Bristol

Bristol [1] is the unofficial capital of the West Country of England.

Culture and History

With a population of around 400,000, Bristol is the largest city in the south of England after London and the largest shipping port 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 amongst the top three English cities after London, 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. Although Bristol suffered from extensive bombing during World War II, and more recently a steep decline in its manufacturing industry, it has remained a prosperous city thanks to an influx of commercial investment.

The port of Bristol grew up in medieval times around the confluence of the rivers Avon and Frome, requiring ships to navigate the tidal and precipitous Avon Gorge that flows out into the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, this tidal port was turned into the enclosed Floating Harbour by the construction of locks and the New Cut (an overflow channel for the River Avon). Because of the way this was done, the floating harbour winds its way through the city centre in quite a different manner to the way most enclosed docks turn their backs on their host city.

With the advent of larger ships the tricky passage of the Avon Gorge became too much of a liability and Bristol's commercial shipping long since moved downstream to modern docks at Avonmouth and Portbury. But the floating harbour lives on as a real unique selling point for Bristol, providing mooring for leisure craft and preserved ships, a home for the city's industrial museum and a setting for numerous bars, restaurants, apartment complexes and offices.

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

Travel to Bristol - Visa Requirements

Bristol's latitude is 51.26° North of the Equator, and longitude is 2.35° West of Greenwich.

Flights and airtickets to Bristol

Bristol International Airport is situated 8 miles south-west of Bristol city centre and offers scheduled flights from major European cities, including Amsterdam with KLM, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt with Lufthansa, Glasgow, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, Rome, Paris and Prague (but not London), and as of May 2005 a daily flight from New York by the carrier Continental Airlines. There is no train link between the airport and the city, but there is a 'Flyer' bus service that takes 30-45 minutes and has a peak-daytime frequency of every 20-30 minutes, costs are £8 for a return ticket (the second part of which can be used up to a month after the first), £6 for a one-way. There are discounts on this service - just like on UK trains - if you have a railcard. It is a major base for both budget airlines Easyjet and Ryanair.

The alternative is to use one of the London airports or Birmingham airport and travel on to Bristol by train, car or bus. The most convenient are:

• Heathrow Airport is about two hours drive straight down the M4 (westbound) motorway. Alternatively the RailAir express bus service (running every 20 minutes) connects with the main London to Bristol rail service at Reading rail station; expect the total journey to take slightly over two hours.
• Birmingham International is within quicker (and cheaper) reach of Bristol than London's two other airports, Gatwick and Stansted. By car it takes about 1h45min and you'll be avoiding the congestion-prone M25. Rail services connect Birmingham International to Bristol every 30 min at peak times with a change in Birmingham New Street. The journey takes between two and two and a half hours.
• Gatwick Airport is about three hours drive away via the M23 (northbound), M25 (clockwise) and M4 (westbound) motorways. a half-hourly rail service from Gatwick connects with the main London to Bristol rail service at Reading rail station; expect the total journey to take slightly over two hours.
• Stansted Airport is about three hours drive away via the M11 (southbound), M25 (anti-clockwise) and M4 (westbound) motorways. By train you will need to catch a Stansted Express train to London Liverpool Street station, the tube to London Paddington station, then follow the directions below; expect the total journey to take around three and a half hours.
• Cardiff International Airport is about one hour west of Bristol, going northbound from Culverhouse Cross, to J33 of the M4, then Eastbound, to Bristol. Alternatively take the train direct from Cardiff Airport, to Cardiff Central Station, then take another train to Bristol Temple Meads Station .Direct services from both Toronto and Vancouver, as well as numerous services across Europe.

By train

Bristol Temple Meads station is located approximately 15 minutes walk from the city centre and has regular inter-city and regional train services from Bath, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, London, Plymouth, Southampton, Swansea and York. It is the oldest, continuously and still operating train station in the world.

Bristol has a second main railway station in Bristol Parkway, which is located several miles north of the city centre. Although this station also has frequent services to many of the same locations as Temple Meads, it is principally aimed at suburban residents and is unlikely to be useful to visitors.

From London, you can travel from London Paddington station. There are several through trains an hour, the fastest of which take under two hours for the journey. Train times (from any location) can be found on the National Rail Planner or by calling 08457 48-49-50 from anywhere in the UK. Alternatively, there is Megatrain, a budget train service running out of London Waterloo to Bristol Temple Meads, with one or two trains a day taking just over two and a half hours.

Buses to Bristol

National Express operate services to Marlborough St Coach station, located in the city centre, from cities throughout the UK including London. The journey from London to Bristol takes about 2h30min. Tickets are much cheaper if booked in advance online.

MegaBus also operate budget coach services from London to a stop outside the Colston Hall in Colston Street (Behind Flavourz restuartant formerly Yates Winelodge City Centre). Tickets must be booked online and fares are demand responsive but can be very cheap (£1.50 if you book far enough in advance). The journey to London takes about 30 min longer than by National Express.

By car

The M5 and M4 motorways intersect near Bristol and the M32, a motorway 'spur', brings traffic directly into the city centre. The M4 links London with Bristol with a driving time of some two hours.

The city also has 3 Park and Ride facilities, A4 Portway, Long Ashton and A4 Bath Road sites, for more information see National Park and Ride Directory

Parkopedia.com is a free service that allows users to search and compare parking rates and locations for commercial and private parking facilities in Bristol.

Tours and Getting around Bristol

Maps

Visit Bristol, the official tourism website for Bristol has free maps of the city for visitors. 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, tourist information offices and the YHA hostel.

Detailed maps for districts within the city (such as Fishponds and Lockleaze), cycle, bus and a very detailed harbourside map are available from the City Council.

Bristol is also home to a branch of Stanfords, a very large supplier of maps and tour guides. 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.

On Foot

Most locations in central Bristol (the Harbourside and Old City areas) are reasonable 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 mins walk) but still accessible by harbourside walkways or by bus.

