Frantic for ideas on what to get your loved ones for Christmas? Worry no more! Visit Bristol’s elves have searched Bristol's sensational shopping selection high and low to sniff out the top Bristol-themed gifts that’ll have your nearest and dearest dancing a Christmas jig for joy. Fact. #MerryBristmas!

Experiences | Bristol souvenirs | Bristmas tipples | Food | Fashion & Jewellery

  • Bristol Experiences

Whether you're shopping for someone that's into adventure, nature, history, culture or food, there are Bristol experiences they'll love. Here are ideas to inspire you and them...   

Say Yuup to gifting Bristol experiences 

Yuup is an experience marketplace where you can book and gift local experiences in Bristol. Support local, shop small, and give someone a memory to last a lifetime- all in one Christmas gift!

From creating Christmas decporations, to watching a stunning drone light show, you’ll find something for everyone. Gift your special people one-off experiences they can’t find anywhere else at yuup.co

People sat at a table doing potteryImage - Yuup

Give the gift of Bristol city centre

Take the guesswork out of present-buying and give the gift of Bristol city centre. The Love Bristol Gift Card and Night Out Gift Card have been created by Bristol City Centre BIDRedcliffe & Temple BID and Broadmead BID, and are available to buy online as either a physical or digital card. Buy your cards from lovebristolgiftcard.co.uk or visit Trespass on Merchant Street in Bristol Shopping Quarter, where you can pick up your gift card and load it yourself!

With over 160 businesses accepting the Love Bristol Gift Card from independents to well-known brands, you'll be spoilt for choice.

Love Bristol Gift CardImage - The Love Bristol Night Out Gift Card

Gift Shopping


Bristol has a wealth of brilliant shops and markets for you to do some gift shopping.

Bristol Shopping Quarter is home to Bristol Christmas Market until 23 December, as well as over 100 independent businesses including Bristol Pop-Up Shop in The Galleries where you can find a range of locally-made jewellery, homewares and more. SPARKS is the place to go for sustainable gifts, from fashion and food, as well as houseplants and home decorations. 

Nearby Cabot Circus and Quakers Friars have well-known brands both international and local, from the Harvey Nichols department store to the 6 O'clock Gin pop up shop.

Wapping Wharf is also home to some fantastic independent retailers, including Bookhaus, Fig1 and Something Elsie vintage shop, while Clifton Village, Park Street, North Street and Gloucester Road also have more than their fair share of shopping options. To the north of the city, The Mall at Cribbs Causeway is the place to go for a huge selection of high street names. 

Christmas chill out

Treat someone to a day of pampering and indulgence at one of Bristol’s spas.

Gift vouchers are available from The Lido for all sorts of blissful offerings. Choose between treatment, food or monetary vouchers.

Treat that special loved one this Christmas with a relaxing spa experience, take them on a journey into a stress-free life of calm tranquillity or a spa break to properly switch off and reset at The Aztec Hotel & Spa award-winning spa. Find all the vouchers on offer here.

Bristol Harbour Hotel also offer similar gift experiences for more marvellous wellbeing activities.

PURE Spa & Beauty vouchers can be purchased for any of their spa and beauty treatments for any amount, giving you the ultimate choice to create a perfect pampering gift experience.

For a slightly different restorative experience, gift them a voucher for the Bristol Float Centre

Bristol Lido - unusual Christmas gifts from BristolImage - Bristol Lido at Christmas

O come all ye fur-ful

Gift an animal lover an adoption package, a keeper experience or VIP animal experience.

Bristol Zoo Project has new adoption packs for their bears, giraffes, ring-tailed lemurs and zebras. Each includes an eco-friendly 3D model of your chosen animal, an adoption certificate and a detailed fact-file. As well as helping to care for the animals at Bristol Zoo Project, you'll be supporting their conservation work across the globe.

Their animal experiences also make the perfect Christmas gift for animal lovers! Choose between 'Cheetah Experience', 'Meerkat Experience' or 'Keeper for the Day'.

Bristol Zoo Gardens - the ultimate Bristol Christmas gift guideImage- Bristol Zoo Project

Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm offer adopt an animal packages, one for families and one for single animal lovers. They also offer animal and keeper experiences with Elephants, Bears, Giant Tortoises, Lions, African animals and Junior experiences.

Avon Valley Adventure & Wildlife Park offer VIP Animal Encounters, where you'll be able to get up close and learn about your favourite animal with a ranger led, interactive 45 minute experience. Buy a gift voucher and the lucky recipient can book when it suits them.

