York has been named by Which? members as their favourite large UK city to visit this year in the consumer organisation’s annual survey of our best city break destinations.

Belfast wasn't far behind and ranked second, closely followed by Edinburgh.

York scored highly for cultural sights and food and drink while Belfast is the only large city to score five stars for its lack of crowds. Meanwhile, the Scottish capital scored top marks for cultural sights, accommodation and food and drink.

The rankings are based on 3,662 online reports from Which? Members supplied in April following their visits to destinations over the past year. Then, Which? staff went undercover to investigate.

York received an 86 per cent rating overall, with it gaining top marks, or five stars for food and drink, five stars for cultural insights, four stars for accommodation, four stars for value for money but only two stars for its crowds.

Which? cited attractions such as the city’s Gothic Minster, the Shambles, with its independent shops and restaurants, the Jorvik Viking centre, the National Museum and Spark, with its street food, art and shipping containers.

Guy Hobbs, Editor of Which? Travel, told the Press: “It’s easy to see why York, a vibrant city famed for its wealth of history and culture, topped our reader poll of best large cities in the UK this year.

“Rated five stars by our readers both for its food and drink offerings, as well as accommodation, travellers are sure to find plenty of hidden gems to uncover in this beautiful cathedral city.”

Which? also judged Cambridge as the best medium UK city for a short break, giving it 81 per cent overall and four stars for cultural sites.

Harrogate came fifth, behind Cambridge, Canterbury, Winchester and Chester respectively. In the small UK city category, Wells was top.

York business leaders welcomed the survey, with Andrew Lowson, executive director of York BID saying York’s heritage means the city will always score highly but he was thrilled the ‘great food and indie business scene’is also recognised.

“As a resident I’ve watched this improve massively over the years and it’s a credit to the business owners (many of them locals) that we have such a strong offer,” he added.

Rebecca Hill, chair of the Indie York group of independent businesses, says it is such businesses that make York special, accounting for two-thirds of overall businesses.

“This means that you can have a unique trip away and discover things in York that you can't find anywhere else you might visit.  In addition to the unique places to stay, eat, visit, and shop; the history is also incredible, meaning that these amazing businesses are often housed in or near historically significant buildings, adding an extra bit of charm when enjoying the city.”

Emma Godiva, co-founder and director of York Gin also cited ‘quirky’ and independent shops, the restaurants and the pubs.

“There’s loads to do for all ages,” she added.