Advantages: Plenty to see - too much for a short visit probably Disadvantages: Beware the club district at chucking-out (and -up) time
...I'm not sure how Bristol has slipped through my fingers so easily before, after all, I live in west London, and it only takes me an hour to drive to Swindon, so Bristol should only take a further 40 minutes, I'd have thought.
I'd been to peripheral bits, like the Clifton Suspension Bridge (and the nearby Camera Obscura), and I'd even managed to visit the S.S Great Britain, Brunel's magnificent iron steam ship back in the 70s when it had first been ... ...we spent two nights in Bristol - the *expurgated version*. If this doesn't seem very comprehensive, bear in mind we were only there for what was effectively a day and an half.
*(The unexpurgated version would need a mention of dodging 18 year old girls throwing up outside wine bars and clubs - oops I HAVE mentioned it, sorry)
SATURDAY MORNING - PADDINGTON
09:58 We leave bang on time in a train that's practically loaded to the gunwales even leaving ...
BNibbles 12.05.2006 (14.05.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bristol in General
Advantages: Beautiful, historic, welcoming, cosmopolitan Disadvantages: Traffic and parking
...cosmopolitan and diverse city of Bristol has been home to them all (more on that at the end). And while it’s not the first natural stop on the tourist trail, if you’re looking for a new and different destination for a city break, you might be surprised at what Bristol has to offer.
Overview
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Bristol is one of those cities that offer something for everyone. It has spectacular scenery (both urban and rural), history, wonderful ... ...and a stunning cathedral. Bristol also boasts several vast cinema and entertainment complexes, theatres, an ice rink, concert halls, comedy clubs, a world-class zoo, countless clubs, bars and restaurants, hotels to suit all pockets, markets and shopping of all descriptions.
Getting There
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By Air
Bristol’s recently expanded and revamped International Airport handles both domestic internal and international traffic ...
plain_jane 21.12.2002 (08.03.2003)
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...bars, cafes and pubs. The Bristol Hippodrome is also close by, and there are sometimes overnight deals available to see a show and spend the night in the hotel. A number of local bus services run very close to the hotel, but it is definitely not walking distance from Temple Meads railway station. Prince’s Street itself is a relatively busy road, and certainly at peak times there is a significant amount of traffic and noise. At weekends, the ... ...(allegedly) been “extensively refurbished”. Indeed, Bristol Jury’s Hotel was upgraded from three to four stars as a result of this refit. The main staircase, to be used as en emergency exit, was bare and cold, with that distinct smell of urine that you find in an NCP car park, and the wallpaper in the corridor leading to my room was peeling. All in all, not a particularly good start.
The room itself was of a better standard. Although ...
LostWitness 27.05.2001
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Advantages: fun things to do Disadvantages: the zoo is expensive, Blaise Castle can be a bit dangerous
...I want to concentrate on Bristol Zoo and Blaise Castle.
BRISTOL ZOO
We usually go to Bristol Zoo about twice a year, but would go more often if it was cheaper. My in-laws have an Annual Membership which makes a day out there much more affordable, but without this, it usually costs us around £40 or more, which puts it out of our financial reach most of the time. The zoo has everything you would expect, but with plenty more besides. The animals seem ... ...apparently been part of the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery since 1949. It is an impressive building to look at and inside it contains rooms of old household equipment, old clothes, an old fashioned school room, a collection of old toys and so on. You can easily spend half an hour there, although the kids do get bored after a few visits and some of the models can be a bit spooky for younger children. But it is worth seeing and admission is free, ...
KarenUK 03.02.2001 (16.05.2001)
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Advantages: Everything about it, it's clean Disadvantages: can get busy
Today I went to Bristol by the train and we got off at Bristol Temple Meads...
Temple Meads is in the centre of Bristol and is a very large train station. It has a total of 12 platforms and is a tidy and clean station. In Bristol there are 2 different stations that I can remember of...Temple Meads and Bedminster which is the smaller of the two. We strolled down passed the River Avon and after 15 minutes or so we reached Broadmead. Broadmead is the ... ...shops, mobile phone shops etc. On the second level there is a large food court with places like burger king, Pizza Hut etc. The Mall is a good shopping day out.
Bristol is a great place to shop and everywhere you look there is a shop! I love it! ...
graham.m.carr 28.04.2001
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Advantages: Really gives an insight into Bristol's Maritime Heritage. Gives children a chance to learn by seeing. Excellent in all aspects. Disadvantages: Don't try to compete with the locals during the rush hour home!
...history, so a trip to Bristol is a treat. For starters there is the Clifton Suspension Bridge, which spans the Avon Gorge. This magnificent bridge was designed by one of the greatest Victorian engineers - Isambard Kingdom Brunel. At the Great Western Dock, is another of his achievements - the "S.S. Great Britain". This was the first ship to be built of iron, and to have propellers. She was launched July 19th 1843, in the presence of Prince albert ... ...in these 3 places.
Bristol is home also to the St. Mary Redcliffe Church, of which Queen Elizabeth I (the 'Virgin Queen') said was "the noblest church in the land". It's spire can be seen soaring above the end of the docks, to the East. On the Northern side, you can see the Cabot Tower, erected on Brandon Hill, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's voyage. Sharing this vista is the Cathedral, on College Green.