Longleat offer VIP Experiences throughout the year, plus if you book a VIP experience between the 5th November and 8th January 2023 then you'll get to enjoy the fantastic Festival Of Light as part of your ticket.

Lemurs at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
Image - Noah's Ark Zoo Farm

Just the ticket

Bristol’s attractions offer annual membership at fantastic value and are a great way to give a gift that will be used again and again.

Brunel’s SS Great Britain costs £62 for a family pass (2 adults and 2 OR 3 children) and includes unlimited visits for one year.

Give the gift of wonder with annual passes or gift vouchers to Wake the Tiger, the world's first Amazement Park ®, where you can explore the dazzling world of Meridia, from ice caves to glowing forests. Annual membership prices start from £26.

Return again and again to discover the underwater world with annual membership at Bristol Aquarium (£175 for a family of four). 

Bristol Aquarium
Image - Bristol Aquarium

Bristol Zoo Project offers gift Annual Passes (adult £54, child £42) for the animal-lover in your life to visit their favourites from bears and giraffes at Bristol Zoo Project. In addition to unlimited entry to Bristol Zoo Project for a whole year, annual pass holders benefit from perks such as discounts in the gift shop and café.

A family of four can visit the fascinating Aerospace Bristol, home of the last Concorde ever the be built and fly, for £55 and tickets are valid for a year.

Boy sat in the cockpit of a plane at Aerospace BristolImage - Aerospace Bristol

Noah's Ark Zoo Farm offer an annual family membership for a family of four for £280.00, with unlimited entry to their zoo, farm, indoor adventure centre and discounts in the cafe and gift shop. They also offer gift tickets and gift vouchers of various amounts to spend on whatever you like. 

Slimbridge Wetland Centre annual family membership starts at £78 and offers entry to nine wetland centres across the UK. You can also buy a gift membership

Westonbirt The National Arboretum offers joint (£82) or single (£42) membership to its magical tree garden, entitling the owner to 364 days of free entry, early bird booking and free entry for kids when with a parent or grandparent member.

A National Trust membership will gain you entry to over 500 places across the UK, including TyntesfieldDyrham Park and Newark Park near Bristol. A family membership with 2 adults starts from £139.20 per year.

We The Curious (currently closed due to a fire) is a science centre and educational charity with a mission to build a better world together, where everyone is included, curious and inspired by science. Every purchase (large or small) made in their online shop will make a huge difference. Choose from out-of-this-world space food, inspiring books, sustainable science kits to games, robots and jewellery.  They can gift wrap your presents and include cards with a personal message. They also sell gift cards. 

Christmas at Westonbirt Arboretum credit Johnny Hathaway

Image - Westonbirt Arboretum

Plan a competitive day out

Bristol has several activity bars and fun parks which offer gift vouchers and packages. Roxy Lanes offers vouchers which can be used across their 8 full size bowling lanes, batting cages for baseball and tennis, shuffleboards, full-size pool tables, ice-free curling and more.

Give someone the experience of learning axe throwing with gift vouchers for Whistle Punks, immersive VR games at MeetspaceVR, or trying their hand at darts at Flight Club.

Crazy golf fans will enjoy a voucher to use at Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Cabot Circus or Mulligans in Cribbs Causeway.

You can buy gift cards for trampoline park AirHop Bristol, as well as goodie bags featuring a bounce ball, premium grip socks, stickers and more.

Person cheering in bar
Image - Flight Club

Book a hot air balloon flight

Planning something super special? Give someone the unforgettable experience of soaring high above over the city in a hot air balloon. Fly Away BallooningElite Air (UK) Ltd and Virgin Balloon Flights all offer flights. Book a private trip, a champagne flight or buy gift vouchers. 

Wonderdays also offer a range of fun days out which make for a perfect gift, from hot air balloon trips and driving experiences to afternoon tea.

hot air balloon ride over Bristol - ultimate Bristol Christmas gift guideImage - balloon flight over Bristol, credit Angharad Paull

Adventure seekers and water lovers

If you know a keen surfer or someone who’s always wanted to learn to surf, why not buy them an e-gift voucher that they can used to book a session or surf lesson at The Wave

Bristol Activity Centre on the outskirts of the city at Cribbs Causeway allow you to purchase gift vouchers, which can be used for over 10 different outdoor activities, suitable for children or adults. Activities include paintball, quad biking, clay pigeon shooting, archery, crossbows, Airsoft, bubble football, Battle Archery, axe throwing and air rifles.

Drone shot of The Wave

Image - The Wave

Mendip Activity Centre is the ultimate adventure playground in the heart of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Book gift vouchers, courses and experiences for family, friends and anyone you know that loves adventure! Choose from learn to ski and snowboard courses, tobogganing, frisbee golf, archery, bushcraft, kayak and canoe, rock climbing and so much more.