Bike

Bristol has plenty of bike paths and routes and is at the centre of the National Cycle Network [2]. Sustrans, which manages the network, is based in the city, and has a shop and information centre on College Green, next to the Marriott Hotel. The staff can provide information on cycle routes throughout the UK. Free cycling maps for the Avon Cycleway, Bristol and surrounding council regions (South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath and North-East Somerset) can be obtained by emailing, telephoning or writing to Bristol City Council's Transport Planning Team [3].

Train

Bristol Temple Meads offers direct trains to many UK cities including London (Paddington). It is also one terminus of the Severn Beach Line which passes through Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road in the East of the inner city; Montpelier, Redland and Clifton Down in the north before heading north-west to Severn Beach, although off-peak trains terminate at Avonmouth. The route is quite scenic - the line itself has been voted one of the most scenic in the world by Thomas Cook; the fares are cheap (a 7 day season ticket between Temple Meads and Clifton Down is £3.90 and an off-peak day return is £1.50), quick (Temple Meads to Clifton Down takes about 15 minutes) and usually punctual and reliable. The Severn Beach train usually runs approximately hourly from 0600 to 2200hrs, Monday to Saturday, with a reduced Sunday service from summer 2008, but check details using Transport Direct before travelling.

Bus

CitySightseeing offer open top bus tours with commentary during the summer months. 24hr and three day passes are available. The circular route takes in most of the major visitor destinations including the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol Zoo, City Docks, Temple Meads, old city and city centre.[4]

Most bus services in Bristol are operated by First Bristol. Visitors should be warned that by and large the buses are unreliable. As most of Bristol's hotels and places to visit are located near the city centre or are in the upmarket suburb of Clifton, First Bristol's number 8 and 9 buses are probably the most useful for visitors. They follow a route from Temple Meads station to Clifton, passing through the main shopping area (Broadmead), the city centre (also handy for the harbourside) and the West End on the way. Single-trip tickets are a flat rate of £1.55. Not widely advertised is the fact that on the 8 & 9 you can get a return within the same fare zone for the same £1.55. The zones can be confusing; ask the driver.

Visitors planning on using the bus service for anything more than one short return journey may wish to purchase a FirstDay ticket. This will allow unlimited travel within zones 1 and 2 on most bus services for a one-off fixed fee. Currently, a FirstDay ticket will cost between £3.90 ( before 9 am Monday to Friday (except Public Holidays)) and £4.20 (any other time i.e. after 9 am Monday to Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays.)

Other operators include Wessex Connect, Buglers and Abus.

Boat

Because of the way the city centre is intimately interwoven with the old 'floating harbour', a boat is a good way of getting around as well as seeing a lot of interesting sights. Bristol Ferry Boat runs several ferry services around the harbour, stopping at various quays on route, and even providing a commuter service between the city centre and the main rail station.

The Bristol Packet offer city docks tours with commentaries daily during school holidays and at weekends throughout the year. They also run regular excursions to riverside tea gardens on the Avon towards Bath and Avon Gorge cruises under the Clifton Suspension Bridge to Avonmouth and back.

Number Seven Boat Trips also offer a ferry service during the summer months.

Bristol City Council offers a useful walking and public transport journey planner at http://www.travelbristol.org/. Bristol is quite a hilly city, but if you don't mind walking up hills the walk can be pleasant on a fine day.

By Car

Driving is probably the best way of seeing the surrounding region. Many of the routes into Bristol during peak hours operate a car pool lane for cars with more than one occupant.

Driving in the centre of Bristol with its complex one-way system can be frustrating and confusing for the uninitiated - things will be worse than usual for the forseeable future thanks to the Broadmead redevelopment work.

Parking

There are plenty of NCP car parks, and street parking. The cheaper street parking is in short supply in the centre - however Queen Square can usually be counted on to have a few spaces at off-peak times.

Park and Ride

There are three Park and Ride schemes operating in Bristol, with an additional Park and Ride for the busy Christmas period based at UWE in Frenchay. The main park and rides are at Brislington, on the A4 opposite St Brendan's school. Another is in Shirehampton and a third is at the end of the A370 Long Ashton Bypass. For more information, see National Park and Ride Directory

Taxi

Due to the heavy traffic, taxis in Bristol can be quite expensive – and don't forget to allow extra time on your journey when taking a cab. There are about 700 licensed taxis (Hackney Carriages) and these can be distinguished by roof signs and meters charged at a rate set by the council. There are a similar number of private hire vehicles (without roof signs) that need to be pre-booked. All legitimate taxi and private hire vehicles should have a predominantly yellow council-issued plate at the front and back of the vehicle. More information on taxis and private hire vehicles and a cab rank map can be found at Taxis and Minicabs in Bristol.

Bristol tourist attractions and sightseeing

Harbourside

The floating harbour is the jewel in Bristol's crown, and many of its attractions are on or close to the harbour:

• SS Great Britain, Gas Ferry Road, tel 926 0680, [5]. The world's first iron hulled, screw propeller-driven, steam-powered passenger liner, built by Brunel in 1843 and now preserved in a dry-dock alongside the floating harbour. The preservation works are still underway (as of December 2004) and only small parts are publicly accessible. Winner of the Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year 2006 - the Biggest Arts Prize in the U.K. Open every day Apr-Oct 10am-5:30pm; every day Nov-Mar 10am-4:30pm; closed Dec 25/26. £8.95 (adults); £6.95 (senior citizens); £4.95 (children).
• Museum of Bristol, Princes Wharf, tel +44 117 922 3571, [6]. Scheduled to open in 2010. It will be located in the L-Shed, the former site of the Bristol Industrial Museum that closed in October 2006.
• @Bristol, Harbourside, tel 0845 345 1235 (within UK only), [7]. Explore (science and technology displays), (Wildscreen and IMAX Cinema are now closed). Explore science centre and planetarium with interactive displays covering the brain, inventions and unexplained mysteries. Open every day 10am-6pm; closed Dec 25. £9.00 (adults); £7 (students & senior citizens); £7 (children).
• St Mary Redcliffe Church,[8] a short walk from Bathurst Basin. Described by Queen Elizabeth I as "the goodliest, fairest and most famous parish church in England"
• Brandon Hill & The Cabot Tower, off Park Street (about 10 mins walk up a steep hill from the centre of Bristol). This attractive and hilly park is worth visiting, if only for the views over Bristol from the hill-top. Even better views can be gained by climbing the narrow spiral staircase within the Cabot Tower atop the hill. Open every day from 8am to 30mins before dusk. The tower is currently closed for significant structural maintenance and will reopen in summer 2009.
• Bristol Cathedral, College Green, tel 0117 926 4879.[9] Originally the abbey of St Augustine, founded in the Norman era, extensively rebuilt in the 16th and 19th centuries. The seat of the diocese of Bristol. Open daily, free, donations welcome.

