Destinations    Bristol

One of the UK’s best short-break destinations, Bristol is a happening city that hits a high note with everyone from clubbers to culture vultures! The city’s treasure chest of culture and heritage glitters with the work of key historic figures like Isambard Kingdom Brunel as well as modern artists and animators while the city is justifiably proud of its buzzing music scene. Enjoy cool cafes and gorgeous Georgian terraces, waterfront arts centres and monuments to the city’s rich maritime heritage as well as green spaces and great shopping, all set against a truly classic view – the River Avon and its dramatic gorge reaching almost into the heart of the city.

Walk over Brunel’s Clifton Suspension Bridge and enjoy spectacular views down the Avon Gorge that links Bristol with the sea. The great Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel is famously associated with Bristol where he left some of the finest monuments to the age of engineering.


Visit Explore-at-Bristol, one of the UK's most exciting hands-on science centres. Discover interactive exhibits, take in a Planetarium show or simply enjoy a coffee in its surrounding ‘Open Spaces’ featuring beautiful water and light features, landscaping and sculptures, including a statue of Bristol-born Cary Grant.

Shop for that special something in fashionable Clifton Village. Brimming with independent shops, galleries, delightful boutiques and antique dealers, it’s the place to go for the individual and the unusual. Also check out Bristol’s East End for specialist stores selling food, fabrics and crafts of Asian and Caribbean influence as well as Gloucester Road for an eclectic choice of retro clothes, funky gifts and clothes shops

See Bristol's Harbourside from a nautical perspective by taking a ferry tour of the historic harbour followed by a visit to Brunel’s great iron ship, the ss Great Britain. The world's first great ocean going liner, has been lovingly restored to her former Victorian glory in an £11.3 million project and was recently the winner of the Gulbenkian Prize 2006

Bristol Blue Glass - Bristol's most famous and best-loved product, now boasts a new Visitor Centre with a 'live theatre'. This distinctive glass, first made in the 17th century, is known throughout the world. Take a tour of the workshop, watch the glass being made and view the finished product in the Gallery.

Recently awarded Zoo of the Year, Bristol Zoo Gardens has over 300 exotic and endangered species just waiting to be discovered. Highlights include; ‘Monkey Jungle’, a beautifully designed island, with a lake where natural enclosures house a variety of monkeys and ’Twilight World’, where you can see nocturnal animals awake and moving around.

Go sightseeing in style in a hot air balloon over Bristol! Flights are at sunrise and before sunset and a glass of champagne is included upon completion of the trip! In August the skies are ablaze with colour when over 100 hot air balloons ascend over Bristol for the annual International Balloon Fiesta.

The internationally acclaimed British Empire and Commonwealth Museum documents the dramatic 500-year history of the rise and fall of the British Empire and the emergence of the modern Commonwealth. The Museum is housed in the Grade 1 listed Old Bristol Railway Station designed and built by Brunel.

Take in a show at the world famous Bristol Old Vic - the oldest continuously working theatre in the UK, opened in King Street in 1766.

One of Bristol’s finest spots for wining and dining is the Severnshed, an old storage shed converted into the hippest hangout on the river. Features include a six-ton steel bar which slides up and down the building on hover pads. Then enjoy some live Jazz at The Old Duke, a music venue in the heart of the city famous for its live traditional, New Orleans inspired Jazz music.