A plan for Bristol

Bristol is the United Kingdom's 8th most populous city (approximately 483,000 as of mid-2023) and the most populated city in South West England, making it a core city in England. It received a Royal Charter in 1155 and was granted county status in 1373. From the 13th century, for half a millennium, it ranked among the top four English cities (after London and alongside York and Norwich) until the rapid rise of Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester during the Industrial Revolution in the latter part of the 18th century. Bristol borders the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire and is near the historic cities of Bath to the southeast, Gloucester to the north and Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, to the northwest. The city was built around the River Avon, and has a short coastline on the estuary of the River Severn where it flows into the Bristol Channel.

Although often overlooked as a tourist destination, Bristol has a lot to offer of its own and is an excellent base for exploring the West Country, with relatively inexpensive accommodation compared to some of the main ‘tourist traps’ and a huge choice of bars, restaurants and shops. It is one of the most culturally vibrant cities in England, hosting a wide variety of visual arts, theatre, speciality shopping and live music.

Bristol is a very diverse city. From the historic Old City and Harbourside to Georgian Clifton, there is something to be found for everyone. Every neighbourhood has its own attractions and sights.

Street Art. Street artist Banksy is from Bristol and some of his works can be seen around the city.

1 Bristol Blue Glass, 357 Bath Road, BS4 3EW (take bus X39 direction Bath and get off at Arnos Court). Glass workshop producing traditional blue glass, a local specialty since the late 18th century. Cobalt oxide and lead oxide are mixed into the molten glass, giving it its characteristic deep blue colour. The glass workshop can be visited on request with a tour along the furnaces. It also includes a shop where glassware can be purchased. (updated Apr 2019)

2 Whitchurch Airport (Old Bristol Airport), Hengrove Park. 24/7. Former airport of Bristol, operating from 1930 until 1957. It played an important role during the Second World War as air bridge between the UK and neutral Portugal, and other territories such as Gibraltar. From the early 1950s the airport became too small to accommodate scheduled services, and expansion was limited by surrounding housing estates. It remained in use for some years for short flights to the Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and the Isle of Man, but flying ceased from 1957 onward. It was reopened in 1959 as a racing circuit, but most of the former airport grounds have been redeveloped since. The main runway still exists and can be visited. Free. (updated May 2019)

Ferry Boat Co., Welsh Back (Ferry stops all around the city), ☏ +44 117 927-3416. Throughout the day. Catch a ferry and enjoy the exciting world of Bristol's Historic Harbour for a round trip tour, hop-on and hop-off, or getting from A to B; and to many of the harbourside attractions. Timetables are available online and at many places in the city.

Pirate Walks, Meet at Millennium or Anchor Square., ☏ +44 7950 566483. Join Pirate Pete for a 1-hour guided walking tour of Bristol's historic harbourside. Walking tours of Bristol's 16th-, 17th- and 18th-century Maritime History of discovery, trade, slavery and piracy (always call before visiting). Adults £6.00, children £3.50.

Jump, 22 Concorde Road, Cribbs Causeway, BS34 5TB, ☏ +44 117 931-2733, parties@jumpbristol.co.uk. Daily 10AM-6:30PM; school holidays 9:30AM-6PM. Bristol Jump has enormous adventure play-frames: a space zone, a galleon and an enchanted castle. At 22,000 sq feet it is the largest dedicated indoor soft play centre in England and it is tucked away in the back of Cribbs Causeway! There are also huge inflatables, an indoor football pitch, ten-pin bowling and an enormous zone just for toddlers. They also offer themed party rooms, a café and different activities every day. Babies: £1.00; 1 to 3 years: £5.50; 4+ years: £6.50; adults: £1.75; OAPS: £1.00 (on production of a bus pass).

Bristol has a huge choice of bars and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. There are many around the Harbourside and the West End's Park Street and Whiteladies Road, but do not be dissuaded from trying those outside the centre as many are superior to those that attract passing trade due to their location. After a night out, or if your hotel allows food delivery, you will also be able to find many takeaways in Bristol, with different varieties of food.

Budget

City centre

1 St Nicholas Market, The Corn Exchange, Corn St. There is a food aisle within the glass arcade at St Nicholas Market. Many international cuisines are represented, including Italian, Indian, West Indian/Caribbean, Moroccan and Portuguese. Can be a bit chilly, depending on the weather, so keep your coat on! (updated May 2022)

2 Rendezvous Fish Bar, 9 Denmark St. Here you get fish&chips. (updated Feb 2023)

3 Portuguese Taste, St Nicholas Market, 43 The Glass Arcade. Amazing Portuguese food and great people running the shop. Offers delicious home cooked comfort food. Pasteis de Nata is amazing. Very friendly staff. (updated May 2022)

4 Princes Pantry, 61 Prince St. Simple and good tasting fast food. (updated Feb 2023)

5 Beirut Mezze, 13A Small St., BS1 1DE, ☏ +44 117 927-7937. Mon-Sat noon-11PM, Sun noon-10PM. Lebanese restaurant serving authentic food in sizeable portions. Their £5 meal deal (July 2019) features 6 different specialities including hummus, grilled chicken, and minced lamb. (updated May 2022)

6 Falafel King, Narrow Quay, at the Centre Promenade. Mon-Sat 11AM-7PM, Sun 11AM-5PM. Snack stands in the centre, conveniently next to the bus stops! Excellent falafel customised to just about any preference. £6 (April 2019). (updated May 2022)

7 Matina, The Glass Arcade, St Nicholas St. Stunning Middle-Eastern food, all made fresh in front of you and quick. Really yummy wraps. Very friendly staff at the shop. (updated May 2022)

You also find the chain restaurants of JD Wetherspoon, Greggs (bakery), Franco Manca and Eat A Pitta.

