Welcome USA

With the exciting summer of 2012 on the horizon, all the eyes of the world will be on England. Rich in heritage and surrounded by breathtaking coast and countryside in South West England, Bristol is ideally located for touring England and Wales. View a map of Bristol for more information about our conveniently walkable and friendly city.

Download our guide to Bristol for American visitors.

Why visit in 2012?

Flights from the USA

Aer Lingus offers flights from New York, Boston, Chicago and Orlando via Dublin. Flying via Dublin to Bristol even provides the opportunity to tour Ireland along the way. Book your vacation online here in the Aer Lingus Vacation Store.

Guided Tours

Vacation England offers escorted travel vacation tours  for small groups of up to 5 guests to see Great Britain at its best. The company specializes in Southern England and are based in Bristol. Vacation England provides customized, tailor made itineraries staying in comfortable B&Bs or hotels & inns if you prefer. Vacation England offers a friendly escort service for single or female only travellers. Their travel tours use old coaching roads and quiet country lanes to visit fascinating 'out of the way' places without forgetting classic tourist attractions. The company is especially interested to help with family history research. Vacation England attempts to find the places that are connected to your family's past (before your visit) and make the contacts for you. If time permits, they would enjoy researching records for you, too. www.vacationengland.com

Fun for the whole family

The largest city in South West England, Bristol is home to a wealth of attractions and is the ballooning capital of Europe. The historic and vibrant Harbourside in the city center features a major science attraction and a new aquarium. Nearby, is the world’s first great transatlantic liner, Brunel’s ss Great Britain. 
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A city with a past

This area is also home to the infamous Bristol-born pirate Blackbeard, notorious slave traders and a man who may have named America, Richard Amerike. American visitors love touring the city's churches and cathedrals, while just taking in English life in this laid- back city. The world’s first Methodist chapel in Bristol is a popular visitor attraction, drawing thousands of Americans annually to the city. 

On arrival into Bristol, visitors are impressed by the city’s collection of world-class museums, galleries, as well as some of the country's finest theaters. The city's new M Shed museum uncovers Bristol's thousand year history, including the city's trading past, its wartime experiences and the testimonies of ordinary Bristolians. 
More about Bristol's history >

Shopping Flair

Bristol is the shopping capital of South West England with a city center retail area that features over 500 stores, two separate covered shopping centers, and more than 50 cafes and restaurants. Bristol has it all. In Bristol, enjoy your pick of city, coast and countryside. 
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A Taste of America in Bristol

• St Mary Redcliffe Church: Here you can enjoy several unique ties to America. Ask to see the American Chapel and William Penn Senior’s monument and the whale bone that John Cabot brought back to Bristol from his journey to North America.
• The Matthew: Take a tour of Bristol’s historic Harbourside on John Cabot’s replica ship, The Matthew. John Cabot sailed from Bristol to North America and there is a theory that John Cabot may have actually named America after the funder of his voyage, Richard Amerike.
• Cabot Tower: This century-old 32m high tower sits at the top of Brandon Hill offering panoramic views of the city, reopened to the public on 16 August 2011, after four years. Cabot Tower was built in 1897 to commemorate John Cabot's famous voyage from Bristol to North America four hundred years earlier. The tower is built from red sandstone covered with cream Bath stone.
• Bristol Pirate Walks: To learn more about this possible naming of America, take a Bristol Pirate Walk and ask Pirate Pete who named America.
• Brunel’s ss Great Britain: Visit this amazing ship, originally built as a sailing ship to New York which was the largest ocean liner when it was built in Bristol by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
• John Wesley and Methodism: The New Room (John Wesley’s Chapel) is the oldest Methodist building in the world and draws thousands of Americans annually to Bristol. Visitors can also see Charles Wesley's House. If you’re active, take the Portishead cycle path from Bristol and stop in Pill to view the American Monument where John Wesley sailed to America to spread Methodism.
• Queen Square: Visit Queen Square to see where the first American consulate in the UK originally stood in 1792.