After Niantic’s release of Pokémon Go across the UK on July 14th, Facebook groups and Reddit forums have been filled with questions about the best places to catch the rarest Pokémon. With the app’s continual ban of players who are spoofing their location to find the rarest Pokémon, a map goes a long way in helping you find the most rare ones out there.
At Wanderu, we want to help you complete your Pokédex and become a Pokémon Master before Johto Pokémon are added to the game, so we reviewed photos and videos from more than 67 cities in the UK to find the ones with the best selection of epic, mythical and special Pokémon. We used the Twitter API to count the total number of sightings and look at the diversity of species found in each city. We hope that this helps you catch ‘em all!
Note: This list contains epic, mythical, and special Pokémon from the original Kanto region — reportedly, the only Pokémon included in the game. Based on the high frequency of Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Pikachu sightings, these Pokémon have been excluded from our list.
The best way to fill out your Pokédex is to visit the cities with the widest diversity of epic, mythical and special Pokémon. Although all the cities included in the map have confirmed sightings, only a select few deserve the title of the best cities to catch rare Pokémon.
To no-one’s surprise, London is leading the pack throughout the UK with the widest diversity of Pokémon sightings, featuring Porygon, Mr. Mime, Electabuzz, Snorlax, and Lapras. With more sightings than other popular cities like Glasgow and Liverpool, London is the best destination for catching the rarest Pokémon across the UK. Take a trip from Glasgow to London, from Manchester to London, or from Leeds to London to try your hand at catching these rare creatures.
This, however, doesn’t mean that you have to visit the London Eye just to get a Snorlax, as there are other cities popular for Pokémon catching. Following closely behind London, in terms of diversity, Kingston offers Pokémon trainers a great selection of rare Pokémon. The most popular sightings in Kingston include Aerodactyl, Mr. Mime, Hitmonlee, Electabuzz, and Snorlax.
If you’d like to venture beyond major cities, then you can also check out the Pokémon in Sunderland and Wakefield. With an equal number of Pokémon sightings, these two cities will help you capture the elusive Dratini, Porygon, and Lapras.
Cities with the Rarest Pokémon
Visiting cities with a diverse group of Pokémon is one way to fill out your Pokédex, but just because one trainer found Mr. Mime in London does not mean you’ll have the same experience. We also looked at the number of sightings in each city to find those with the largest number of rare Pokémon sightings.
Except from having the most diverse selection of Pokémon, it appears as though London also has the highest population of creatures hidden around the city. From the Slowpoke nest near Buckingham Palace to the Eevee nests hiding in Kensington Palace, you’ll find it easy to catch rare Pokémon and base type Pokémon to evolve into the ultimate Pokémon trainer.
Traveling south, Kingston is another very popular destination for Pokémon hunting in the UK. Trainers in the area have curated a map and reported a Lickitung nest in Bushy Park and a Machop nest in Richmond Park. Aside from these two Pokémon, the high density of Mr. Mime in the area will help you complete your Pokédex.
If you can’t go to London, that doesn’t mean you can’t fill out your Pokédex quite nicely. Travel from Peterborough to Norwich, from Horley to Norwich, or from Brighton to Norwich to catch the elusive Lapras and Snorlax. To get your hands on the hard-to-find Porygon, travel from Manchester to Aberdeen, from Preston to Aberdeen, or from Perth to Aberdeen.
How We Found the Cities with the Rarest Pokémon
To find the best destinations for catching rare Pokémon, we looked through more than 60 major cities across the UK. Using the Twitter API, we reviewed recent tweets including hashtags with epic, mythical, and special Pokémon names, as well as #PokemonGo. To find the cities with the widest diversity, we counted the number of species in each city.
To find the cities with the most Pokémon sightings, we counted the total number of epic, mythic, and special Pokémon found in each city. For accuracy, we only reviewed tweets with images or videos of Pokémon captured during gameplay. Totals do not include mentions of rare Pokémon without visual evidence or those hatched from eggs.
Go Out and Find Your Favorite Pokémon
If you’re looking to be a Pokémon Master, which requires filling out your Pokédex, then you should visit the cities on the map above to find the rarest Pokémon. Wanderu can help you get to the ideal Pokémon hunting grounds by finding you the best deals on buses and trains in the UK. Pull your team together and head out to catch new Pokémon and take over the local gyms. After all, your friends will fawn over your phone when you show them your new collection of rare Pokémon!
Interested in adding to our rarest Pokémon map? Tweet us at @GoWanderu using #RarestPokemon along with a screenshot from the game and we’ll include your findings!
You are welcome to use the information and graphics on this page, crediting Wanderu. If you do so, please link back to this page, so that Pokémon trainers around the country can find the rarest Pokémon when traveling to their next destination.
