The Bristol hop-on hop-off bus route, on foot: all 19 stops

The Bristol Insight circuit starts at Broad Quay, at the foot of the Arnolfini, and returns there after following the harbourside past We The Curious, Hotwell Road and Spike Island to the ss Great Britain, climbing out to Clifton Village and the Suspension Bridge, coming back down through Victoria Square, the City Museum and College Green, taking in the shopping streets of Broadmead and Cabot Circus, and returning via Castle Park, Bristol Bridge, Temple Meads and St Mary Redcliffe.

The full loop is roughly thirteen kilometres. Walking the 19-stop loop that the Bristol hop-on hop-off bus used to drive, allow a full day: walk it once to get your bearings, then come back to the stops that caught your eye.

Watch · 1:11

Read the narration

Broad Quay, Bristol, at the foot of the Arnolfini. This is where the classic sightseeing loop begins.

Nineteen stops, one loop, and it ends exactly where it starts.

First, the harbourside. We The Curious, Hotwell Road, Spike Island.

Then the ss Great Britain, resting in the dock where she was built.

From the water, the road climbs out to Clifton. Past the old Clifton gardens, up into the village.

And a short walk away: the Suspension Bridge.

Then down into the city. Victoria Square, the Museum, College Green and Park Street.

On foot, this is the steepest stretch. Constitution Hill, with its stairs.

The Hippodrome. Broadmead and Cabot Circus. Castle Park, Bristol Bridge, Victoria Street.

Temple Meads. St Mary Redcliffe.

And back to Broad Quay. Roughly thirteen kilometres, all the way round.

The open-top bus no longer runs, but the loop still works on foot. Walk it once to get your bearings, then again, and stop where something catches your eye.

The Bristol hop-on hop-off bus today

The open-top Bristol hop-on hop-off bus that used to run this route no longer operates. The 19-stop loop is now best done on foot. For the waterside stretch, the harbour ferry runs between Temple Meads, Castle Park, the city centre, the Arnolfini, Wapping Wharf, the ss Great Britain, Hotwells and the Cumberland Basin - see getting around Bristol.

The route on foot

The harbour stretch, from Broad Quay round to the ss Great Britain, is flat and step-free. Clifton Village sits on a slight incline, and from the village the walk to the Suspension Bridge viewpoint is flat again. Most of the effort on the loop is in a single climb.

Every stop has its own page, with opening times, admission and the nearest stops, so the loop splits easily across two days: the harbour and Clifton on the first, the city centre and Redcliffe on the second.

Without the Bristol hop-on hop-off bus, the route is broadly well-signposted via Bristol's harbour walk, Clifton path and the Cabot Circus frontage. Allow a full day. The steepest section is Constitution Hill (between Park Street and Clifton Village) - it has stairs.