A small UK city has been praised for its number of brilliant pubs. Pub culture is alive and well across the UK. These places are more than just watering holes. They are often local institutions. You will find a pub in every town and city across the UK, but some have a lot more than others. In big cities like London and Manchester, for example, you will find a pub almost every five minutes by simply walking around.

But smaller cities in the UK also pack a punch when it comes to the number of great pubs they have. One of those is said to be “bursting with beer”, according to locals. The small city in question, which has been dubbed the “drinking capital of Britain”, is St Albans. St Albans is a tiny city by UK standards, home to just 82,000 people. However, this small place packs a punch when it comes to its pubs. In fact, it is home to around 50 boozers, many of which have been around for quite some time.

The city’s tourism board claims that there are “pubs at every turn” in St Albans. While there was an Ancient Roman settlement here, much of the history (and late-night fun) is found in the city’s pubs.

When one Reddit user asked for suggestions for towns and villages across the UK for a decent pub crawl, one person chimed in to suggest St Albans. Although it is a city, its small size makes it very walkable, allowing visitors to take in the historic charm as they make their way from one tavern to the next.

The Redditer hailed the city for “bursting with beer”, and they are not alone in thinking that the city is a go-to for boozers. One reviewer from The Telegraph, who decided to ditch Dry January this year, praised St Albans for being the “drinking capital of Britain”.

One of the stand-out pubs in the city is Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, which is one of many in the country that claim to be the oldest in the UK. It is said to have been in business since 793 AD, and locals are proud of this heritage.

It is not the only pub in St Albans that boasts a proud history. There is also The Goat Inn, which claims it has been serving locals since 1756.

Meanwhile, Dylan’s at the King’s Arms is a modern iteration of the pub that has stood there since Tudor times. There is also The Verulam, which opened in St Albans in 1826, so it has been serving locals for just short of 200 years.

Roger Protz, who is the founder of the British Guild of Beer Writers, lists several pubs in St Albans to visit as part of a heritage crawl. He recommends that people go to Robin Hood, The Mermaid and The Boot, among many others along the route.

Writing about the plethora of pubs in the city he has called home since the 1970s, he revealed: “When I moved to St Albans, there were 55 pubs, and in spite of all the trials and tribulations of the pub trade in recent years we’ve not lost many of our fine hostelries.”

The pubs of St Albans are just one of the offerings if you were thinking about a staycation in this small city, which is a short train ride from London. There is also Verulamium Park for a taste of the area’s Roman history, St Albans Cathedral, the Clock Tower, the Verulamium Museum, St Albans Market and St Albans Museum and Gallery.