Bristol

Way back in the 14th century, Bristol was the third largest city in Britain. Its prosperity is traditionally based around the docks which, for many years, was a centre of the international slave trade. Nowadays, Bristol is more famous for having one of the most diverse and original music scenes in the UK and a university beloved of Britain's privately educated. Bristol is popular with language students because of its laid-back atmosphere and great selection of shops, not to mention some great nightlife.

Cambridge

A mention of this ancient university town evokes images of Evelyn Waugh's 'Brideshead Revisited' (although that was really set in Oxford) and punting on the Cam. Cambridge has long been a favourite destination for tourists from around the world. The university is one of the world's oldest and has such famous alumni as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Salman Rushdie, Hugh Laurie and Sacha Baron-Cohen. The city itself is beautiful and, walking around Cambridge, one gets the feeling that history is everywhere.

Leeds

Leeds is a thriving city in the north of England. It is considered to have some of the best nightlife in the country and has two large universities (Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan) which give it a young and vibrant feel. Leeds is one of the shopping capitals of Britain and is home to one of Britain's more successful football clubs, Leeds United. There are a great selection of language schools in Leeds, perfect for students from around the world.

Liverpool

Liverpool is a port city. This is why British rock and roll was kickstarted here: boats would come back from America with Electric guitars and rock and roll music which had not been heard before in the UK. Nowadays, Liverpool still has one of the best live music scenes in the UK, and has long been at the forefront of the club scene. This makes Liverpool an exciting place to be a student, perfect if you are looking to learn a new language.