48 hours in Bristol - the classic weekend
A 48-hour Bristol itinerary: harbour, Clifton, ss Great Britain, Cathedral and St Mary Redcliffe, with food stops, wet-weather plan and public transport notes.
Two days is enough for Bristol to make sense. Not enough to see everything - no one ever does - but enough to get the geography right, eat properly, and leave with a shortlist of things to come back for. This is the weekend we recommend most often to friends visiting from London or overseas.
Saturday
Morning (09:00 - 12:30). Start at Broad Quay. Coffee at the Watershed terrace; walk across Pero’s Bridge to Wapping Wharf for the ss Great Britain. Allow three hours for the ship and the dry dock - it is the single thing in Bristol most worth your money.
Lunch (12:30 - 14:00). Back across the water at Wapping Wharf. The shipping-container food stalls are informal and very good; pick whichever has the shortest queue.
Afternoon (14:00 - 17:00). Bus up to Clifton Village. Walk to the Clifton Suspension Bridge for the view. Walk back via The Mall; coffee or cake at Boyce’s Avenue.
Evening (19:00 onwards). Dinner on King Street. The Llandoger Trow is the tourist choice; Small Bar, two doors down, is the locals’ one. Walk the harbourside lit up at night on the way back to your hotel.
Sunday
Morning (09:30 - 12:30). Breakfast at the Pieminister flagship on Stokes Croft (15 mins from the centre, worth it). Walk the Banksy trail on the way back - see our Banksy trail guide.
Lunch (12:30 - 14:00). St Nicholas Market in the Old City. Dozens of food stalls; the Portuguese café and the Indian vegetarian are the two strongest.
Afternoon (14:00 - 17:00). St Mary Redcliffe and M Shed. If you have an hour left, walk the full Harbourside loop.
Evening. Train from Temple Meads.
Wet weather swap
If it rains on Saturday, swap the afternoon Clifton walk for We The Curious and the City Museum. Both are indoor, both are excellent, both are within walking distance of Broad Quay.
What not to miss
If you have time for only one thing: the ss Great Britain. If you have time for only one free thing: St Mary Redcliffe. If you have time for only one view: the Suspension Bridge at dusk.
Imogen Pearce
Editor
Imogen Pearce is a Bristol-based travel writer who has lived in the city for over fifteen years. She edits Bristol Insight and contributes to regional lifestyle and travel publications.
She writes most often on neighbourhoods, walks, food and the slow architecture of the city. Her day involves more long coffees on Boyce's Avenue than is strictly professional.