Bristol is one of the most exciting city breaks in the United Kingdom. The home of renowned street artist Banksy is an alternative powerhouse, and whether you love contemporary art or fusion cuisine, Bristol is always pushing boundaries and setting trends.
Infamous for tearing down the statue of slave trader Edward Colston and throwing it into the harbor, Bristol is a city that never seems to sit still. Uncover an ancient and modern history in excellent museums like M-Shed, eat your way through Algerian falafel and Portuguese egg tarts in St. Nicholas Markets, and take in stunning views of the Clifton Suspension Bridge with a Bristol Beer Factory IPA in hand.
The largest city in the South West, this is one destination I always wished I’d lived in for longer. A year wasn’t enough, but I’m always back, visiting on day trips and weekends, and checking out the latest bars and restaurants between King Street and Wapping Wharf.
Bristol is always at its best in summer when the pubs spill out into the medieval streets. The Love Saves the Day music festival takes over Castle Park in May, Bristol Balloon Fiesta takes to the skies in August, and Christmas markets brighten up the city center in winter.
If you’re planning a trip to South West England, then keep reading as I go over my ultimate 3-day Bristol itinerary!
If you’re still deciding where to stay then make sure to check out our article on the best boutique hotels in Bristol!
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How to Spend a Weekend in Bristol, England
Bristol Itinerary – Day 1
The best way to start your weekend in Bristol is with a walking tour. You’ve got plenty to choose from here, and you can learn about everything from the Transatlantic Slave Trade to Banksy’s best artworks.
Take a Walking Tour
For a fun overview of Bristol, from its Anglo-Saxon origins to the tearing down of the Colston Statue, I’d recommend joining the highly-rated Blackbeard to Banksy guided walking tour. This excellent tour covers a lot of history, but it will introduce you to the city’s most famous characters – including 18th-century pirates and 21st-century street artists – while also setting you up with a few insider tips to add to the rest of your Bristol itinerary.
If you’d love to dive deeper into Bristolian history, then I’d suggest signing up for a more niche walking tour instead. If you love Banksy’s art, there are dedicated street art tours leading you to iconic works like “The Girl with the Pierced Eardrum” and “Well Hung Lover,” which are dotted around the city.
Another fascinating, but intense, tour is the Bristol Slave Trade Walk by local guide Rob Collin. The tour looks at Bristol’s role in the Transatlantic Slave Trade, explores how the city was built off the back of this wealth, and explains why the statue of Edward Colston was torn down and thrown into the harbor.
Grab Lunch at St. Nicholas Markets
You could join a food tour, too, but if not, your lunch stop for the day will be St. Nicholas Markets, which has a tasty history dating back to 1743. St. Nick’s, as the Bristolians call it, is home to an impressive selection of street food stands representing Bristol’s multicultural cuisines.
Eat a Pitta serves enormous Algerian-inspired falafel wraps, Eatchu steams delectable gyozas, and Chilli Daddy cooks up spicy Szechuan noodles.
After refueling, walk back through town, and you can pop into Bristol Cathedral, which was founded in 1140, see the iconic Wills Memorial Building, and then visit Brandon Park to enjoy a sweeping panorama from the top of Cabot Tower.
Stroll Through Castle Park
Finally, work off those lunchtime calories with a walk through Castle Park, where you can see the ruins of St. Peter’s Church, which still lies in ruins as a memorial to the Bristol Blitz in World War II.
Sip Craft Beer and See Live Music
Bristol has an incredible dining scene, but as you’re in Castle Park, I’d recommend walking over Castle Bridge to Left Handed Giant, a local microbrewery that serves amazingly fresh pizzas. For evening entertainment, check out the lineups at the Bristol Old Vic, Bristol Beacon, or The Hippodrome, the city’s premier events venues.
Bristol Itinerary – Day 2
Explore Ashton Court Estate
The second of your 3 days in Bristol can begin with an early morning walk through Ashton Court Estate, where 850 acres of woodland and deer parks are found on the western side of the River Avon. If you’re not up for a morning walk, though, you could set off instead on a hot air balloon ride!
Take a Hot Air Balloon Ride
Bristol is the world’s hot-air balloon capital, and the city was a ballooning pioneer back in the Victorian era. Bristol is still home to one of the world’s largest hot air balloon manufacturers, and Ashton Court hosts the annual Bristol Balloon Fiesta every August.
