Bristol on a budget - free and near-free things to do
Bristol on a budget: a full day for well under twenty pounds including lunch. Free museums, free cathedral, the Banksy trail, ferries and the Suspension Bridge.
Bristol has, for a city its size, an unusual number of free major attractions. Here is a day that does not touch a paid ticket until the last pint.
Morning
Start with a free walk across the Clifton Suspension Bridge - the view alone justifies the trip. Then drop down into Clifton Village for a coffee (budget: £3.50).
Late morning
Walk or take the free-ish harbour ferry (£3 one-way, best way to see the water) back to the centre. Visit the City Museum and Art Gallery - free, four floors, including the Banksy Paint-Pot Angel.
Lunch
St Nicholas Market. A hot sandwich or a pie from Pieminister - budget £7.
Afternoon
Walk the Banksy trail - free - across town to M Shed - also free. Finish at St Mary Redcliffe, free, with time for a free evensong if you are there at 17:30.
Evening
A pint at the Coronation Tap in Clifton or the Seven Stars near St Mary Redcliffe. Budget £5.
Day total: around £18.50, and that is including a generous lunch and a beer.
Other always-free options
- Bristol Cathedral
- Brandon Hill and Cabot Tower
- Castle Park
- Wesley’s New Room on Broadmead
- Ashton Court estate
- The Underfall Yard (Stop 04) on weekends
Cheap transport
Bristol’s buses are more expensive than the harbour ferry, per kilometre. For a casual day around the centre, the £5 ferry day pass gets you between most of the harbour stops and beats walking in the rain.
Henry Ashworth
Contributing writer
Henry Ashworth is a contributing writer at Bristol Insight. He spent a decade as features editor at a Bristol weekly before going freelance, and still knows more about the city's bus timetables than anyone strictly should.
He writes the practical half of the guide: routes, timetables, trains, ships and the occasional piece on a beloved pub. Based in Bedminster.