Old Bristol

Between the Frome and Avon branches of the harbour, and rising up the ridge that separated these two rivers, are the remains of mediaeval Bristol most of which is of some historical interest. Here are some of the highlights:

• Corn Exchange & The Nails, Corn Street. The Palladian Corn Exchange, built in 1743, boasts a clock on its frontage that ingeniously tells time both in the new-fangled GMT and the old Bristol time. In front are nails (in reality Bronze pillars) over which the local merchants did business; from these come the expression 'paid on the nail'. Exterior always open. Free.
• Castle Park & St Peters Church. It is difficult to imagine now, but this large harbour-side park was a network of busy streets and shops until it was bombed out during the second world war. Within the park are the excavated ruins of Bristol Castle, and the ruined St Peters Church preserved as it stood after the bombing as a memorial to those killed. Open during daylight hours. Free.
• King Street. King Street is now the heart of Bristol's theatre-land (see 'Old Vic' below) but it once lead down to the docks at Welsh Back, where the old sailing trows (a type of sailing barge) used to dock after their journeys from South Wales. The street has changed little since those days, and the Llandoger Trow pub dates back to 1663. It is rumoured to have been patronised by pirates of old, not to mention Robert Louis Stevenson whilst writing Treasure Island.

Clifton

The old and up-market suburb of Clifton contains several more places of interest, as well as much of the city's student population:

• Bristol Zoo, tel 0117 974 7399, [10]. Open summer 9AM-5:30PM; winter 9AM-4:30PM; closed Dec 25. £9.50 (adults); £8.50 (students & senior citizens; £6 (children). It is the 5th oldest zoo in the world and the oldest outside of a capital city.
• Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, Queens Road, tel 0117 922 3571, [11]. Open daily, 10am - 5pm, free. Archaeology, history, natural history, art gallery, cafe.
• Clifton Suspension Bridge.[12] Possibly the city's most famous landmark, Brunel's 19th century suspension bridge spans the spectacular Avon Gorge at a height of 75m. Always open. Free to walk across, 50 pence to drive over. Daily tours operate at 3pm during the summer (Free).
• Clifton Downs and Observatory. The Downs provide a huge open space within Bristol, with great overlook views over the Avon Gorge and the suspension bridge. Atop the Downs closest to the bridge is the Observatory, housing a camera obscura and a tunnel to an observation point in a cave within the 250-foot sheer cliff face of the gorge.
• Clifton Lido & Victoria Pub. A Grade II* listed building. The Lido and pub are separately managed, the historic Lido [13] having closed in 1989, completely refurbished and reopened 24th November 2008. The Victoria freehouse pub [14] stands in one corner of the site; it was created in 1851 to provide the funds to rescue the Lido the first time, and was itself saved from closure in April 2006.
• Georgian House, 7 Great George Street, tel 0117 921 1362.[15] Built for merchant and slave trader John Pinney in 1790, also the former home of Pero Jones, a slave brought to Bristol from Nevis, by Pinney. Open Saturday - Wednesday, 10am-5pm, free.
• Red Lodge, Park Row, tel 0117 921 1360.[16] Built in 1580 as the lodge for a now demolished Great House, Tudor and Georgian rooms, Knot Garden. Open Saturday - Wednesday, 10am-5pm, free.

Eastside

Bristol's Eastside is the multicultural centre of Bristol and offers visitors a refreshing alternative side of the city, made up of a colourful collection of neighbourhoods that boast independent retailers from all around the globe. The wonderful thing about this side of town is simply walking around it - and most of the good things to do and see are free!

• Montpelier (pronounced Mont-pelly-err, rather than the French-accented Mon-pell-ee-ay!). The bohemian heart of Bristol and home to artists and musicians of all descriptions. The streets are often canvases themselves and you'll find work by famous graffiti artists around every corner. great music, cafes, an independent cinema, and a treasure trove of vintage clothing.
• St Pauls. Is the Afro-Caribbean centre of Bristol and home to the world famous St Pauls Carnival. It still suffers from the negative reputation of having been home of the St Pauls riots over 25 years ago but visitors today will find it a colourful, friendly area with fantastic reggae pubs and clubs and a great street art scene. Host to an Asian supermarket on Ashley Road next door to Teoh's pan-Asian cafe.
• St Werburghs. Is the alternative quarter and a green oasis in the heart of the city. Filled with allotments, a city farm, eco-housing and lively pubs including the award-winning The Duke of York in Jubilee Road and The Miner's Arms in Mina Road [17] . The most recent addition to the area is the multi-million pound Eastgate Oriental City complex which features a large Chinese supermarket and Chinese restaurant.
• Easton. Is possibly the most multicultural area in Bristol where people of all nationalities rub shoulders. Here you can find anything from anywhere in the world - black hair and beauty, saris, Moroccan and Somalian cafes...You name it, you'll find it in Easton! This area is quite rightly home to the World On Your Doorstep festival held every June on Stapleton Road. For fantastic cafes and specialist shops (including the locally-famed Bristol Sweet Mart selling a large range of south-Asian foods and ingredients) head to St Marks Road.

Parks

Bristol has many open spaces reasonably accessible from the city centre. The more notable include:

• Clifton and Durdham Downs[18], adjacent to the Avon Gorge, the Suspension Bridge and Bristol Zoo, 400 acres of grassland, with views towards the Severn Estuary and the Mendip Hills.
• Ashton Court Estate[19], 850 acre city park, less than two miles from the city centre, with a mix of meadow, woodland, deer park, golf course, site of the Balloon Fiesta, the KIte Festival and the former Ashton Court Festival.
• Leigh Woods[20], Forestry Commission open broadleaf woods and coppice bordering the Avon Gorge.
• Blaise Castle Estate[21], 650 acres of park and woodland on the northern fringes, with a folly, the gorge of the River Trym and a small museum in Blaise House.
• Oldbury Court[22], woodland and riverside paths alongside the Frome, with historic parkland and children's play facilities, approx 3 miles north east of city centre.

