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Bristol Tourism - Travel to Bristol

        

Bristol is the unofficial capital of The West Country of England.

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Understand Bristol Tourism

With a population of around 350,000, Bristol is the second largest city in the South of England after London and the largest shipping port in England. 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 and attractive city thanks to an influx of commercial investment.

The port of Bristol grew up in medieaval 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 Avonmounth. It was from this tidal harbour that John Cabot set off in 1497 in his ship Mathew and became the first European to discover America.

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 way this was done, the floating harbour winds its way through the city center 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.

Get into Bristol

Travel to Bristol By Plane

Bristol International Airport is situated 8 miles south-west of Bristol city centre and boasts scheduled flights from major European cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Paris and Prague (but not London). There is currently no train link between the airport and the city, but there is a 'Flyer' bus service which takes 30 minutes and has a peak-daytime frequency of every 20-30 minutes.

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

Travel to Bristol By Train

Bristol Temple Meads station is located approximately 20 minutes walk from the city centre and has regular inter-city and regional train services from Bath, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Plymouth, Southampton, Swansea and York.

Bristol has a second main railway station in Bristol Parkway, which is located several miles north of the city center. 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 should travel from London Paddington station. There are several through trains an hour, the fastest of which take under an hour for the journey. Train times (from any location) can be found on the National Rail Planner or by calling 0845-748-4950 from anywhere in the UK.

Travel to Bristol By Bus

National Express operate services to Marlborough St Coach station, located on the edge of the city centre, from cities throughout the UK including London.

MegaBus also operate budget coach services from London to a stop outside the Hippodrome theatre. Tickets must be booked online and fares are demand responsive but can be very cheap (£1.50 if you book far enough in advance).

Travel to Bristol 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.

Get around in Bristol

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 station (Bristol Temple Meads) is a little further (about 20 mins walk) but still accessible by harbourside walkways or by bus. Clifton on the other hand is about two, very hilly, miles away from the centre and using a bus is advisable.

Most bus services in Bristol are operated by First Bristol. 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 one pound.

Because of the way the city center 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.

Bristol City Council offers a useful walking and public transport journey planner at http://www.travelbristol.org/.

Bristol roads can be quite congested, although the congestion is not of the same order as is found in, say, London. Driving is not particularly to be recommended for local journeys, but is probably the best way of seeing the surrounding region.

See Bristol

Temple Meads Area

This is the area surrounding Bristol's main rail station. Whilst certainly not the most attractive part of Bristol, there are a couple of attractions worth seeing before moving on:

Harbourside

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

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 medieaval Bristol most of which is of some historical interest. Here are some of the highlights:

Clifton

The old and up-market suburb of Clifton contains several more places of interest:

Do Bristol

Cinema

Theatre

Learn

Work

Buy

Eat - Travel to Bristol

Bristol has a huge choice of bars and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. They are mainly centred around the Harbourside and The West End's Park Street and Whiteladies Road.

Budget

Mid Range

Splurge

Drink

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. The nightlife centres on Corn Street in the 'old city', the Harbourside and Whiteladies Road, which is a particularly popular student haunt.

Sleep - Bristol Tourism

There are a large number of hotels and guest houses in the Bristol area. A selection is listed below. For any mid-priced or up-market hotels, your best bet is to use one of the online booking services, such as Expedia.

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Contact

Phone

Bristols's area code (for landline numbers) is 0117 when dialed from within the UK or +44117 from outside the UK.

Internet

Stay safe - Bristol Tourism

Cope

Get out

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