Like most people, the only city I had visited in England was London. And I absolutely love London – BUT there is so much more to England. When a friend from Australia came to Europe to visit someone in Bristol and asked me to meet up, I grabbed the chance and planned a four day Bristol trip without knowing anything about the place. As my life was pretty busy before the vacation, I didn’t have time to look up sights or make an itinerary – I basically went in blind and hoped for th best. I had no clue, but oh boy was I in for a travel treat!

Mode of travel

I was traveling on a tight budget in March 2023 so I researched the cheapest flights from Düsseldorf (Germany) to Bristol, only to find out the cheapest ones weren’t even that cheap and they were 6-8 hour flights with layovers in Mallorca (wtf?!) or Vienna – which are both a stupid long detour and not efficient at all. So what other airport in England could I get to cheaper? Correct, London! I booked cheap Eurowings flights to London Heathrow and simply took a coach bus from there to Bristol. The bus ride cost me around £17 (one way) and took about 3.5 hours. There are even cheaper bus options depending on the date and time you want to go – just have a look at National Express or Megabus fares. My bus rides there and back were smooth, I had a comfy seat, wi-fi and no complications.

Accommodation

I did compare Airbnb and hotel prices before booking. Unfortunately – as I was on a budget – I couldn’t afford a snazzy hotel or fancy flat in the centre. However I found an affordable 3 star hotel a bit outside of the centre but still in walking distance (or a 5 minute bus ride away). The Washington Guesthouse is a Clifton Hotel tucked away in a quiet residential street in the buzzing university area of Bristol. I don’t have the receipt anymore but I paid about £360 for four nights. It was a bit outdated but clean with friendly staff and a nice little breakfast offer. The bus stop to go the city centre is right around the corner.

Street Art

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Bristol is street art. The city has made itself a name in the scene since its first tags and murals appeared in the 1980s. And of course it’s extra famous now for the anonymous artist Banksy, who is from there. If you’re interested in reading up on the history of street art in Bristol, Upmag has a great article about it. Anyway, you can spend days looking at amazing street art in this city! I walked around aimlessly a lot and found heaps of artworks by chance but of course you can do your research beforehand and plan your own route – or you can take a guided tour. No matter how you do it, you should definitely check out Bristol’s street art when you’re visiting because it’s such an important part of the city’s culture and identity.

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

This felt like a little sibling of the Natural History Museum in London but with an added art gallery. You can explore collections of art, history and nature there. The free entry (with voluntary donation) makes this a great activity for traveling on a budget. You can spend hours marveling at the different exhibits without spending a penny. But if you are willing to spend some money, I recommend a drink and/or snack at the museum’s café. Sipping on a coffee while enjoying the beautiful Edwardian Baroque architecture – ah, what a lovely thing to do. The Rear Hall with the café is also where you can meet Doris, the Pliosaurus hanging from the ceiling.

Clifton Suspension Bridge

Clifton Suspension Bridge was built in 1864 and is probably Bristol’s most famous landmark. On the bridge’s official website it says: “Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it marks a turning point in the history of engineering and has come to symbolise a city of original thinkers and independent spirit. The Bridge is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year. There is a £1 toll for motor vehicles and is free of charge to pedestrians and cyclists – no booking required.” and this sums it up perfectly. Walking across and enjoying the beautiful view over Avon Gorge is another budget-friendly activity for your Bristol trip. On the other side there is National Park site Leigh Woods, a wooded area that’s perfect for walks, hikes and other outdoorsy activities.

Bristol Harbourside

We continue the budget-friendly things to do in Bristol with a walk around the harbour and the harbourside area. You can look at the boats, there is street art waiting to be discovered and you have nice cafés and restaurants. From the marina you’ll have the best views of the colourful houses on the hill. A museum, or rather museum ship, you’ll find there is the SS Great Britain. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to go in but it’s said to be Bristol’s number one attraction. When the ship was first launched in 1843 the SS Great Britain was the largest passenger ship in the world. The museum teaches visitors about the ship’s history and its pioneer engineering work. I’ll have to save this one for the next visit, I’m sure it’s super interesting.

Tyntesfield

Tyntesfield is a beautiful Victorian Gothic Revival estate in the outskirts of Bristol. You pay £17 (regular adult, childen, members and special offers differ) but for this price you can visit the mansion including its chapel, the surrounding parks, the greenhouses as well as a farm café, a gift shop and a 2nd hand bookstore on the premises. The mansion’s history is fascinating, especially when you find out that the former owner got rich trading guano (bat poo) in the 1800s – you can find out more about it on the official website. The house is stunning and the volunteers who work there have so many cool facts and stories to share. You can easily spend a whole day there, especially in good weather.

Food in Bristol

Great food might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Bristol (or England in general), but let me tell you I had some great meals while I was there!

Bare Grills is not only a play on words with the name of Great Britain’s most famous adventurer Bear Grylls, but also a smokehouse/BBQ grill in Bristol (and three other English cities). It’s located in the buzzing university area and serves up anything grilled meat or cheese. I had an amazing hotdog as well as the best haloumi fries ever. Yes, they call them fries even though they’re located in England.

Salt and Malt is the place to go for award-winning (and glutenfree) fish and chips! Perfectly crisp-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside chips (fries) and delicious fried fish. I also discovered Frickles (fried pickles) on the menu and had to try them. They didn’t disappoint! I’ve really been wanting to try and make them at home ever since. Wash it all down with a local beer if you like: I had the Bristol Beer Factory Optimist Pale Ale, a very refreshing and citrussy-hoppy beer.

For smooth specialty coffee and yum little treats head to Odd Kin Coffee Roasters. Their “Odd Shop” on Whiteladies Road is a cosy little café with bright wooden interior and the loveliest baristas in town.

Other things to see and do

I definitely recommend simply wandering the streets in the city centre aimlessly for a bit because you will find lots of architectural gems like the former Everard’s Printing Works, a beautiful Art Noveau building that houses a hotel nowadays, or St. John’s Gate, a fortified gateway that dates back to the 14th century (see middle picture above).

Another lovely place I really enjoyed visiting was St. Nicholas Market, which was established in 1743 – it’s Bristol’s oldest market. This lovely indoor market with permanent stalls is perfect to browse for unusual souvenirs, artisan clothing, handmade jewelry, artsy decorations and homewear etc. You can also find street food stalls there as well as a little market café. On top of this there is a weekly Farmer’s and Producer’s Market in the streets around St. Nick’s every Wednesday.

Besides Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, there are many more cool museums to discover, for example Bristol Aquarium, the previously mentioned SS Great Britain Mueum Ship or Aerospace Bristol.

More of the city’s classic sights are Bristol Cathedral, Cabot Tower and Ashton Court as well as Blaise Castle, Blaise Hamlet and Temple Church. These are all places that are stull on my Bristol bucket list for next time becasue I clearly didn’t have enough time when I was there – four days are not enough, I’d recommend one week at least.

You can also hop on a train at Bristol Temple Meads Station and go on a day trip to Bath, a beautiful city with history dating back to the Roman Empire. It’s the UK’s only city that’s a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site – and it’s only a 15 minute train ride from Bristol.

So as you can see Bristol has a lot to offer and I definitely have to go back for a second round to tick off everything I couldn’t do during my first visit. As I have a friend in nearby Newcastle I’m thinking about combining the two places next time because I found out that they’te connected by a trainline, which makes it super easy to go back and forth. We will see… I’m already looking forward to it because Bristol is a total vibe.