Group canoeing
Image - Mendip Activity Centre

Pedal Progression is a skills coaching and mountain bike hire company based in Ashton Court Estate. You can purchase gift vouchers towards hire, skills sessions and private tuition.

SUP Bristol - Stand Up Paddleboarding offer public, group, private and SUP courses in stand up paddleboarding. 

Paddleboarders in harbour
Image - SUP Bristol

Theatre tickets

Treat them to tickets for a 2024 production at one of Bristol's theatres. Bristol Hippodrome have a stellar line-up of shows including Life of Pi, Wicked, AladdinHamilton, Six and Grease.

Bristol Old Vic also have some big shows coming up, including Macbeth and The Glass Menagerie, and you can purchase gift vouchers for a show, or even a gift membership for the theatre.

Tobacco Factory Theatres has a mixture of classic Christmas shows as well as some more contemporary options, including Oliver Twist, Noel West, The Selfish Giant and Christmas at Mum's. Purchase gift vouchers for their shows on the website.

Aladdin
Image - Aladdin UK tour 2024

Plan a treasure hunt

Another gift to get them solving cryptic clues and exploring Bristol in a whole new way is a voucher for Treasure Hunt Bristol. With interesting facts and sights along the way, they'll be a Bristol buff by the end of this self-guided adventure. 

Let it spray, let it spray, let it spray

If you're looking for a special gift for a budding Banksy, how about a voucher for a street art workshop and tour? Where the Wall offer gift certificates for stencil art spray sessions as well as adult, OAP, student and young person walking tours. Or you could check out the gift vouchers for one-to-one and couples graffiti workshops from Graft.

Graft - ultimate bristol christmas gift guideImage - Graft graffiti workshop

Laughing all the way 

Comedy geeks will be over the moon with tickets to Slapstick Festival in February, the UK’s biggest celebration of silent, visual and classic screen comedy. Ticket prices start from £8.50, or there’s a choice of festival passes costing £110 to £225, offering up to 50% savings on full-price tickets to events taking place from Wednesday 14 to Sunday 18 February at Bristol Beacon, Bristol Old Vic and Watershed.

  • Bristol-themed souvenirs

All I want for Bristmas is blue

The city used to be one of the most important glass-making centres in Europe, thanks to its distinctive blue glass which dates back some 300 years.

With a Studio Shop in Arnos Vale and a retail outlet next to St Nicholas Market (itself a treasure trove of potential gifts), Bristol Blue Glass continues to make beautiful glassware in the traditional way and offers a collection of classy, glassy gifts – from jewellery and wine glasses to perfume bottles, beads, baubles and bowls. Visit the studio and you can see them being made, or learn to blow one yourself!

Image bristol blue glass - ultimate bristol christmas gift guideImage - Bristol Blue Glass

Ship shapes and zoovenirs

The city’s attractions also have excellent gift shops, filled with unique Bristol-inspired gifts.

Brunel's SS Great Britain stocks a boat-load of ship-shape souvenirs, stocking fillers, books, maritime prints by local artists, Isambear Kingdom Brunel teddy bears and the Brunel Duck in their shop, both in person at the attraction and also online.

We The Curious may currently be closed after a fire, but you can still find a selection of their best-sellers online in their shop. Everything is ethically and sustainably made, with plenty of fun gizmos and books for nature, space and science-obsessed kids. 

Bristol Zoo Project also has an online shop with a section dedicated to sustainable and eco-friendly gifts, such as books, bamboo socks and delicious crunchy crickets. Or gift your favourite animal a Christmas treat with their range of animal enrichment options.

Head to the Bristol Museums Online Shop, combining the delights of what you'd find in the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery and M Shed gift shops like books on Banksy, work by local artists, jewellery, toys and souvenirs inspired by current exhibitions. Bristol Museums online shop are also selling the limited edition of Bristol Monopoly which coincides with the 650th anniversary of us being granted independent county status back in 1373.

Arnolfini’s specialist bookshop is also a great place for tomes on contemporary art, design and culture. If you can't make it along to browse in person, visit their online shop instead.

ssgb duck - ultimate christmas gift guideImage - Brunel Duck, Brunel's SS Great Britain

Books about Bristol

Discover Banksy’s street art in his fascinating book ‘Wall and Piece’, recreate dishes from your favourite Bristolian restaurants at home with 'The Bristol Cookbook', wow someone special with Colin Moody’s photography book 'Glorious Gloucester Road', go on a journey through 'Weird Bristol' with Charlie Revelle-Smith’s book and entertain little ones with the legend of 'The Bristol Giants'. 