As long as the weather is cooperating, you can book a sunrise balloon flight, and you’ll lift off from Ashton Court before floating dreamily above the Clifton Suspension Bridge and over Bristol.
Hike to the Clifton Suspension Bridge
You can grab breakfast or brunch in the Courtyard Cafe by Ashton Court’s country house before hiking over to see Clifton Suspension Bridge up close. This iconic Bristol landmark was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and you’ll have supreme views of the Avon Gorge as you cross it on foot.
You’re now in Clifton, Bristol’s historically upmarket area, and I’d recommend enjoying a well-earned pint of beer at the White Lion, a popular pub with blistering views of the Avon Gorge and the Bristol Suspension Bridge from its terrace. Have a bite of pub grub for lunch, too, then walk to the Clifton Observatory, which also overlooks the bridge.
Enjoy the Views from Clifton Observatory
Dating back to 1766, Clifton Observatory offers an equally impressive panorama of the gorge and bridge, particularly from the Giant’s Cave, a viewing area hewn into the side of the cliffs.
Check out the rare and vintage Camera Obscura in the observatory’s museum, then spend the rest of the afternoon lazily strolling through Clifton’s Georgian crescents and arcades or across the open grassland of the Clifton Downs.
Stay in Clifton for dinner, where you can take your pick of a fine dining meal at The Ivy, Thai food at Giggling Squid, or the best curries in Bristol at Urban Tandoor.
Bristol Itinerary – Day 3
Have Breakfast at Bristol Harbour
Your 3-day trip to Bristol is coming to a close, but you’ve got an action-packed final day itinerary before you head home. Make your way down to Bristol Harbour, where you can enjoy a light breakfast at the Harbourside Kitchen or a greasy bacon sandwich at Brunel’s Buttery.
See the SS Great Britain
Your first stop after this is the SS Great Britain, a former steamship that’s been transformed into a museum by the docks and a must on any Bristol itinerary. The SS Great Britain was designed by Bristolian legend Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who also built the suspension bridge you saw yesterday. Brunel’s ship was the largest steamship of its day, and it plied the waters between England and Australia after launching in 1843.
The SS Great Britain is now a Bristol landmark, but she spent many decades stranded in the Falkland Islands at the end of her service life. In 1970, a team from Bristol floated what remained of the ship over the Atlantic Ocean, back home to Bristol Harbour, where she was repaired and preserved as a living museum.
Cruise the Bristol Harbour
It’s a remarkable story, and after exploring the cabins and cargo holds of the ship, you can take to the water yourself on one of Bristol’s smaller “Packet Boats,” which offer tours of the harbor. Enjoy the cruise, then walk along Bristol Harbour – look out for the colorful houses on the opposite bank – to M-Shed, my favorite Bristol museum and one of the highlights of your 3 days in Bristol.
M-Shed is located within a series of repurposed warehouses on the old docks, and inside, you’ll find a fascinating series of exhibitions telling the tale of Bristol from its earliest origins up until the present day. Take a Behind the Scenes Tour of M-Shed, and you can even see the graffiti-covered remains of the Edward Colston statue, which is now kept in the warehouse after it was dredged up from the harbor.
Dine at Wapping Wharf
Spend the rest of the afternoon eating your way around the container restaurants of Wapping Wharf, where you’ll find tacos, fish and chips, and pad thai. Alternatively, head to The Ostrich, a historic pub with an outdoor BBQ and hearty Sunday roasts.
Getting to and from Bristol
Overlooking the banks of the River Avon in South West England, Bristol is well-connected by bus and train to the rest of the UK. The Great Western Railway operates regular services from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads, with a journey time of around two hours, while National Express and Megabus have regular bus services to London Victoria, with a journey time of around three hours, depending on traffic.
From Bristol, you can easily connect by bus or train to destinations in the South West, such as Devon or Cornwall, Welsh cities like Newport and Cardiff, and Midland cities like Birmingham.
If you’re flying in for a weekend trip to Bristol, then Bristol Airport has connections to major European cities, including Amsterdam, Paris, and Madrid, where you can connect to long-haul flights. Local buses and the fast Airport Flyer connect you to the city, and once you’re in the city, most sights are within walking distance.