Details of other city parks can be found on the city council website.[23]

Bristol city tours

Special Events

Bristol has a widespread range of festivals throughout the year. The most significant include:

• St Paul´s Carnival
• Bristol Balloon Fiesta
• Bristol Open Doors Day
• Venn Festival
• Mayfest
• Festival of Ideas
• Bristol Harbour Festival
• Soil Association Organic Food Festival
• Bristol International Kite Festival
• Slapstick Silent Film Festival
• Encounters Short Film Festival
• Wildscreen Film Festival
• Bristol Vegan Fayre

Listings

There are various websites publicising these events, but probably the best thing is to pick up a copy of Venue Magazine (analogous to London's 'Time Out') from a newsagent. Venue is weekly (except around Christmas/New Year), costs £1.50, and new editions are usually available on Wednesdays. Saturday's edition of the Bristol Evening Post has a free pull-out supplement called Seven that lists much of what is on offer in the city during the following seven days. Alternatively you can check out Bristol Music & Theatre listings online on Bristol Music which also house's contact details for all local venues and music contacts and reviews.

Cinema

• Watershed, Canon's Road, tel 0117 927 5100, [24]. The primary hub for art-house film in the city centre with a lovely (WiFi enabled) cafe too.
• Cube Microplex, King's Square, [25]. An artist-run venue specialising in experimental film and music.
• Odeon Cinema, Union Street, 0117 929 0884, [26]. Three screen mainstream cinema located in the centre of Bristol.
• Vue Cinemas, [27]. There are two of these Warner Village cinemas in Bristol, one near the Mall out-of-town shopping centre at Cribbs Causeway (near the M5/M4 junction) and the other in Longwell Green, off the A4174 Ring Road. Both are modern multiplex type cinemas with approx 10 screens.
• Showcase Cinema, [28]. Bristol's first multiplex cinema, the Showcase has been open since at least the mid-1990s. Compared with the more-recently opened Warner Village cinemas, it's beginning to look a little tatty, but it does offer cheap tickets on Tuesdays - £3.75 all day. The Showcase is situated on the Avonmeads retail park, off the spine road that runs between the Lawrence Hill roundabout (take the exit before Junction 2 signposted as the A4320 to Bath) and the Bath Road in Brislington.
• Cineworld, [29]. Hengrove Leisure Park, Hengrove Way, off the A4174 Ring Road in the outskirts of the south of the city. Notable for showing at least one Bollywood film per week.
• Arnolfini, [30]. Right on the water's edge at Narrow Quay, this contemporary arts centre includes a cinema showing alternative and arthouse films. And the quayside is a great place to soak up the sun with a beer from the cafe!
• Showcase Delux, [31]. New multiplex in the Cabot Circus shopping centre next to Broadmead.

Theatre

• Tobacco Factory Theatre, North Street, tel 0117 902 0345, [32]. A hidden gem outside the city centre, in the Southville area of town. Well known for being involved in some of the most cutting-edge theatre in the city.
• Bristol Old Vic, King Street, tel 0117 987 7877, [33]. Bristol's main repertory theatre, located in the city centre, due to shut for refurbishment in 2010, open until then.
• Bristol Hippodrome, St Augustines Parade, tel 0870 607 7500, [34]. Showing large West End-style shows.
• Alma Tavern Theatre, 18-20 Alma Vale Road, tel 0117 973 5171 (reservations at (0117) 946 7899), [35]. Theatre located on the first floor of the Alma Tavern & Theatre pub in Clifton, a short walk from Whiteladies Road. The theatre seats 50, with the bar on the ground floor.
• Redgrave Theatre, Perceval Road, Clifton, tel 0117 315 7620, [36]. 220 seat theatre hosting amateur drama, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School productions and concerts.

Music

• Colston Hall, Colston Street, tel 0117 922 3682, [37]. Wide variety of concerts, gigs and performances.
• St George's, Great George Street, off Park Street, tel 0845 40 24 001, [38]. Wide variety of acoustic music including classical, world and jazz.
• Bristol Hippodrome, [39] St Augustines Parade. Now rarely a concert venue and instead usually hosts long-running musicals.
• Bristol (O₂) Academy, Frogmore Street, [40]. Large gigs and club nights.
• Anson Rooms (University Union), Queens Road, [41].
• The Fleece, St Thomas Street, [42].
• Bristol Bierkeller, All Saints St., [43]. Rock, Metal, Punk, Goth, Alternative.
• Full Moon & Eclipse, North St./Stokes Croft Rock, [44]. formerly an important Metal and Punk venue but has now become a backpacker hostel with some music events targeted at their guests.
• The Croft, Stokes Croft, [45].
• The Louisiana, Wapping Road/Bathurst Terrace, [46].
• The Junction, 51 Stokes Croft, opposite City Road junction, [47]. Punk/Alternative.
• The Old Duke, King Street, [48]. Jazz, Blues.
• Black Swan, 438 Stapleton Rd, Eastville, 0117 939 3334. A pub that regularly hosts alternative liberal, electronic dance, rave music events.

Pubs offering live music of some sort are extremely numerous in most areas of the city.

Comedy

• The Comedy Box, [49]. Usually hosted above the Hen and Chicken pub on North Street, Southville but sometimes at the nearby Tobacco Factory (especially for more popular acts). Has hosted a number of major stand-up acts, including Mark Thomas, Sue Perkins, Ed Byrne and Marcus Brigstocke.
• Jongleurs, 28 Baldwin Street, [50].
• Jesters Comedy Club, 142 Cheltenham Road, [51].
• Oppo Comedy [52], at Oppo [53], Park Street (entrance on Park Street Avenue). Sunday evenings from 2030hrs, hosted by Mark Olver. £2+
• Comedy Rocket [54], at the Thunderbolt [55] pub, Bath Road, Totterdown. Occasional Wednesday evenings from 2000hrs (doors 1900hrs). £3

Learn

Higher education

Bristol is home to two universities: University of Bristol and University of the West of England.