Broadmead

8 Taste of Napoli, 32 The Horsefair. Welcoming staff, delicious food. Plenty of choice for vegetarians and vegans alike. Authentic Italian pizza, snacks (arancini, fried breaded mozzarella, etc ) and sandwiches. (updated May 2022)

The fact that it's the home to around 44,000 students probably says a lot for the quality of the city's nightlife. Surprisingly, though, it's relatively expensive, with prices similar to those in London. Mainstream nightlife centres around 3 main areas - Corn Street in the 'old city', Park Street/Whiteladies Road, and the Harbourside. These areas get extremely busy, if not rowdy, at weekends, however there are plenty of places in Bristol where you can have a good time without mixing with more student type crowds. Venue magazine is a good source of information. The eastern end of King Street in the old city provides a slightly more relaxed, but popular, outdoor drinking area on sunny summer evenings, surrounded by historic pubs such as the 17th-century Llandoger Trow (reputed to have been the haunt of pirates and the model for the Admiral Benbow in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel "Treasure Island").

Amongst the hundreds of brilliant venues in the city, there are four outstanding areas:

St Nicholas' Market, including Baldwin Street: on and around Corn Street, you'll find several chain bars, including Wetherspoons' the Commercial Rooms on Corn Street which was once a meeting place for Merchant Ventures. Other reliable venues include the Slug & Lettuce and Vodka Revolution on St Nicholas Street, All Bar One and Walkabout on Corn Street and O'Neill's and Reflex on Baldwin Street. However, those looking to get away from the familiar will definitely enjoy Start The Bus at the bottom of Corn Street, an established indie pub-come-club; also, Mr Wolf's on St Stephen's Street offers noodles and live music.

Maps

Visit Bristol, the official tourism website for Bristol has maps of the city to download. Distinctive blue A3 tourist maps which cover the city centre, the Harbourside and Clifton, are available for free from locations such as libraries, shops, Temple Meads railway station, hotels and the YHA hostel. These really are excellent maps and you should obtain a copy or two. They indicate main streets, attractions, hotels and areas of the city in the central area and in Clifton.

You can also buy commercially produced maps before you leave from sites such as Amazon. The pocket-sized "Bristol Pop-Out Map" is useful, as are the pocket-sized A-Z maps.

Bristol is also home to a branch of Stanfords, a very large supplier of maps and tour guides (e.g. their store at Covent Garden in London is the largest such store in the world). Maps of Bristol with all the city centre street names and destinations marked sell from £1.50. Stanfords can be found at 29 Corn Street, and the staff double as local travel experts.

By foot

Most locations in central Bristol (the Harbourside and Old City areas) are reasonably easily walkable, and there are plenty of attractive walking routes along the quaysides and in the pedestrianised central streets. The main rail station (Bristol Temple Meads) is a little further (about 15 min walk) but still accessible by harbourside walkways or by bus.

By e-scooter

The city has an e-scooter hire scheme operated by Dott. To use a Dott e-scooter, a smartphone with mobile phone number and internet access is needed, and riders must be at least 18 years old and hold a provisional or full drivers licence. This will need to be confined in the app.

Scooters are parked in ‘virtual bays’ across the city. The unlock fee is £0.99 and the cost per minute is £0.16. Daily passes are available. You must park your scooter in the designated areas which can be found on the app, otherwise you’ll continue to be charged by the minute. It’s not uncommon for parking bays to be full, so be prepared to travel further than planned.

Like many other big cities in the UK, Bristol has its rough areas. Use common sense while getting around. While some of the following information may sound a little scary, many locals insist that Bristol is a lovely and safe city.

In the 2020s problems with drunken violence have become worse.

Drunken brawls can occur in the centre of town on Friday and Saturday nights as pubs and clubs close, especially near the waterfront area, the Centre, taxi queues and fast food joints. This has been reduced somewhat by a heavy police presence and security guards monitoring the taxi queues.

Avoid Baldwin Street at the 11PM and 2AM kickout times. Go somewhere else to hail a cab from some of the smaller, less busy ranks.

There are also specific areas that have a reputation after dark. The inner city districts of St Pauls and Easton are said to be rife with drugs and gangs but should not pose any danger to people outside the narcotics trade. The main areas of these districts are well monitored by CCTV. Pay attention to what is around you, and you should encounter no difficulties.

Also, some outlying suburbs such as Southmead, Knowle West and Hartcliffe have a bad reputation, but it is unlikely that a visitor to the city would travel to these parts.

Unfortunately there are more often than not individuals or groups of lowlifes who come out to look for someone to beat up. The best advice if you want to avoid any trouble is take a taxi back to your hotel, especially if your hotel is further out and you are coming home after 10PM.

Another problem is beggars as many will approach you on the street to ask for money.

Also, you may find people offering to sell you drugs. Those people have no drugs and will instead give you a bogus parcel (such as balls of cellophane or matches wrapped in newspaper) and run off with your money. They often have knives so avoid the people in the first place.

In the 2020s, knifepoint robberies have been on the rise. People have even been mugged for their bicycles at knifepoint in broad daylight. However, these such incidents usually occur in isolated areas of the city, and are unlikely to happen in any area the average tourist would visit. The best way to avoid such trouble is to stick to populated areas.