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!

Pre-theatre dining in Bristol

Feb. 25, 2026

Bristol has theatres and venues dotted across the city, and many restaurants offer special pre-theatre dinner deals and early bird menus when you show your theatre ticket or eat before 7pm. Here are some of our suggestions for where to grab a bite before a show... Skip to restaurants near: Bristol…

Banksy's Mild Mild West mural in Stokes Croft, Bristol - credit Morgane Bigault

Banksy and other street art hotspots in Bristol

Feb. 23, 2026

Visiting Bristol is like browsing an outdoor urban gallery. Tour the city’s streets and you’ll struggle not to find a brightly coloured, cutting-edge piece of spray can art embellishing the walls. The birthplace of Banksy, Bristol’s constantly evolving graffiti culture has made street art one of its…

Creedy carver duck breast and celeriac dauphinoise

Michelin-starred restaurants in Bristol

Feb. 20, 2026

Bristol is home to two Michelin-starred restaurants and several more that have been awarded a Bib Gourmand, Green Star or Michelin Plate. Here's the full list of restaurants that have been given an award in the city... Michelin Star Bulrush Bulrush has been making waves in the city for its dazzling…

Where to find classic British food in Bristol

Feb. 18, 2026

If this is your first visit to Bristol or the UK, no doubt top of your list is trying some well-known dishes like fish and chips, afternoon tea or a good old-fashioned roast dinner. We’ve rounded up some of the best places to find traditional British dishes in Bristol, and it’s up to you whether you…

A plate of stacked pancakes with berries and cream on top - Credit Mollie's Motel and Diner

Where to go for pancakes in Bristol

Feb. 17, 2026

We’re lucky to have stacks of places in Bristol where you can fill up on pancakes. If you don’t fancy faffing around with the frying pan and whisk at home this year, get yourself to one of these restaurants instead. The Pancake Man Tuck into a stack of pancakes at this little cafe in Wapping Wharf…

Sharing steak platter at The Ox Bristol - credit The Ox

Bristol's best steak restaurants

Feb. 12, 2026

On a quest to find a perfectly cooked medium-rare steak and the best peppercorn sauce in this fair city? Here is Bristol’s epic selection of steakhouses... The Ox Hidden away in the basement of a bank vault under Corn Street The Ox is a class act. Their steaks are dry aged for at least 35 days and…

Selection of Pinkmans doughnuts on counter - credit Pinkmans

Bristol's best doughnuts

Feb. 11, 2026

Get your chops around Bristol’s finest doughnuts... Pinkmans Start the day in the most delicious way and pick up one of Pinkman’s sensational sourdoughnuts, which hit the counter in the morning (from their cafes on Stokes Croft, in Bristol Cathedral, or on Whiteladies Road, right by Clifton Down…

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

Where to celebrate Lunar New Year in Bristol

Feb. 10, 2026

Bristol has plenty going on to kick off the Year of the Horse – join in the celebrations at these special Lunar New Year Events. Top events Lunar New Year at Wai Yee Hong, 21 February Chinese supermarket Wai Yee Hong hosts the biggest free Lunar New Year celebrations in the city. Dance and martial…

A selection of Szechuan dishes - credit Chilli Daddy/Uber Eats

Bristol's best Chinese food

Feb. 06, 2026

We've selected the best of Bristol’s Chinese food offering, as recommended by locals. You’d be prawn crackers to miss out on this tasty lot... CLOUDS One of the newer editions to Bristol's food scene, but already immensely popular, this dim sum and wine bar in St Werburghs serves up a contemporary…

Bristol Pride Parade walking through Horsefair - Credit Bristol Pride

Landmark tales from Bristol's LGBTQIA+ past

Feb. 04, 2026

These days, Bristol enjoys a vibrant and friendly LGBTQIA+ scene, with a fantastic variety of gay districts and nightlife, gay-friendly accommodation, shopping, and culture. Every July, the city also hosts one of the best Pride events in the UK. Throughout history, Bristol has also played its own…