InThings To Do,History and Heritage

Experience the best of Bristol's pioneering and inspiring attractions using public transport, and minimise your carbon footprint at the same time.

For these journeys around Bristol, you can explore the city on foot and by using a FirstDay, Bristol Zone – unlimited travel on First buses for one day.

Weather deck at Brunel's SS Great Britain
Image - Brunel's SS Great Britain

Bristol and the surrounding area has an impressive reputation for engineering achievements and invention. Start at Brunel’s SS Great Britain, lovingly restored in the historic dockyard where she was built (open 10am to 4.30pm Thursday to Sunday in autumn/winter, or 10am to 6pm daily in spring/summer). The m2 and number 24 buses from The Centre in Bristol will take you there.

Brunel's SS Great Britain invites visitors to experience every aspect of life aboard this fine Victorian ocean liner, from the opulent first-class dining saloon to the smells of steerage. You can even venture beneath the ship to see its innovative screw propeller, designed by Brunel. A visit to the dockyard’s Being Brunel museum offers an insight into the life and works of the great engineer himself, and opportunities to get hands-on with the exhibits.

Child by propeller at SS Great Britain, credit Iain Lewis
Image - Brunel's SS Great Britain, credit Iain Lewis

Walk (approx. 20 minutes) to Bedminster Parade. Along the way, you could stop for lunch with a difference at one of the independent cafés and restaurants housed in converted shipping containers at Wapping Wharf.

Choose from a range of cuisine including sushi and Japanese-inspired small plates at Seven Lucky Gods, tapas at Gambas, fish and chips at Salt & Malt, or burgers from Squeezed.

Wapping Wharf Photos by @JonCraig_Photos
Image - Wapping Wharf, credit Jon Craig

Once you've refueled, head to nearby Redcliffe Hill or Prince Street and catch the number 75 bus towards Cribbs Causeway, alighting at the Gipsy Patch Lane stop.

It’s around a 15-minute walk to Aerospace Bristol (open daily, 10am to 4pm) where you can explore the region’s impressive history of aviation, from early aircraft to military planes, supersonic jets and spacecraft. The last ever Concorde to be built, and to fly, is a highlight of the exhibition. Visitors can climb aboard and imagine the sensation of travelling at supersonic speed. 

Concorde at Aerospace Bristol
Image - Concorde at Aerospace Bristol

For comprehensive information about getting around the city and surrounding area by public transport, please visit TravelWest.

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