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Top 5 Reasons Why Bristol Should Be Your Next Travel Destination

Author: Cynthia Madison
by Cynthia Madison
Posted: Nov 28, 2019

Now that travelling has become so affordable, more and more of us are seized by wanderlust and ready to hop on a plane and see the world at large. We’re beginning to think of ourselves as global citizens and we want to meet people from different places and see what makes us different and what makes us the same.

When most of us plan to take a trip to the UK, London immediately pops into our minds, but that’s what makes us miss out on so many opportunities to really get to know what British culture is all about and form more diverse travel memories.

This year, we had the pleasure to visit Bristol and we want to share with you the reasons why we fell in love with this amazing city.

We Got to See Some Stunning, Eclectic Architecture

We might have gotten a glimpse of the streets of Bristol by watching Benedict Cumberbatch play Sherlock Holmes, but once we saw the Wills Memorial Building, The Victoria Rooms and St. Mary Radcliffe Church we realized that we knew nothing!

Considering Bristol has such a rich history, there’s little wonder that we found so many different architectural styles mixed into this sort of mesmerizing urban vibe. Maybe that’s why bands like Massive Attach and Portishead found inspiration here. You’ll see everything from medieval, Georgian and Victorian architecture to 20th century Brutalism and Sheppard Robson’s Life Sciences Building.

If you’re strapped for time, do yourself a favor and at least make a stop at the Clifton Suspension Bridge. First of all, it’s Bristol’s defining symbol. Second of all, you won’t want to miss the chance to take a walk through the snazzy Clifton Village. There, you’ll find Instagram worthy avenues packed with charming independent boutiques where you can buy clothes, exquisite jewelry and antiques, either for yourself or for the jealous friends and relatives you left back home.

You’ll get the best view if you go to the restaurants from the Avon George Hotel or the Lido.

Bristolians Are Really Passionate About Food

We didn’t have a single disappointing meal during our entire stay and we’re very picky eaters! If you go along the harbor-front, to the suburb of Clifton or to St. Nicholas market you’ll find so many romantic restaurants, ethnic eateries and, our favorite, street food stalls. There’s really something for everyone!

By going an all these food adventures, you really get the sense that you’re delving into Bristol’s psyche. We recommend you go to the Hatchet Inn. It’s one of the oldest pubs in UK, dating from 1606. It’s supposed to either be haunted or some other scary stories but it’s also a popular venue for many alternative bands and they have delicious beers and a wide selection of signature snacks.

If you’re really into food, you might prefer to visit Bristol in June. That’s when they have the Bristol Food Connections Festival, one of the biggest gastronomic festivals in the United Kingdom.

For ten wonderful days, you’ll get to go on food tours throughout the city, enjoy veritable feasts and participate in all kids of culinary workshops.

The People Are Lovely

They’re not just lovely, they’re officially the loveliest. Bristolians have been declared the kindest people in the UK. That has to count for something, no? They don’t just open doors or give up their seats on the bus, they’re also the most likely to give money to charity or help out strangers. We experienced that ourselves, every tourist is a stranger and arriving in a place where the locals don’t seem fed up with outsiders really helps with travel anxiety.

Our advice is to ditch the hotel and rent rooms in a guest house. Then you’ll really experience the level of friendliness and altruism Bristolians are known for. They make you feel like family and you get to meet other people who will take you out on cider tours.

Now that we mentioned the cider…

Bristol Is THE Place to Drink Cider

We don’t know if the cider and the niceness are somehow linked, but this yummy beverage is really dear to the hearts of locals.

After being talked into a cider tour, the journey commenced with Bristol Cider Shop. Over one hundred types of craft cider and they host cider tasting sessions. It’s a good thing the servers was so considerate and gave us some bread and cheese to line our stomachs or it wouldn’t have ended well. Next time we’ll try to drink more responsibly…

Anyway, afterwards we could still walk properly so we decided we want to drink on a boat! Isn’t that a great idea? That’s exactly the kind of experience one can have on The Apple, a floating bar with another thirty varieties of cider.

By that point we thought it would be wise to eat something but we didn’t want to give up on the tour, so we went to The Stable where you can find 60 varieties of cider and sourdough pizza topped with locally sourced ingredients.

The Street Art

The streets of Bristol are anything but dull. This urban masterpiece is home to infamous Banksy murals such as "The girl with the pierced eardrum" (Hanover Place), "The girl with the stick" (Bridge Farm Primary School) and "Well hung lover" (7 Park Street).

You’ll also see works from Andy Council – he does detailed dinosaurs, birds and some other animals made up out of cityscapes, Angus – cartoon stencils with satirical messages and Aspire – birds in neon colors with a splash of pixelation.

These street artists and many more are not just accepted, they actually get official work with pubs and other commercial venues.

What do you think?

Hopefully this article inspired you to at least look up Bristol on your favorite search engine and see for yourself. There’s no doubt in our minds that you’ll be pleasantly surprised and just as eager as us to grab your backpack and your spirit of adventure and go spend a few days in this vibrant, free-thinking city.

About the Author

Cynthia Madison is a young blogger and economics and marketing graduate. She writes about home, lifestyle and family topics and is a senior contributor to popular niche publications.

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Author: Cynthia Madison
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Cynthia Madison

Member since: Jun 30, 2017
Published articles: 95

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