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!

Tag: Literary

Bookhaus book shop in Wapping Wharf - Credit Hey What

Top books set in Bristol

Dec. 22, 2025

'That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.' ― Jhumpa Lahiri Bristol has inspired several acclaimed works of literature over the years and has produced a very long list of talented authors. So, why not 'travel' to Bristol before you've even left home through the…

Bristol’s Shakespeare: The life and legacy of Thomas Chatterton

Mar. 02, 2023

If people have heard of Bristol-born eighteenth-century poet Thomas Chatterton (1752–1770), it is most often in terms of his tragic death aged just 17— as depicted in an oil painting by Henry Wallis. For too long this has been the case, overlooking what is an actually fascinating life; Chatterton…

Bristol for book lovers

Apr. 16, 2021

Wander through this lively, colourful city and you’ll soon understand how it has inspired the stories of some of literature’s most famous writers. From its medieval Old City to its culturally diverse enclaves. Here’s an introduction to help you explore Bristol’s literary legacies… Famous literary…