Buy prints and books and more for your arty friends, at the contemporary gallery Spike Island. Shop with them online or in person. 

More Weird Bristol

  • Tasty Bristmas tipples

Gin-gle bells gin-gle bells

Boost someone’s Christmas spirit…

...collection with a bottle of 6 O’clock Gin – handmade and bottled by Bramley & Gage just outside Bristol. Personalised bottles, gin gift packs and fruit liqueurs are all available from their online shop, at the distillery, on board their new shop Glassboat on Welsh Back, or at their pop-up shops in Cabot Circus and The Mall Cribbs Causeway. Or you could treat gin enthusiasts further, by booking a distillery tour or cocktail masterclass.

6 O Clock gin - Bristol Christmas gift guide

Image - 6 O'Clock sloe gin

Thatchers Cider have released a 12 Days of Cider Christmas Calendar filled with a range of delicious ciders, including some of their new fruity varieties and the well-loved classics. You can also purchase gift vouchers for tours of their orchard and cider farm just outside Bristol.

Prohibition-style speakeasy bar Hyde & Co sell gift vouchers for all of their food and drink establishments. Indulge loved ones with an exquisite dining or drinking experience at The OxBambalan, Four Wise Monkeys, Seven Lucky Gods and The Milk Thistle.

Cocktail at Hyde & Co.
Image - Hyde & Co.

Ding dong beer-ily on high

Treat your beloved beer lover to a ‘hoppy’ Christmas with a mixed can gift pack from Bristol breweries Wiper and True, Bristol Beer Factory or Lost & Grounded Brewers, all of which sell through their online shops for national delivery, or can be purchased directly at the brewery taprooms, or from local bottle shops across Bristol. 

  • Food

Treat someone to a tour

Many local food and drink tours offer gift vouchers for you to give to the foodie in your life. GOOD: Stories in Food do vouchers for their Bristol Hotspots & Hidden Treasures as well as their Wine and Cheese Tasting in the Cheddar Valley tour.

Beer fans will love a gift voucher for Craft Beer Tour Bristol, which visits a variety of tap rooms, breweries and craft beer bars across the city. Or if your loved one is more of a wine connoisseur, you can purchase gift vouchers for bottles, gift sets, tours and tastings at local vineyards Aldwick Estate and Woodchester Valley Vineyard.

Woman in vineyard
Image - GOOD: Stories in Food

Christmas Pies

The next best thing to Santa whooshing down your chimney with a stocking full of presents has got to be Pieminister turning up at your door with pie gifts. Hand-pick the perfect selection through their online shop, which will be stocked with special edition festive flavours very soon. There are also gift ideas for pie-fanatic family and friends – pick up aprons, a pie cookbook, pin badges, oven gloves or gift vouchers here. All are British and ethically made, just like the pies!

Festive pies and sides from PieministerImage - Pieminister

Try dishes from around the world

Many of Bristol restaurants offer vouchers or gift cards to use for a meal or event, including KIBOU in Clifton. Gift cards now available for their Afternoon Tea or sushi sharing platter with a flight of sake. Either purchase online as a digital or physical gift card, or pop into the restaurant.

Sushi afternoon tea at KIBOU in Clifton
Image - Japanese-inspired afternoon tea at KIBOU

Papadeli offer vouchers to use in their shop or for their cookery classes.

All About the Cooks do gift vouchers which you can then use to order from their home cooks, dotted across the city. As well as gift cards, you can also order a range of festive treats from the website made by local cooks.

People at dinner party
Image - All About the Cooks

Have a herby Christmas

Find gifts for keen gardeners and cooks on Jekka's online shop, including new winter herb boxes and a 2022 calendar celebrating herbs throughout the year. Vouchers are also available for their spring masterclasses on topics ranging from growing and cooking with herbs, to botanical screenprinting.  

Jekka's Herb Garden
Image - Jekka's Herb Garden

Christmas sparkle

Leave a special shiney something from Wylde Jewellers under the tree. Their birthstone collection, snowflake earrings, star rings and diamond pieces are all favourites at Christmas. Pop into their Clifton store for a glass of mulled wine or champagne while one of the team chats you through the range. 

Woman in party outfit holding phone and showing off ringsImage - Wylde Jewellers

Browse a range of one-off jewellery pieces from Bristol Blue Glass, including necklaces and earrings.

You can also find vintage and electric pieces at stall in St Nicholas Market.

Bristol Blue Glass necklace
Image - Bristol Blue Glass 

More ways to have a #MerryBristmas:

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