Ok. You’ve made it. You’ve reached the best city in the United Kingdom (easily.) However, how you should you spend your time once here? Read on for our unadulterated guide on what to do with little time in Bristol.

DAY 1

Morning: Stokes Croft

Bristol. Enclave of creatives, anarchists and students alike. Surely you should spend your first morning here immersed in such culture then right? Stokes roft is the suburb to do this, but before you set off, you’ll be requiring some coffee on your venture, so I would recommend visiting Full Court Press in the centre of the city before anything. Afterwards, get yourself to Hamilton House at Stokes Croft, where you can take art classes, watch live performances, and see a preserved Banksy on the side wall. Afterwards check out ‘here’, a book shop, exhibition space and performance venue, located not too far from Hamilton House. Next, move on to the Stoke Croft Museum where there is an eclectic record of the this thriving heartland of creativity. The displays here are really awesome, and will take you about an hour to get through.

afternoon: banksy hunting

Bristol is literally covered with Banksy murals and pasties. The elusive artist grew up here, and much of his early works can be found all throughout the city. While they are spread far and wide, you can find some of his better known works at the following locations:

“Take the money and run” - St. Andrew’s Road and Bath Buildings (BS6 5EH)

“Cat and Dog” - 18 Robertson Road (BS5 6JY)

“Rose on a mousetrap” - Thomas Street North (BS2 8LX)

“Masked Gorilla” - 139 Fishponds Road (BS5 6PR)

“Well hung lover” - 7 Park Street (BS1 5HR)

“Planning permissions” - 41 Lower Lamb Street (BS1 5QR)

Night: Bars in Stokes Croft

While we’re in Stokes Croft, let’s check out some of the better bars in the area. All located within walking distance, you can easily get a drink at the Love Inn, before heading back to Hamilton House for a meal at The Canteen. the food here is fresh, very tasty, and fairly affordable. Afterwards, check out The Bell on Hillgrove street - a more ‘old-timey’ pub, but has an excellent beer selection, and a welcoming vibe.

DAY 2

Morning: Clifton Suspension bridge

First stop in your second day in Bristol will be to leave the city and head west towards the suburb of Clifton. The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a must for anyone visiting the city - any cursory google search of ‘Bristol’ will almost always involve shots of the bridge, so it makes sense for you to visit this symbolic landmark. You can reach the bridge by taking the No. 8 circular bus from Bristol Temple Meads (BTM) railway station or at the Centre Promenade opposite the Hippodrome theatre (near the statue of Neptune.) Get off at Clifton Village or at Christ Church, Clifton. This bus journey is timetabled to go roughly every 10 minutes and will take approximately 24 minutes. The views at the bridge are bloody excellent, and are well worth the price of the bus fare.

After completing your time at the bridge I’d heartily recommend taking a quick stroll down into the suburb of Clifton to visit the Clifton Village Fish Bar - easily providing the best fish and chips that I ate whilst in the U.K.

LUNCh: Eatchu

Make your way back into the city towards St. Nicholas’ covered market. In one of the side streets, located at the old mess room, exchange avenue, you’ll find the tiniest little dumpling store outside of Japan. However eatchu serve up the very best gyoza - we sampled the pork and chicken, and can attest to both. They don’t take reservations, so turn up and hope for the best. Be warned, this place is absolutely excellent and is extremely popular - but the wait will be well worth it.

afternoon: Vintage shop

As described in another post on Bristol, this town has some of the best vintage shopping in the entirety of the U.K. All of the best shops are reachable via foot. I’d strongly encourage you to check out Vintage Fox immediately after leaving eatchu, and then walking to Beyond Retro and Loot, both of which are located near Cabot Circus, a 15 minute walk from the old town.

NIGHT: Montpelier

Start your final night in Bristol off correctly with a cocktail at Filthy 13 (the sign reads Filthy XIII). located on the central Cheltenham road, Filthy 13 is an absolute locals favourite, and had only just opened when we visited. Tom the barman here is a consumate professional - he whipped us up some of the finest cocktails we’d had since arriving in the U.K. the vibe here is very, very cool, and the crowd tends to skew towards the younger end of the spectrum. However, the drinks and service here are unparalleled - definitely stop by.

Next up you’ll be needing a feed. I’d strongly encourage you to stop by The Social, located a short walk further up Cheltenham road from Filthy 13. The Social has a regularly changing menu, but provides some excellent pub grub for fairly reasonable prices. Would strongly recommend.

Montpelier has an excellent range of pubs that you can check out after dinner. I would suggest assessing the vibe at The Gallimaufry, the Pipe and Slippers or at the The Prince of Wales - all easily accessible from anywhere in Montpelier.

What have we forgotten? Could we have squeezed anything else into a two day stint in Bristol? Or do you have any questions about what to do? let us know in the comments below!