We may be biased, but we love Manchester, and now there’s even more evidence to prove what a great city it is, as Manchester has been named one of the best European cities for 2025 in a recent report. According to global consulting firm, Resonance, “England’s worker bee city” has undergone “a creative and economic rebirth”.
Manchester was ranked 36 out of 100 destinations in Resonance’s best European cities list, beating the likes of continental cities like Florence and Nice and British spots such as Bristol and Leeds. The European city rankings were calculated based on core statistics and user-generated data from online sources such as Google, Tripadvisor and Instagram to measure three key factors – Livability, Lovability and Prosperity – to produce an overall score.
The scoring was also based on the performance of urban regions when it comes to attracting prime age population (age 25–44), visitor expenditure and/or business formation. Manchester particularly ranked highly in the report’s university and airport subcategories, placing eighth and tenth in those areas respectively.
In the report, Resonance said: “You’ll be hearing a lot more about Manchester this decade as the historic engine of English industry shifts into high gear across both culture and development. While the UNESCO City of Literature continues to shape global music—with 2024’s opening of the 23,500-seat Co-op Live arena and a festival lineup that includes Beyond the Music and Worldwide Music Expo—Greater Manchester is also writing a new chapter in urban reinvention.”
Investment opportunities such as the Western Gateway at Old Trafford, The Central Growth Cluster which includes innovation districts like Crescent Salford and Victoria North were also highlighted. The report also praised Manchester for its “mature devolved governance model and transformative transit investments—like bringing commuter rail into the Bee Network”.
In terms of where other cities in the UK ranked in the best European cities list, London bagged first place, Edinburgh at 18, Glasgow at 28, Birmingham at 30 and Liverpool at 32.
The 10 best European cities, according to Resonance report
- London
- Paris
- Berlin
- Barcelona
- Rome
- Madrid
- Amsterdam
- Vienna
- Prague
- Stockholm
You can see the full list of rankings here.