combe in Wiltshire’s Cotswolds region tops the list of the most charming villages. According to Time Out, its most recent home dates back to the 1600s, and the village has been featured in popular productions like Downton Abbey

and the 2007 film Stardust.

Explore both rankings below and learn more about these towns and villages here.

The Most Beautiful Towns in the UK

1. Keswick, Lake District, Cumbria
2. Tenby, Pembrokeshire
3. Salcombe, Devon
4. Cirencester, Cotswolds, Gloucestershire
5. Bamburgh, Northumberland
6. Whitby, North Yorkshire
7. Rye, East Sussex
8. Bakewell, Peak District, Derbyshire
9. Aberaeron, Ceredigion
10. Burford, Cotswolds, Oxfordshire

The Most Charming Villages in the UK

1. Castle Combe, Cotswolds, Wiltshire
2. Portmeirion, Gwynedd
3. Beaulieu, Hampshire
4. Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire
5. Bibury, Cotswolds, Gloucestershire
6. Polperro, Cornwall
7. St. Michael’s Mount, Cornwall
8. Llanberis, Gwynedd
9. Beddgelert, Snowdonia
10. Hathersage, Peak District, Derbyshire