Bristol is a thriving seaport, a center of culture and art, and an interesting tourist route. The city is famous for its music scene and the largest balloon festival, which attracts more than half a million tourists from all over the world. Let's talk about it in detail: how to get there, what to see, the best cafes, bars and nightclubs.
Bristol in facts
- Language: English
- Country: UK
- Currency: pound sterling
- Area: 112 sq. Km
- Population: 567,111 people
- Time: UTC 0, in summer +1
- Airport: located near the city and receives more than a hundred regular flights
- Transport: developed railway infrastructure will deliver to all major cities of Britain - London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Birmingham and others
- Shopping centers: Cabot Circus, Broadmead, Mall Cribbs Causeway.
Geography and history
Bristol is a ceremonial county, not divided into districts, and a unitary unit with the status of "city". It is also a major port city in the southwest of England, near Avon. Bristol has a long history - back in the days of the Roman Empire, a military camp stood on the site of the city. Later this area was inhabited by the Angles and named it Brycgstow , which translates into Russian as " Place at the Bridge ". The city owes its prosperity to its favorable location and trade - most of the trade between England and Ireland during the early Middle Ages passed through it. It was soon the third largest and most prosperous on the islands, behind London and York. The status of the most important city and port for England remained with Bristol until the 19th century: two centuries ago, the port began to yield its positions to Glasgow and Liverpool.
Culture
Bristol is a city of cultural significance for the entire kingdom. Here are located theaters, museums and galleries famous throughout the country, for example, the Bristol Industrial Museum . Here the world-famous direction of electronic music - trip-hop (the brightest representatives of Tricky, Portishead, Massive Attack and Kosheen) was born, and Bristol itself is called the most musical city in England. The city is no less famous for its underground artists, the most famous among them is Banksy. Every year in Bristol, Europe's largest balloon festival is held , which attracts more than 500 thousand spectators.
Top attractions in Bristol
- Bristol Cathedral is the church of the Abbey of St. Augustine, which was built from the XII-XV centuries. The Gothic church is the center of the Anglican Diocese of Bristol
- St Mary's Redcliffe Church - the parish church named by Elizabeth I as the best in the kingdom
- Theater Royal - built in 1766 and is an architectural masterpiece
- The University of Bristol is an old educational institution founded in 1909
- Suspension Bridge at Clifton - the pinnacle of 19th century engineering
- Newroom - the world's first Methodist church
- Great Britain - a ship built in 1843 and a local landmark
- Llandoger Trow - building, built in 1664, renovated in 1991
- Christmas Steps is a charming narrow street in the old town, formed in the 17th century. Today, this side street sells antiques and souvenirs.
How to get to Bristol
Russian tourists get to Bristol through the major cities of England. For example, trains leave from London station twice an hour to the station located a 20-minute walk from the city center. There are two train stations in Bristol - Parkpey and Temple Meads . There is also a bus station in the city: buses from different cities in Britain arrive here every hour.
For the convenience of tourists, there is a tourist office in the city, where it is easy to find accommodation, make a reservation at a hotel or a guesthouse. Most of the hotels are located in the Green Zone, in the Clifton and Cotham areas . Here tourists will be delighted with the architecture preserved from the Georgian era.
List of hotels in Bristol
- Hotel Arches - a hotel in the "green zone" with good rooms and vegetarian breakfasts
- Pension Downs View - the guesthouse offers a panoramic view of the city, the rooms are no frills, but quite acceptable
- Located in Clifton, Naseby House is a Victorian building
- Oakfield Guest House - a mile from the city center, rooms with washbasins, bathrooms are shared
- Saint Michael's Guest House - Guesthouse in Cotham near the University
- Sunderland Guest House - budget guesthouse in the city center
- Victoria Square is a Georgian hotel with great rooms, panoramic views and delicious breakfasts.
Bristol hostels
- Campsite Baltic Wharf - a campsite in an excellent location by the river, but with a large number of tourists
- Bristol Backpackers - hostel in the city center in an old building; cost for 1 seat = 14 £ / day
- Bristol YHA - hostel on the waterfront, cost for 1 place = 14 £ / day
- Dormitories of the University of Bristol in the summer - from late July to late September, you can rent a room in a student hostel; cost for 1 seat - from £ 8.5 / day.
Pubs, restaurants and cafes
Bristol has a vibrant and dynamic life: the city is full of restaurants, pubs and music festivals. Every week, the clubs host parties that last until the morning - sometimes you need to stand in line to get into the club.
Popular restaurants:
- Bell's Diner - Moderately priced restaurant in Montpelier
- Browns is a spacious establishment with great cocktails and fish tarts
- Byzantium - an elite restaurant near the Church of St. Mary of Radcliffe, the style of the institution is in the spirit of Beirut hotels in the 1930s
- Mud Dock - a bar-restaurant with great food and reasonable prices
- Old India - Indian restaurant with chic ambiance
- One Stop Thali - an Asian restaurant in the heart of Montpellier
- Riverstatson - a restaurant built in the building of the river police station
- Severnshed - located in a small cove, offers a wide range of fish dishes
- Teohs is an oriental bistro with a pleasant environment and low prices.
10 best pubs and cafes in Bristol:
- Arnolfini - a cafe with excellent vegetarian and meat dishes
- Avon Gorge - a cafe with nice prices and a terrace with wonderful views
- Boston Tea Party - an establishment in the city center with a wide range of tea and coffee
- The Farm - a country pub famous for performing DJs
- Ha-Ha and Canteen - a bar that is open until late at night, with cozy sofas and soft music
- Level - a bar with an airport atmosphere of the 60s of the XX century
- Nova Scotia - a traditional port bar: tables are placed under the airlock
- Old Duke - a jazz pub built in the 19th century
- Star and Garter - a reggae pub with a distinctive atmosphere: noise, crowds and cigarette smoke
- Tantric Jazz is a cafe with Mediterranean cuisine.
Nightclubs in Bristol:
- The Academy is a popular venue where rock musicians regularly perform, you can hear hard house and even jazz
- Bierkeller - a club with live music of different styles: from thrash metal to mainstream
- Blue Mountain is a cozy place where house, funk and hip-hop are played most often.
- Colston Hall - famous British bands often perform on stage
- Creation - the best house DJs play here
- Fiddlers is an ethnic institution that plays folk music
- Lakota is one of the most popular school discotheque style parties
- Saint George’s - concerts of classical music, jazz and world ethnic music are held in the church premises in the daytime and in the evening.
