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People dining at The Granary - credit The Granary

Blog & Guides

Welcome to the Visit Bristol blog, your one-stop shop for ideas, inspiration and handy tips to make your time in Bristol that bit better!

From suggested itineraries to festival round-ups and unmissable things to do, our guides aim to showcase the best of the city, whatever the time of year. We publish new blogs every week and keep our blog posts up-to-date with the latest information, so you can trust that you’re getting the most accurate and useful tips for your trip.

Planning a trip with the family? Check out our guides on Places to stay with kids in and around Bristol and Things to do with teenagers. We’ve also got a list of 60 free things to do to keep costs down.

Coming here to sample as much of the food scene as you can? Have a read through our list of Bristol’s Michelin-starred restaurants, top cocktail bars and pub gardens, or find the best places to go for vegan food while you’re here. We’re sure you’ll also want to try a tasty Sunday roast while you’re here – we've rounded up a few of the best of those too!

If you’re local to Bristol, or here for a few days, we’ve also got plenty of suggestions for day trips to the north, south, east and west of the city so that you can experience as much of the region as possible. Maybe you want to tick off all of the World Heritage Sites near Bristol, or discover our most accessible outdoor attractions.

We’ll also have seasonal guides to help you get the most out of Summer in Bristol, from rooftop bars to scenic cycle routes, or find out what’s on for Christmas in and around the city.

Keep checking back for more brilliant Bristol inspiration!

Category: Events

Johannes Radebe in KINKY BOOTS - credit Pamela Raith

Review: Kinky Boots at Bristol Hippodrome

May 14, 2025

Find out what Vicki from the Visit Bristol team thought of award-winning musical Kinky Boots, which is at Bristol Hipppodrome until 17 May. My oh my, what a show... Kinky Boots tells the rather simple story of Charlie, who inherits his dad's loss-making shoe factory and through a chance meeting with…

Black Honey at O2 Academy at Dot to Dot Festival 2022 - credit Dot to Dot Festival

A music lover's guide to Bristol

May 07, 2025

As the city that gave the world acts such as Portishead, Roni Size and Massive Attack, Bristol has a well-deserved reputation for an incredibly varied, thriving music scene. From legendary artists playing in iconic concert halls, to bluegrass twanging under Banksy-decorated walls, music lovers are…

Forwards Festival Bristol at sunset - credit khaliphotography

Bristol’s festival line-up in 2025

May 05, 2025

Ready for dancing to live music, tucking into delicious street food and sipping pints of cider in the sunshine? Bristol’s festival calendar is jam-packed in 2025. There’s a festival for everything in Bristol, from ballooning to music headliners, cider to cinema. Avoid any inkling of Glastonbury FOMO…

Jungle performing on the stage at Bristol Sounds with audience in foreground - credit Bristol Sounds

Unmissable live music in Bristol 2025

Apr. 25, 2025

Known as the birthplace of ground-breaking music from legendary acts such as Massive Attack, Portishead, Roni Size and more recently, IDLES and George Ezra, Bristol is world-famous for its vibrant and varied music scene (listen to this Bristol playlist to hear some of the tunes to come from here)…

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery - Lunar New Year Pandas Lion Dance

Where to celebrate Lunar New Year in Bristol

Jan. 20, 2025

Bristol has plenty going on to kick off the Year of the Snake – join in the celebrations at these special Lunar New Year Events. Lunar New Year at Wai Yee Hong, 1 February Chinese supermarket Wai Yee Hong host the biggest free Lunar New Year celebrations in the city. Dance and martial arts…

A group of balloons lifting off in a mass ascent at Bristol International Balloon Fiesta - credit Paul Box

60 free things to do in Bristol

Jan. 15, 2025

A visit to Bristol doesn’t need to be an expensive one, in fact we’ve got 60 ideas for totally free things to do in Bristol. 1. M Shed Located in a huge 1950s transit shed right on Bristol’s Harbourside, the M Shed museum explores over 2000 years of Bristol’s history and is free tlo enter. Learn…

An aerial view of the crowd and stage at Bristol Sounds - Credit Crosstown Concerts

25 Things to do in Bristol in 2025

Jan. 03, 2025

With a seemingly never-ending list of sights to see and experiences to tick off, how can you pack the best of Bristol into your year? Our top 25 things to do in 2025 is here to help, covering everything from uniquely Bristol attractions to outdoor adventures. Plan the perfect city break around these…