Things to Do in Bristol
Harbour city, Georgian hills, street art everywhere.
Bristol's visitor scene sits in a tight ring around the Floating Harbour. Harbourside and Wapping Wharf carry the food and culture, Clifton holds the bridge and the Georgian terraces, Stokes Croft and Bedminster carry the street art, and Broadmead and Cabot Circus handle the shopping. Temple Meads leaves you fifteen minutes from the water.
Where does it all cluster?
Almost everything worth a weekend is within a harbour walk. The water links Temple Quarter, the Old City, Spike Island and the container quarter at Wapping Wharf. Clifton sits uphill from the rest, and is worth the climb.
What is free here?
A lot. The city museums, the cathedral, Brandon Hill and the Avon Gorge viewpoints cost nothing, and the street art in Bedminster and Stokes Croft is simply on the walls. Budget for the harbour attractions, not for the city itself.
Arriving and getting about
Temple Meads is the main station, Parkway serves the northern edge, and the airport bus runs through the night. Park and ride sites ring the city for drivers. Harbour ferries are slow, cheap and the nicest way to cross town.
Things to Do in Bristol
Brislington Park and Ride
Park and ride
South-east park and ride on the A4 Bath Road corridor into the city centre.
Bath Road, Brislington, Bristol, BS4 5LT
Bristol Airport
Airport
The South West's largest airport, around eight miles south of the city. The A1 Airport Flyer bus runs 24 hours, up to every eight minutes, via Temple Meads and the bus station.
North Side Road, Felton, Bristol, BS48 3DY
Bristol Bus and Coach Station
Bus and coach hub
Central bus and National Express coach station, opened 2006, next to the Broadmead shopping quarter.
Marlborough Street, Bristol, BS1 3NU
Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel
Large city-centre hotel
Victorian hotel beside Bristol Cathedral, with substantial conference and banqueting space; about a 20-minute walk from Temple Meads.
College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TA
Bristol Parkway railway station
Rail hub
Bristol's northern mainline station, serving the Filton and Cribbs Causeway side of the city with large car parking.
Hunts Ground Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, BS34 8PU
Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Main rail hub
Bristol's principal station and a Brunel original of 1840; GWR services to London Paddington, South Wales and the South West. Under long-term redevelopment as part of the Temple Quarter regeneration.
Station Approach, Redcliffe, Bristol, BS1 6QF
Broadmead
Shopping district
Bristol's traditional high-street retail area. The adjoining Galleries centre has planning consent, granted January 2025, for demolition and a roughly 600 million pound mixed-use redevelopment, so the area is changing.
Broadmead, Bristol, BS1 3DX
Cabot Circus
Shopping centre
Bristol's principal covered shopping centre, opened in 2008, anchoring the Bristol Shopping Quarter.
Glass House, Bristol, BS1 3BX
Clayton Hotel Bristol City
Large city-centre hotel
Old City hotel with meeting rooms, a short walk from the harbourside and Corn Street.
Broad Street, Bristol, BS1 2HG
Delta Hotels by Marriott Bristol City Centre
Large hotel with conference space
Large hotel beside Castle Park and Cabot Circus, with conference and event facilities.
2 Lower Castle Street, Old Market, Bristol, BS1 3AD
DoubleTree by Hilton Bristol City Centre
Large hotel with conference space
Conference-oriented hotel close to Temple Meads and Redcliffe.
Redcliffe Way, Bristol, BS1 6NJ
Long Ashton Park and Ride
Park and ride
South-west park and ride serving the city centre, on the A370 approach from the M5 junction 19 direction.
Yanley Lane, Long Ashton, Bristol, BS41 9LU
Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel
Large city-centre hotel
Historic city-centre hotel in the Old City with meeting and event rooms, close to St Nicholas Markets.
Broad Street, Bristol, BS1 2EL
Mercure Bristol Holland House Hotel and Spa
Large hotel with conference space
One of the larger conference hotels in the city, within walking distance of Temple Meads and St Mary Redcliffe.
Redcliffe Hill, Bristol, BS1 6SQ
Portway Park and Ride
Park and ride and rail station
North-west park and ride on the A4 Portway; a rail station opened on the site in 2023 giving a direct link to Temple Meads.
Portway, Shirehampton, Bristol, BS11 9LH
Radisson Blu Hotel Bristol
Large city-centre hotel
18-storey tower with 176 rooms and harbour views, and four meeting spaces totalling around 507 square metres.
Broad Quay, Bristol, BS1 4BY
The Mall at Cribbs Causeway
Regional shopping centre
Large out-of-town covered mall north of the city serving Bristol and South Gloucestershire, close to Bristol Parkway and the M5.
Merlin Road, Patchway, Bristol, BS34 5DG
University of Bristol
University campus
Russell Group university whose precinct runs through Clifton and Park Row; the Wills Memorial Building and Victoria Rooms are city landmarks.
Beacon House, Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1QU
UWE Bristol, City Campus (Bower Ashton)
University campus
UWE's creative and cultural industries campus, delivered in partnership with Arnolfini, Spike Island and Watershed.
Kennel Lodge Road, Bower Ashton, Bristol, BS3 2JT
UWE Bristol, Frenchay Campus
University campus
UWE's main campus and its largest site; the university has over 38,000 students across three Bristol campuses.
Coldharbour Lane, Frenchay, Bristol, BS16 1QY
Visit Bristol / Visit West visitor information
Destination marketing organisation and visitor information
Bristol's official destination organisation. Visitor information is now delivered mainly online: the former walk-in centre at E Shed, 1 Canon's Road has closed, so confirm any current staffed information point before publishing one.
Leigh Court Business Centre, Pill Road, Abbots Leigh, Bristol (registered office; not a public walk-in centre), BS8 3RL
Wapping Wharf
Harbourside retail and dining quarter
Harbourside development including CARGO, a retail and restaurant quarter built from shipping containers, beside M Shed.
Gaol Ferry Steps, Bristol, BS1 6WE
Bristol, asked.
Can you visit Bristol without a car?
Easily. Temple Meads and the bus and coach station sit at the centre, the airport flyer runs around the clock, and harbour ferries link Temple Meads, the centre and Hotwells. Drivers arriving from the motorways can leave the car at Long Ashton, Portway or Brislington park and ride.
Where should I stay for the harbour and the theatres?
Broad Quay and College Green put you between the harbour, the Hippodrome and Park Street, so the Radisson Blu and the Marriott Royal suit theatre nights. For an early train, Redcliffe hotels such as Holland House are walkable to Temple Meads.
How do people promote a show in Bristol?
Audiences here still find things in print. Listings in what's on guides, leaflet racks in venue foyers, hotel lobbies and station concourses, and posters around Stokes Croft, King Street and North Street all do the work, alongside the venue's own mailing list.