Europe's 'cool' northern cities for 2017

Berlin's Kreuzberg district was named the coolest neighbourhood in Europe. Photo / Getty Images

Visit these hotspots before they transform from 'gritty cool' to 'smart gentrification'.

Peckham, Kreuzberg or Harlem?

Every city has its own hipster district, although the transformation from 'gritty cool' to 'smart gentrification' is happening faster than ever before.

Finding the next new hot spot is often a priority for tourists keen to get under the skin of a place and discover its pulsing creative heart.

So where are the top trending places to have on your radar?

TravelSupermarket.com has created a handy index of hip urban neighbourhoods in the UK and Europe, which displays some surprising results.

The Rochdale canal in Ancoats, Manchester. Photo / Getty Images

According to the holiday booking website, Ancoats in Manchester is the number one spot in the UK, followed by Edinburgh's Leith and Birmingham's Digbeth. In fact, 60 per cent of the top UK hangouts are in the North, leaving conservative southerners trailing behind.

Other surprising entrants include Margate's Cliftonville/Old Town in seventh place and Hastings in 20th.

In Europe, Berlin's Kreuzberg snatched the top spot, and districts in eastern Europe far outranked traditional destinations such as London and Paris. Miera iela in Riga ranked second place and Warsaw's Praga, considered the best value urban area, came fourth.

Those with a bit more budget to spare might consider visiting Scandi-cool spots, such as Stockholm's Sodermalm (joint fifth), Copenhagen's Norrebro (10th) and Oslo's Grunerlokka (seventh).

In Denmark, Copenhagen's Norrebro neighbourhood is a hip place to ride to. Photo / Getty Images

The indexes were created by looking at the ratio of trend-setting and creative industry indicators, such as independent coffee shops, vintage fashion stores, vinyl record shops, vegan cafes, independent bike shops, co-working spaces and art galleries/studios, to the number of residents.

Emma Coulthurst, travel commentator at TravelSupermarket.com, says: "The destinations on the list are those buzzy areas, unspoiled by commercialism. They offer an eclectic range of food and entertainment away from the tourist throngs.

The indexes were created by taking note of hipster favourites, including vegan cafes and independent bike shops. Photo / Getty Images

"We wanted to find those areas where locals love to hang out, due to the area's independent creative spirit. But, I promise you won't have to grow a moustache to go to them!"

The website has partnered with travel bloggers Travels of Adam and The Cosy Traveller to create bespoke guides recommending things to do in each hip urban area, along with the most instagrammable sightseeing spots to snap.

- AAP