Work

The largest independent employers in Bristol are the two Universities, the Orange telco, Airbus, Rolls Royce, Hewlett-Packard/Compaq, AXA and various media companies including BBC Bristol (famed for its natural history department), HTV West and Endemol. The Ministry of Defence has a large site employing around 5000 people in the north of the city.

Casual work, usually supermarket, call centre, bar and restaurant work is fairly easily available in Bristol. Many employment agencies are located in the city centre.

Bristol souvenirs and shopping

Malls & Shopping Centres

• Broadmead & Cabot Circus are the two major precincts within the city's central shopping district. The newer of the two is Cabot Circus[56] which opened in September 2008. The name was chosen by public vote after it was decided that the name 'Merchants Quarter' brought with it too many connotations to Bristol's slave trade past. It is a large, and mostly under-cover shopping centre, containing over 120 shops including House of Fraser, Harvey Nichols, 'Apple', and Cinema Du Lux.

Broadmead remains a pretty dire indictment of post war planning and architecture; it contains the Mall Galleries, Bristol's city centre mall. It is large and has a good range of shops. Most of the major department stores can be found in the streets outside. Department stores in Broadmead include Primark and Debenhams. Other high street stores include Lush, BHS, Next, New Look, River Island, Marks and Spencers, Waterstones, HMV, Currys, H&M, Miss Selfridge.[57]

• The Mall Cribbs Causeway, [58], is an out of town mall off junction 17 of the M5. This has a large John Lewis and Marks and Spencer as well as lots of other fashionable shops. The surrounding area of Cribbs Causeway is also home to large stores such as TK Maxx and furniture stores, with The Venue – including the Vue cinema complex, and chain restaurants such as Frankie & Benny's, Chiquitos and TGIF's.

• Avonmeads Situated between St Philips and Brislington, Avonmeads has a few out of town shops, restaurants, Showcase cinema and bowling. Shops include Boots, Mothercare, Currys, Brantano, Outfit, The Range, and M&S Simply Food. A short distance away is Sainsburys.

Areas

• Park Street, Queens Road and The Triangle (marketed by the local traders as Bristol's West End) has a good range of fashionable clothes shops, book shops, restaurants, takeaways, record shops.

• Clifton village contains a wide variety of smaller, more expensive boutique style shops, as well as some nice cafes and restaurants.

• Whiteladies Road has some small department stores, takeaways, restaurants, bars, Clifton Down shopping centre, electrical stores, bookshops, gift shops.

Bristol also has quite vibrant district shopping centres. The best of these are probably:

• North St and East St, in Bedminster in the south of the city. A wide range of independent shops, also supermarkets, greengrocers, butchers, bars, cafes, delicatessens, charity shops.

• Gloucester Rd/Cheltenham Rd in the North, which contains a large number of cafes and restaurants, a number of instrument shops, many hardware stores and a good selection of independent butchers, bakers and greengrocers. At night, the restaurants and pubs attract lively nightlife.

• Fishponds Rd and Staple Hill in the East. Asian restaurants, thrift shops, bakers and independent stores.

• St Mark's Rd in Easton, in the east of the inner city, which is particularly noted for its mainly South Asian food shops and restaurants. It is also home to a modern vegetarian/vegan restaurant (Café Maitreya) that has won national acclaim.

Markets

There are also a number of markets in and around the city. St Nicholas Market in the centre, near Corn St. is a permanent fixture and has stalls selling jewellery, books, CDs and fresh food. It also hosts the 'Nails' market on Fridays and Saturdays and a Flea Market on Fridays, as well as various special markets around the end of the year. There are a number of farmers markets (and similar events) held at different venues around the city. These include:

• Corn St.[59] on Wednesday mornings 0930-1430hrs

• Fresh Saturday Food Market, St. Nicholas Street (behind Glass Arcade and Covered Market, in road that links High Street to Corn Street), [60]. Saturdays until Christmas 2006, 1000-1600hrs. Returning in January 2007 after successful trial period.

• Straits Parade, Fishponds, [61], second Thursday mornings 0900-1300hrs.

• Fear Institute, Keynsham, [62], second Saturday mornings 0900-1300hrs.

• Tobacco Factory, Southville, [63], every Sunday, 1030-1430hrs.

• Green Park Station, Bath, first and third Saturday mornings 0900-1400hrs.

• St. Mary's Centre, Thornbury, [64], first Thursday mornings 0900-1400hrs.

• Chipping Sodbury High Street, [65], last Thursday and second Saturday mornings 0900-1300hrs.

• Slow Food Market,[66] Corn St. on the first Sunday, 1000-1500hrs (needs to be checked)

• Whiteladies Rd. , [67] on Junction with Apsley Road near Clifton Down precinct, fourth Thursday 0830-1330hrs (needs to be checked)

• Christchurch Hall, [68]. Downend, fourth Friday 0830-1200hrs (needs to be checked)

Bristol Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

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 variaties of food.

Budget

• There is a food aisle within the glass arcade at St Nicholas Market, near Corn Street. 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!
• One Stop Thali Cafe, York Road, Montpelier, tel 942 6687, [69]. Tiny and always packed, a different menu every day, the Thali specialises in vegetarian Indian food and in terms of volume of food, must be one of the best bargains in the city! Loads of courses for very little outlay. On Sundays there is normally live music and bargain Thalis on a first-come-first-served basis (no reservations taken). Credit and debit cards are not accepted.
• Las Iguanas, Whiteladies Road (opposite Clifton Down Shopping Centre), Clifton, [70]. Delicious South American food with the fresh flavours of lime, salsa and chillis. Two-course lunch is a bargain at £8.
• Wagamama,Queen's Road, [71]. is a professionally run, good value Asian noodle bar. Main courses are filling, of consistent quality and cost £5-8. Walkable from the centre, or take a bus from St. Augustines Parade/College Green up Park Street.
• Beijing Bistro, Park Street, [72]. Arguably much better than the London chain Wagamama and tends not to be overrun by hordes of students during term time. This family-run noodle bar has modern decor, a wide menu, friendly quick service and a good choice of beers. A great place to refuel when out shopping. All dishes between £5-7. Walkable from the centre, or take a bus from St. Augustines Parade/College Green up Park Street.
• Teoh's, Lower Ashley Road, St Pauls and North Street in Bedminster (in the same building as the Tobacco Factory).[73] All meals £6, pan-Asian (somewhat comparable with Wagamama) - choice from Thai, Malaysian, Japanese and Chinese. Any chicken dish can also be prepared with Tofu instead. Excellent prawn crackers and friendly, fast service!
• Tripitakas, 80 Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5BB, [74]. Provides Thai soups and curry, sushi and baguettes from £2.00 - vegeatarian options

