Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Bristol has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- Bristol’s a hilly city with lots of dramatic views so it’s hard to choose a favourite. Brandon Hill is lovely and it’s walking distance from the city centre but, for a breathtaking cityscape, the view from halfway across the Clifton Suspension Bridge is hard to beat. You can also drive to Glastonbury in about an hour and walk up to the Tor. Even if you dismiss the myths and legends about this famous hill, said to be at the crossroads of powerful ley lines and home to the King of the Faeries, we bet you find it a little bit magical once you get there.
- Arts and culture
- The large student population makes Bristol a great place for live music. Check the well-respected local listings magazine, Venue, for details of who’s playing where. England’s oldest working theatre, the Old Vic on King Street (open since 1766) has hosted many award-winning productions, and has a gorgeous Georgian auditorium. Just across the road, the twin harbourside galleries – Arnolfini and the Watershed – host contemporary-art exhibitions and independent film screenings. Both have excellent cafés, too.
- Something for nothing
- Every Bristolian has, at some point, glided down the smooth, polished natural-stone slide just next to the Clifton entrance to the suspension bridge. It sounds daft but it’s actually great fun as, over hundreds of years, so many people have slid down the slope that it’s become a sort of mineral form of black ice. A true Bristol experience that you won’t find in the guidebooks.
- Shopping
- Head to Clifton village for arts and crafts and antique shops. The town centre is pretty run-of-the-mill, although John Anthony on Broadmead is good for designer clobber. Your best bet for clothes and other goodies is Park Street, the steep hill that runs up from the harbourside to the town centre. Cooshti is recommended for designerwear, and Phase Eight is a collective of several well-priced Bristol designers under one roof.
- And...
- One of the best things about Bristol is its size: it is eminently walkable. To see the best bits, take an hour’s stroll from Coin Street in the centre, over the harbourside and then up Park Street and into Clifton, ending up at the suspension bridge.
Diary
July Ashton Court festival, in the lovely green hills around this stately home, features DJs and live bands, and it only costs a fiver (www.ashtoncourtfestival.com). Also in July, the Harbour Festival attracts more than 100,000 people with boat races, a funfair, a French food market, live music and fireworks (www.bristol-city.gov.uk). In August Bristol hosts a Balloon Fiesta, the biggest hot-air-balloon show in Europe (www.bristolfiesta.co.uk). In September, the Bristol International Kite Festival at Ashton Court will fulfill all your ‘kidult’ desires (www.thekitesociety.org.uk/events.htm).
