Bristol is a quirky city located in the South West of England and it is a great getaway, however, if you don’t have much time it’s absolutely possible to see Bristol in one day if it’s all you’ve got on your schedule!
It is an offbeat city with a strong art scene, a wide food scene with lots of independents shop and some stunning architecture.
With my 24 hours day trip itinerary you will be able to see everything to do in Bristol and add to your bucket list of the day what activities you want to do and what sight to see!
Also going to Bristol means you can look forward to seeing some amazing street art wherever you go in the city! The city
Bristol In One Day: 24 Hours Day Trip Itinerary
Table Of Contents
Of course, this itinerary can be modified as much as you will if you’d like to replace some activities. You can find more top activities to do in Bristol here to switch with or add into your day trip itinerary to Bristol if you’d like. I also recently uploaded two travel diaries where I count some of my time in the U.K including Bristol if you want to read them!
BRISTOL OLD CITY
Also known as the medieval heart of the city the old part of Bristol is where you get a glimpse into the past to see what the architecture and layout of the city once looked like.
- St Nicholas Market and Glass Arcade
St Nicholas Market is one of my favourite part of the old city of Bristol, the market offers so many various food stalls from all over the world. Every single stall smelling more delicious than the previous one. Most of them offer samples as well.
It’s the perfect spot for lunch or for a snack! If you’re looking for some delicious cake then you should checkout Ahhtoots! They even have some vegan and gluten-free option!
- Castle Park and St Peter’s Church
In between the old city and the Bristol Shopping Quarter you can find the remains of the medieval castle as well as the remains of St Peter’s Church overlooking the water of the river.
To explore further this part of the city and delve into its history back from when this part of the city was walled you can take the Old City Trail Heritage walk tour on your own with the explanations on the Bristol Old City website!
I did the tour by myself back when I was living in Bristol to fully immerse myself and learn more about this side of history. I truly loved it, it’s always so interesting to learn more about the city you live in (even if it’s just temporary) and its history!
Street Art: If you decided to go the Harbourside & city centre through Quay Street and Nelson Street you can see some beautiful pieces such as El Mac Mother and Child, The Vandal, The Wolf and more!
BRISTOL HARBOURSIDE
Bristol is a harbourside city which played an important role and trading of good due to its position on the Avon River and also, sadly a part of slavery back in the XVIIIth century like many important harbour cities.
- Millennium Square
A square located in the heart of the Harbourside where you can find two casinos and different activities including the seasonal one (ice-skating ring or big wheel). I have never been inside but you can also find casinos there!
- M’SHED
One cannot visit Bristol without stopping by the M’SHED! It’s a perfect activity for both kids and adults you will discover everything about Bristol and its history!
The museum also hosts exhibitions.
- Cargo
I told you above that Bristol’s food scene is pretty good, right? Well, Cargo is one of the city’s main hotspots for foodies!
- S.S Great Britain
This ship is a very important part of Bristol history, as I said above Bristol is a harbour city
BRISTOL CATHEDRAL
Bristol’s Cathedral or also formally called the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is located right at the bottom of Park Street an uphill street where you can find a bunch of shops and various restaurants (and Wok to Walk best noodles chain and Mrs Potts for amazing hot chocolates and cakes!)
The gothic cathedral was built during the XIIth century between the years 1220–1877 and is obviously one of the main landmarks in Bristol, in other term something not to miss!
The admission is free, however, donations are appreciated and help to keep this gorgeous Cathedral running.
Street art: at the beginning of Park Street on the right you can found the Man Hanging From a Window!
BRANDON HILL & CABOT TOWER
The park of Brandon Hill can be found midway on the left side of Park Street a bit further after the Museum of Victorian History (which is free and really nice by the way), although this is just one of the many entrances of Brandon Hill.
The park’s hill and the view from the top of the tower are the best views over the city, it’s a great spot to relax and enjoy the view. You can see the cathedral, the harbourside and even the S.S Great Britain from there! It is the perfect spot to watch the fireworks that are displayed all over the city and further on Bonfire night in November as well!
Of course, the park in itself is really beautiful and is home to a lot of grey squirrels which are adorable!
Street Art: If you come to the park from Park Street you can see several pieces of street art
Price: Free
BRISTOL MUSEUM
Pssst, want to see a bit more of Bristol check out those 20 photos!
Located next to the beautiful Wills Memorial Building, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. The museum is composed of two floors, on the ground floor you get an insight into the South West wildlife and Egyptian mummies.
On the first floor, you get to discover more about dinosaurs and wildlife in general with animals and rocks. The second floor is dedicated to art with painting and pottery.
As soon as you step inside the museum one of the first things you notice on the left side near the staircase is Banksy famous angel sculpture. Since the 28th March until the 1st of September, the Banky’s Devolved Parliament is on display at Bristol Museum.
Price: The admission is free, but, it is recommended to give £5 donation to help the museum running.
Hours: Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.
Street art: In this part of the city you can find the famous cheating man graffiti!
CLIFTON VILLAGE
- Clifton Suspension Bridge
One of Bristol’s iconic landmarks! It is definitely something you can not miss if you visit the city, even if you only have one day in Bristol. It has to be on your bucket list!
- Giant Cave
You have to be able-bodied to do this activity as you have to go down some very uneven steep stairs in order to access the cave.
Then you will go through the guts of the cliff and get a different point of view on the Avon River and the Suspension Bridge. It’s really fun to do!
Price: £ 2
- Clifton Observatory
The observatory of Bristol can be found in Clifton Down next to the suspension bridge. It was originally a mill which is now turned into the observatory standing there today.