Mid Range

• Severnshed, The Grove, tel 925 1212, [75]. The famous eatery with a bar that moves (using compressed air). They serve modern cuisine, and prices can be reasonable (especially at lunch time / early evening when they do a number of meals for £9.77). Right in the heart of the city centre, on the waterfront. Open every day noon-late. £8-£30. Walkable from the centre.
• The River, 1 The Watershed, Canons Road, tel 930 0498. A newcomer to the bar scene and an opportunity to get a decent drink on the waterfront in decent company (at last!), they serve excellent good value food, including various sausages and mash and incredible pies. Open every day 11am–late. £3-£15. Walkable from the centre.
• Boca Bar, Paintworks, Bath Road, Arnos Vale, [76]. Gourmet pizzas from £9-12, tapas.
• Zero Degrees, Colston Street (between Christmas Steps and the bottom of St Michaels Hill), [77]. Californian-style gourmet pizzas (reminiscent of California Pizza Kitchen, but much thinner, biscuity bases) from £7-9, speciality sausages, mussels, salads. On-site microbrewery brewing Bavarian-style Black Ale, Wheat Ale, Czech-style Pilsner, New England-style Pale Ale and usually a special beer (usually a fruit beer such as Mango or Raspberry).

Splurge

• Bell's Diner, 1-3 York Road, Montpelier, tel 924 0357, [78]. A very well respected Bristol institution for those who know, Bell's serves up some of the most unique menus in the city, including their 'taster' menu where you get to work your way around everything. Open Tu-F noon-3PM (lunch); M-Sa 7PM-10:30PM. £18-£35.
• Hotel du Vin, The Sugar House, Narrow Lewins Mead, tel 0117 925 5577, [79]. This hotel has a wonderful Bistro with a great atmosphere. Food and service is of good quality. Starters about £7, main course £15 and dessert around £7. Walkable from the centre.
• Cafe Maitreya, St. Marks Road, Easton, tel 0117 951 0100, [80]. Nationally acclaimed vegan/vegetarian restaurant. So good, even many omnivores enjoy it too! Open Tu-Sa 6:45PM-9:45PM. £16-20, excluding drinks.
• City Cafe, City Inn Bristol, Temple Way, tel 0117 925 1001, [81]. Head Chef Peter Quinion joined in 2003. £16-32, excluding drinks. Walkable from the centre, or get a bus to Temple Meads.
• Bordeaux Quay, V-Shed Canons Way, Reservations: 0117 9431200, [82]. Bordeaux Quay is a new (2006) harbourside venue with an upmarket restaurant upstairs, a casual brasserie, bar, deli downstairs, with a bakery and cookery school - all under one roof. They aim to offer the very best in regionally sourced organic food and drink, while it tries to maintain environmental sustainability, energy consumption, minimising waste and reducing food miles. Grab a coffee and freshly baked pain au chocolat for breakfast, or delight in succulent mussels for dinner.
• River Station, The Grove, Res: 0117 9144434, [83]. The restaurant aims to be carbon neutral with naturally generated air-conditioning. Great location on the harbourside looking towards Redcliffe. Fresh locally sourced menu with a lean towards mediterranean, seafood.
• Casamia, High St, Westbury-on-Trym, tel 0117 959 2884, [84]. Located in the city's north-western suburbs, this Italian restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in 2009 and is currently the only restaurant in Bristol to hold that honour.

Bristol nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

The fact that it's the home to around 30,000 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 on Corn Street in the 'old city', the Harbourside and Whiteladies Road which are dominated by chain bars and 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 inhospitable crowds. DrinksInBristol[85] is a good source of information, as is Venue magazine.. 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 Venturers. Other reliable venues include the Slug & Lettuce and 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 on Baldwin Street, an established indie pub-come-club; also, Mr Wolf's on St Stephen's Street offers noodles and live music.

• Harbourside: the regenerated waterside is a great place to drink, especially on summer afternoons. On Welsh Back, there's the famous Old Duke jazz pub and, opposite it, the famous Lladngoer Trow - plus, the Apple, a floating cider bar. Bristol's famous bar on a boat, the Thekla, is around the corner, and there are plenty of big chain and independent bars on Canon Road. Millenium Square has lots of chain restaurants and bars centred on the impressive mirrored 'Imaginarium' and fountains.

• Park Street, Park Row, Clifton Triangle and Whiteladies Road: Whiteladies Road runs from the Downs on top of Blackboy Hill, past Clifton on one side and Cotham and Redland on the other; at the Triangle, traffic runs around the eponymous island of shops and bars before pushing down Park Street to the centre of Bristol. There are hundreds of bars and clubs along this busy thoroughfare: popular venues include the Tube, the Woods, Embargo, Brown's, The Jersey Lily and the Black Bear.

• Stokes Croft and Gloucester Road: the anarchic area of Stokes Croft is home to Bristol's big independent clubs Blue Mountain, Lakota and Clockwork; after these monoliths, there are live music venues, pubs and bars to please the alternative crowd. Highlights include the Pipe and Slippers, the Croft, the Bell, the Hobgoblin and the Golden Lion.

If you're a tourist in Bristol, you may enjoy visiting one of the city's pubs and bars with historic and literary connections.

