A long weekend in Bristol

It’s the perfect city to while away a weekend. From exploring independent shops to delicious food and an incredible music scene, get Bristol on your travel list. 

We traveled to Bristol recently to celebrate Iain’s birthday and I’m so glad we finally got there. Here’s a few highlights from our time that might help if you’re wondering what to do and see. Overall though, one of the key things I’d say is not to plan too much. One of the joys in travel is from the unexpected from exploring somewhere new.

Stop for brunch along Stokes Croft 

I can’t recommend Ceres enough for an absolutely delicious brunch. A friend in work gave me the tip and the quality of the food is outstanding and the staff are so lovely too. Our Airbnb happened to be a short walk away from this bustling street and I’d love to go back and explore some more.

Walk without a plan

The city centre 

Dot to Dot festival brought us on a fantastic exploration of the city. The main reason for our trip was to watch the infectiously happy and brilliant band Crystal Fighters. We saw them play a festival in Zurich over four years ago and they were as full of energy and fun at Dot to Dot as ever. The festival is spread across venues of different sizes and vibes. You’ll see solo singers in very small pubs and record shops, to bigger names at 02 Bristol Academy. It was the perfect way to experience such a vibrant music scene and find out about new bands too. It also gave us the chance to walk and see beautiful architecture and to chat, drink and talk about the bands we’d seen.

Clifton

Our second Airbnb was in the leafy suburb of Clifton. Bristol is a city of real contrasts and it’s one of the things I liked most about it. We went from the graffiti-adorned roads and student bars of Stokes Croft, to beautiful architecture and expansive views of The Clifton Suspension Bridge. It’s well worth a walk to and there’s a interesting visitor centre and fantastic pub with views.

Other highlights were stumbling across live jazz, beers at the lovely Brewhouse & Kitchen microbrewery and then a delicious steak on a stone at The Cowshed. That’s just a flavour of our weekend and as you can see, it was a fantastic trip. I’m excited to see what you’ll find!

Em, x