Bristol is one of the most vibrant UK cities to visit. Its festival calendar is packed, there’s a healthy spill-over of partying and music making all year round, and the streets are loaded with cutting-edge restaurants, bars, cafes, stills, microbreweries and more. All this, against a backdrop of impressive Victorian and Georgian architecture, including one particularly famous contribution by Brunel: the Clifton Suspension Bridge. But Bristol wears its industrial and maritime history proudly too, in a collection of world-class museums centred around the rejuvenated docks and harbour-side. Some of the best places to stay in Bristol now occupy old warehouses and docklands buildings; our recommendations also include a converted bank, several converted townhouses, a converted paint-making factory, converted manor houses, and even some purpose built hotels — and many are family friendly too.
Some of our Bristol Collections:
When the shipbuilding, railways and manufacturing industries moved out, the docks had a used-up atmosphere, but over the last few decades they’ve been injected with appeal. They’ve got the SS Great Britain in dry dock (Brunel's great vessel); there’s a beautifully designed Maritime Heritage Centre; the M Shed Museum, which is a social history museum of Bristol; plus a huge range of places to eat and drink. Many of the best places to stay in Bristol are within a short walk of this part of town, and it’s a great place to start your Bristol exploration.
Bristol is big. And as befits a city this size, it has a zoo, an aquarium, an observatory, and an excellent art gallery. Banksy resides here, so Bristol also has a reputation for street art. We think the best places to stay in Bristol are those that reflect a little of the city’s ‘meaty’ cultural life, so expect art collections, curated decor and design, and fantastic food.