Price: 2,50£
HOW TO GET TO TO BRISTOL
PLANE
If you’re travelling to Bristol by plane then you will be arriving at Bristol Airport which is on the outskirt of the city about 30min away with the shuttle. The last stop of the shuttle in the city centre, this is the place you will want to get off.
Otherwise, you could get off at Bristol Temple Meads but that would mean doing a bit of walk and the price doesn’t change wherever you get off, so, it’s best to get off in the city centre.
TRAIN
Bristol is also, of course, accessible by train if you are travelling within the UK then it’s a better option than to travel by plane in my opinion. Not only it is more sustainable to travel by train than by bus but you also save yourself the hassle of going through the customs and so on.
You also get to see some gorgeous scenery of the British countryside, total win!
BUS
If the cost of the train doesn’t fit your budget you can always take the bus, you can find some very cheap tickets in the like of £6 one way coming from London which is a steal knowing that a train ride can easily reach the £100. The downside of the bus is that it takes slightly longer than the train, nothing dramatic though.
It’s a good option if you’re on a budget. I almost always travelled by bus whenever I did London/Bristol.
Also if you’re staying in the city for a couple of days you might want to consider taking a day trip and I happen to have the list of the best day trips from Bristol!
This concludes my Bristol in one-day itinerary! I told you at the beginning that Bristol was home to Banksy but did you know it was also the birthplace of Wallace and
You may notice that I did not include Stokes Croft in my day trip itinerary despite the fact that it’s obviously one of the most famous areas to do some graffiti spotting (breakdancer Jesus anyone?) as I’m not quite a fan of the area. Don’t get me wrong there are some amazing street arts there and some hipsterish spot but I think there are some much more interesting spots to see in the city if you only have one day to visit. Besides, you can find some great street arts everywhere!
I hope you have a wonderful day trip to Bristol and fell in love with this city as I did! And if you’ve already been let me know what was your favourite spot or activity!
Hey, looking for some more cool day trips to take in the South West of the UK how about you check out my one day trip to Cardiff? Or what to do in Bath in one day?
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BRISTOL IN ONE DAY: TOP THINGS TO DO
Clazz - An Orcadian Abroad says
I went to Bristol a loooooong time ago and it was to visit my sister, so I wasn’t there as a “tourist”. But I really want to go back and explore properly, it seems to be a real up and coming city! Plus I definitely want to see the street art. Great post, I had no idea about, well, pretty much any of this stuff!
Tiffany says
Great post. Loved the photos. I would love to visit Bristol one day. Thanks for sharing ♥️ ♥️ By any chance, are you interested in doing collabs? xx
KG🌻 (@KatyGilroyBlog) says
I’ve alwayssss wanted to go to Bristol! Defo need to take a trip there 😍 #GLTlove
Angela Barnard says
I only drove past Bristol last year while in the UK. Reading your post makes me wish I’d stopped. Great tips for when I return later this year
Lyne says
I’m sure you’ll love Bristol x
josypheen says
I love Bristol. I always thought if I leave London to live in a different UK city, Bristol has the most pull.. plus I do love all that cider!
My parents met in Bristol, so when I was a teenager they showed me around (it was more a trip down memory lane for them) I really loved seeing the camera obscura.
KatieGoes says
I love love love Bristol! I used to pop through quite often when I lived in London. I think I loved it so much because it has an Edinburgh-esque vibe to the place.
Darren Chow says
I have never been to Bristol but now it is in my travel list =) Thanks for sharing
alex stevenson says
These look like great activities! The giant cave and clifton observatory are definitely on my to do list now
Krista says
Loved this post! I haven’t made it down to Bristol yet but I can’t wait to finally visit it!
kkuhlwilm says
Bristol looks pretty cool! There’s certainly loads to do, I had no idea! Could be a great place for a staycay this year.
elinamic says
Great itinerary! It reminded me when I visited Bristol. My favourite activities were the SS Great Britain, the view from the Cabot Tower and the Clifton Suspension Bride.
Holidays from Hels says
Its funny when you see your home town as a tourist destination! It is a pretty cool city – I love the docks and the multicoloured houses.
Nat says
Considering I live in the UK, I can’t believe I haven’t made it to Bristol yet. I’ll definitely be coming back to your guide when I manage it! The cathedral looks amazing. I’ve heard of Brandon hill, but didn’t realise it was in Bristol.
Emma says
For having grown up in the UK I’ve never been to Bristol but it looks nice and the cathedral seems lovely. And free is always good
Caroline says
This makes me so nostalgic! I lived in Bristol for a year and absolutely loved it, such great memories. You’ve definitely encompassed Bristol’s essence in this 24hr itinerary. Now, I wanna go back!
Agnes says
Great post! I’ve wanted to get back out that for a while, as I’ve really only been to London. Bristol sounds fantastic. The museum’s first on my list. I love a good Egyptian mummy!
Alanna Koritzke says
What an awesome itinerary! I hope I can visit Bristol soon. That harbor is calling me!
Holidays from Hels says
It’s always funny to see your home town as a tourist destination but Bristol really is fab. The suspension Bridge and Harbourside are my personal favourites. Clifton is also really pretty. It is definitely worth a visit.
Ophelie says
So nice to read your article Céline! I have been to Bristol a few times but mostly for work and didn’t had the time to visit. Next time I can go there I hope to enjoy more of those touristy places!
Bisola says
My brother lives in Bristol but I’ve only visited once to drop him off! I need to go back now lol Bristol is so beautiful!
skigrl985 says
The cathedral looks beautiful! And we love caves, so we’ll have to carefully make our way to that!