• The Llandoger Trow on King Street is supposedly the meeting place of Daniel Defoe and 'Robinson Crusoe', Alexander Selkirk. It is also rumoured to be Robert Louis' Stevenson's inspiration for the Admiral Benbow pub in his work, Treasure Island. The pub is a 17th-century Grade II listed building.

• Abolitionist the Reverend Thomas Clarkson stayed in the Seven Stars in Redcliffe while he researched the British slave trade in 1787.

• Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey used to meet in the Rummer Tavern to talk about emigrating. An earlier pub on the same premises, known as the Greene Lattis, was the first pub in Bristol to get a licence, back in 1241.

• Actor Cary Grant often stayed in the Avon Gorge Hotel, which has a terrace bar opening out onto Clifton's best view of Brunel's suspension bridge.

• Pioneers of the Bristol sound, Massive Attack, established the Tube, a bar/club at the foot of Park Street.

Notable Pubs include;

• The Hillgrove Porter Stores(The Hillgrove), 53 Hillgrove Street North, Bristol, BS2 8LT, ☎ 0117 924 8234, [86]. Winner of the CAMRA Bristol pub of the year in 2007, a freehouse with ten real ales and cider, perry. A wide mix of customers, good food and heated beer garden, open til midnight Sun-Thurs, 1am Fri & Sat. 

• The Miner's Arms, 136 Mina Road, St Werburghs, Bristol, BS2 9YQ, ☎ 0117 907 9874, [87]. This pub is the type of large, multi-roomed community local that is increasingly rare. Declared the Best Pub in Bristol by Venue Magazine in 2005 it has mirrored the resurgence of this vibrant community. 

• The Green Man(formerly The Bell), 21 Alfred Place, Kingsdown, Bristol, BS2 8HD, ☎ 0117 930 4824, [88]. opened in September 2008 as the first 'Organic' Pub in the city. The pub was formerly the Georgian-built 'The Bell'. Notably, all the alcoholic drinks are Organic and the freshly-prepared food is all Organic or Free Range. Two of the six real ales are served on gravity from the barrel. 

• The Highbury Vaults, 164 St Michael's Hill, St Michael's Hill, Bristol, BS2 8DE, ☎ 0117 973 3203. Winner of the CAMRA Bristol pub of the year in 2003, the Highbury Vaults is a classic traditional pub with 8 real ales available on cask. Popular with students and older customers alike, and with a large heated garden. Open until midnight. 

• The Portcullis, 3 Wellington Terrace, Sion Hill, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4LE, ☎ 0117 908 5536, [89]. Freehouse near Brunel's Suspension Bridge. A Grade II listed Georgian building, it has been a pub since the 1850s. On two levels, the bottom bar and main entrance is one of the smallest pubs in Bristol. 

• The Victoria, 2 Southleigh Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2BH, ☎ 0117 974 5675, [90]. Freehouse is part of the Grade II* listed Clifton Lido site. 

• The Hatchet, 27 Frogmore Street, Bristol BS1 5NA, ☎ 0117 929 4118, [91]. Favourite of many various 'alternative' sub-cultures and is sometimes the venue for related club- and live-music events. It also runs a noted free stand-up comedy event ("Gagging for It") on Sunday evenings, serving as a showcase for local talent. Due to its proximity to the Bristol Academy venue, it's convenient for pre-gig drinks. Open until 2am on weekends. 

• The Coronation Tap, 8 Sion Place, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4AX, ☎ 0117 973 9617, [92]. A small West-Country cider house in Clifton, famous for its Exhibition cider - sweet, innocent looking but lethal. Gets rammed at weekends. 

• Duke Of York, 2 Jubilee Road, St Werburghs, Bristol, BS2 9RS, ☎ 0117 941 3677. Winner of CAMRA's Best Pub in Bristol 2008, has a friendly atmosphere and quirky décor. 

There are a number of pubs located around the City Docks, such as The Cottage at the Hotwells end of the Floating Harbour. These pubs can be accessed by foot or by harbour ferry.

• Bristol's a gay-friendly city, on the whole, with a rounded and rich gay scene. Flamingo's on West Street is probably Bristol's biggest gay club with a 900-person capacity. The Pineapple on St George's Road is a sociable and well-established pink pub, and just down the road, the QueenShilling on Frogmore Street is a long-standing club that holds the Bristol heats of Mr Gay UK. And not to be missed is Club Wonky, held at Warehouse on Prince Street on the last Friday of the month where sleazy electro hits are cut with pop classics. Wonky's Christmas Party 2008 featured legendary DJ Jodie Harsh

• Non-alcoholic venues include:

• The Big Banana Juice Bar, [93]. Great juice bar in the centre of town at St Nicholas's Market on Corn Street. Fruit juices and organic wheatgrass. Into health and wellbeing. Juice promotions and promotional events.

• Blue Juice, 39 Cotham Hill, Cotham. Also serves wraps and salads.

Bristol cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

There are a large number of hotels and guest houses in the Bristol area. A selection is listed below.

Budget

• Youth Hostel, 14 Narrow Quay, tel 922 1659, [94]. A modern, clean and very central YHA [95] youth hostel located in the Harbourside area; now with a newly revamped cafe on the quayside. Open every day all hours (reception 7am-10pm). £17 (adult); £13 (under 18).

• Bristol Backpackers, 17 Saint Stephen's Street, located in Old City close to many night venues, tel. +44 117 925 7900, [96]. Reception hours 9AM-11:30PM. Dorm Rate £14 per person per night

• Full Moon Eco Hostel, Stokes Croft near the '5102' apartments, opposite the large roundabout behind Debenham's department store and the bus station, [97]. Dorm Bed £15 per person per night. It has been reported that intrusive music from nearby nightclubs continues until approximately 5AM.

Mid-range

• Travel Inn, The Haymarket (near the Bus Station), tel 0870 238 3307 (within UK only), [98]. £50-£57.
• City Inn, Temple Way (near Temple Meads), tel 925 1001, [99]. £65-£120. Often for little more than the price of a chain Travel Inn/Lodge, you can stay here with light, bright, calming rooms, plasma TV & DVD player and large, very comfortable beds and smart bathrooms. Also does great room service. While it may be a little off the centre, it's actually very handy for the train station, a lovely 5 min stroll to the harbourside/centre and not far from a water taxi stop if you fancy cruising into town that way. Also has limited free on-site parking for guests.

