Every UK and Irish destination
Edinburgh, Scotland — Old Town closes are made for a group that wants a big night and a bigger walk the next morning. $320–$520 a head.
Bath, England — A spa city small enough to do on foot, which is the whole point when there are twelve of you. $300–$480 a head.
Brighton, England — An hour from London, and the only British seaside town where a big group in fancy dress raises no eyebrows. $260–$430 a head.
Liverpool, England — The best value big night in Britain. Everything is walkable and nothing shuts early. $220–$380 a head.
Manchester, England — Northern Quarter for the day, Ancoats for dinner, and a choice of about forty places for after. $240–$400 a head.
London, England — Expensive, but the only place where everyone can get what they want in one weekend. $400–$700 a head.
Bristol, England — Street art, harbour bars and a hot-air balloon if you get the morning right. $230–$390 a head.
Cardiff, Wales — Cheap, compact and loud, with the Brecon Beacons an hour away for the recovery day. $200–$350 a head.
Newquay, England — Surf all day, fire pit all evening. The British answer to a beach weekend, weather permitting. $240–$400 a head.
The Cotswolds, England — One big house, a private chef and nobody driving anywhere. The low-effort option. $340–$600 a head.
York, England — Medieval streets, an absurd number of pubs, and everything inside the city walls. $220–$370 a head.
Dublin, Ireland — A short hop, a warm welcome and pubs that will absorb a group of any size. $300–$500 a head.
Galway, Ireland — Small, musical and on the edge of the Atlantic. Better for a group that wants scenery with the pints. $260–$430 a head.
Lake District, England — For the group that would rather swim in a lake than queue for a club. $280–$470 a head.
Walkability is the thing to optimise for
The single biggest predictor of whether a group weekend goes well is how far apart the accommodation, the dinner and the night out are. Twelve people and two taxis is an hour of standing on a pavement.
Edinburgh, Bath, Liverpool, Cardiff, Galway all pass this test comfortably.
Booking notes
Saturday nights in the popular cities go eight to ten weeks out for a group of more than eight. Restaurants are the tighter constraint, not accommodation.
Most city-centre restaurants will not take a booking over about twelve without a set menu and a deposit. Decide early whether you want one long table or two smaller ones — two smaller ones is usually the better night.