Splurge

• Marriott Royal, College Green, tel 925 5100, [100]. A magnificent 4* hotel and the most famous in the city. £75-£300.
• The Brigstow, Welsh Back, tel 929 1030, [101]. A modern, contemporary hotel in the centre of all the action, near Broadmead/Corn Street. Overlooks a very attractive stretch of the floating harbour. £89-£250.
• The Berkeley Square, 15 Berkeley Square, Clifton, tel 925 4000, [102]. If your visit takes you nearer to Clifton, this could be useful, just off Park Street (where all the best independent shops in the city are). The hotel is a lovely old 3*; staying here also gains you access to the exclusive members-only bar in the basement. £54-£127.
• Hotel du Vin, The Sugar House, Narrow Lewins Mead, tel 0117 925 5577, [103]. Walkable from the centre.

Contact

Phone

Bristol's landline area code is 117. Dial 0117 from within the UK or +44117 from outside the UK.

Internet

Bristol has easy internet access like most cities, and as a city, has the advantage of broadband being easily accessible both to install and use. Bristol also boasts an abundance of internet cafes available for all to use. The council has also recently installed the internet in most of the main libraries in Bristol. Providing you are a member of Bristol Libraries you can book internet use. A network of free wi-fi hotspots called StreetNet is being deploying in central Bristol. It is currently available around the Watershed and along Queen's Road.

Many small "i" stations can be found in and around the centre, allowing you to surf certain approved sites such as job search pages, visitor information, transport links and entertainment guides for local clubs and venues. You can also send emails with media attachments: for example you are able to film a message for someone to send alongside your regular email.

Stay safe

Like many larger cities in the UK, Bristol has its rough areas. The general advice seems to be that you have to use your common sense while getting around. Drunken brawls and assaults do 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.

To avoid this in the Centre, especially at 11pm and 2am kick-out times, you'd be advised to walk along Baldwin Street (between the coffee shop and Alliance & Leicester) to hail a cab from some of the smaller, less busy ranks.

There are also specific areas that do have a reputation after dark (and some in the day.) The inner city districts of St Pauls and Easton, are said to be rife with drugs and gangs, but these should not pose any danger unless you are directly involved in the narcotics trade. Pay attention to what's going on around you, and you shouldn't encounter difficulties, especially during the daytime. Also some outlying suburbs such as Southmead, Knowle and Hartcliffe have a reputation but it is unlikely that a visitor to the city would travel to these parts.

Stay Healthy

• Bristol Royal Infirmary [104] has an Emergency Department.
• Southmead Hospital [105] Emergency Department now CLOSED, Minor Injury Unit available, only open limited hours.
• Frenchay Hospital [106] has an Emergency Department, but it is planned that Frenchay will close and all services will be transferred to Southmead.
• Bristol Eye Hospital [107] is a specialist hospital for eye conditions and has an accident and emergency department [108] for eye conditions ONLY. Accident and Emergency department opening hours 0800-2000hrs.
• Bristol Dental Hospital [109] provides the full range of Dental Specialties including Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine, Restorative, Orthodontics and Paediatric Dentistry. Emergency service [110] for dental conditions ONLY (opening hours 0800-1000hrs). Alternatively contact NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.
• Bristol City Walk-In Centre [111] Bristol Royal Infirmary, Queens Building, Marlborough Street provides treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, assessment by an experienced NHS nurse, advice on how to stay healthy, and information on out-of-hours GP and dental services, local pharmacy services and other local health services. There is also a NHS Walk In Centre at Knowle West Health Park, In the southern part of the city, For Opening times contact NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.
• The Bristol Sexual Health Centre [112] is Bristol's main sexual health clinic and provides free advice, testing and treatment for Sexually Transmitted Infections amongst other services. The BSHC provides a drop-in service. The Milne Centre closed in July 2008.
• NHS Direct [113] operate a 24 hour helpline staffed by medical professionals, available by phone on 0845 46 47. For all serious and possibly-serious complaints, they will probably refer the caller to a local General Practitioner or Accident and Emergency department.

Get out

Towns and cities

• Bath, with its famous Regency terraces, Roman remains and spa facilities, is only some 12 miles drive or 15 minutes train journey away, and makes an excellent day trip from Bristol.

• Wells, with its beautiful cathedral, is a hour's coach ride from Bristol.

• Weston-super-Mare, probably the nearest sea-side resort with a sand beach and plenty of entertainment suitable for young families. An adult day return from Bristol Temple Meads is £5.50 in January 2009.

Online details of public transport options can be found at Transport Direct.

Outdoor activities

• The Cotswolds and the Mendips, two popular rural tourist destinations are both an hour from Bristol. Exmoor National Park, Dorset, Devon, the Forest of Dean and the Brecon Beacons are within reach for day trips.

The Bristol to Bath Railway path

This showcase cycle path runs on a disused railway line from central Bristol to Bath. With its traffic free tarmac, gentle gradients, and only two minor road crossings on its 22km stretch, it is ideal for cycling. At a leisurely pace the journey to Bath takes a good 2h through green suburbs and some attractive countryside. If you are too tired to cycle back, you can take your bicycle free of charge on one of the frequent trains from Bath Spa to Bristol temple meads station. The journey takes 10-15 min.

From Bath, you can continue cycling along the towpath of the Kennet and Avon Canal all the way to Bradford upon Avon, taking another hour or so. Though not paved and somewhat narrower than the Bristol to Bath cycle path, the towpath is still traffic free and the scenery even more beautiful. There are two or three places to stop and eat or drink on the way. The Aqueduct at Avoncliff is worth seeing. From Bradford too there are direct trains back to Bristol that carry bicycles. You can view a PDF map at Bristol and Bath Railway Path.

This page was last edited by Marc Heiden. Based on work by Matt Kane and Laurence, Wikitravel user(s) Lpring9, Jezhotwells, Huttite and Gdawkins, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license