I had a wonderful trip ...
poet831 02.02.2001
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Advantages: Good variety Disadvantages: Spread over large areas
As far as cities go, Bristol is probably on the smaller end of the scale, but it delivers a relatively comprehensive selection of shops to suit all tastes. I cannot profess to be an expert on all types of shops - as I doubt buy all types of products - but will attempt to offer some useful advice on various aspects of the Bristol shopping experience.
Bristol's location makes it very accessible to the shopper. The M32 leaves the M4 and then runs straight ... ...surrounding areas, as parking in Bristol City Centre can be difficult, and expensive. The local Bus Company run a very frequent, efficient service, with very reasonable fares - furthermore, the Park and Ride routes get all the new buses.
The main shopping centre in Bristol runs along a pedestrianised road called Broadmead. The city centre shopping area tends to be collectively known as Broadmead, even if the shops are on one of the adjacent roads. ...
LostWitness 09.01.2001 (06.01.2001)
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Advantages: Balloon fiesta, history, some interesting little shops Disadvantages: Poor public transport, city centre threatened by Cribbs causeway
...locals) events is the annual Bristol Balloon Fiesta, now into its third decade. Cameron Balloons, who are based in the city, are the world's largest balloon manufacturers, and make more aircraft each year than Boeing, so it's not surprising that the event is so popular. This wonderful spectacle, by some measures the largest free festival (there's a charge for parking) in the country, takes place every August in the grounds of Ashton Court, on the ... ...will find an entrance to Bristol Zoo. This isn't really the place for a discussion as to the merits or otherwise of zoos, but whatever your position on this, it can't be denied that Bristol Zoo has improved very markedly in the last couple of decades. When I first visited (about 20 years ago), a lot of the enclosures were still of the "concrete and bars" mould, and there were several animals (eg polar bears) which didn't really have a place in such ...
davidbuttery 10.02.2001
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Bristol is in the heart of the south west of England. It's not far from Wales as it is right next to the Severn Bridge that crosses into Wales. Bristol is from a small village of Pill on the southern side of the city to Filton which is on the northern side of bristol. The city is miles long and wide and there's a lot of traffic which can be expected.
In Bristol city centre, there is a fountain display which takes up quite a lot of space and it costed ... ...Opposite that is the Bristol Hipprodrome, the theatre. It regularly has great shows on and is very large but not as large as some of the theatre's in London as you can imagine. At the back of the theatre is the Famous Colsten Hall which has famous acts such as Popstars where they do concerts, orchesters etc.
Not far from there, is the Ice Rink which has been there for years (my dad used to ice skate there when he was a boy, so thats years ago :) ...
jenny_carr 06.03.2001 (28.04.2001)
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Advantages: M5 and M4 and Intercity connections, Great nightlife Disadvantages: Any associated with a large metropolitan city
...big business has moved to Bristol in recent years, relocating head offices from London due to the favourable rates here.
Plenty of jobs available as a result of this, in all industries. On top of this, Bristol has one of the best Universities in the country, a thriving club/pub nightlife, 1001 things to do either during the week or especially at the weekend. There is the Ashton Court Balloon Festival, Music Festivals, The SS Great Britain to visit, ... ...collection of women per capita that any city in the country can boast.
Loads of hotels of varying prices, great theatre and cultural life, thriving art and historical heritage, what more could a city have. Bristol has the lot, and you are welcome to visit anytime. ...
MikeScoates 14.09.2000
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Advantages: Clean friendly atmosphere, good for most shops. Disadvantages: If travelling from long distances, there are better shopping centres to visit
...Cribbs Causeway in Bristol compared to these isnt too bad. The mall is modern, airey and has a pleasant atmosphere. The range of shops is quite large, and on the outskirts of the centre is a retail park with even more shops and Warner village Cinema along with other eating opportunities such as Mc Donalds. Cribbs Causeway houses such shops as Gap, Boots, M & S, KFC, French Connection, Games Workshop, H & M just to mention a few. As well as the range ... ...court with a range of fast food, ranging from KFC to Jacket potatoes.
The mall has lots of parking which is adequate for the size of the mall and the amount of visitors it attracts (apart from peak times where the car parks can get quite crowded.)
However the Mall does have a few flaws compared to other malls within the Uk. These things include the range of shops. The range as I stated before is quite large, but compared to Merry Hill in the West ...
cascade 23.03.2001
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Advantages: Variety of shops, no smoking, excellent rainy day refuge Disadvantages: Christmas Crowds
...The decrease in shops in Bristol Centre and the fact that most of them are quite a walk from one another make this the ideal place to come. I'm in my teens so with Topshop, Miss Selfridge Warehouse Kookai Pilot and my favourite store H&M its not hard to see why i like coming here. Like Toys R Us everythings under one big roof and you can easily get rid of other members of your family to various shops of interest from nature/history to trekking shops ... ...The food hall contains the usual eateries from Chinese to Burger King and Pizza hut yet probably the best place to get food is Marks and Spencer and eat it next to the fountain which occasionally shoots straight up into the sky. It is however all covered which is both a benefit for rainy days and sometimes a disadvantage when the christmas crowds are in - chlostrophobia! Yet smoking banned which makes it much nicer. Avoid it near Christmas would ...
simoriah 05.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bristol in General
Advantages: Nightlife and Shopping Disadvantages: No huge disadvantages
...attractive place. I wouldn't describe Bristol as 'attractive'. It's more functional. It has two university's so if you do visit, expect to see alot of students wandering about the town. It's not a dirty place, there are some rather shabby bits but that's city's for you! It's not unpleasant either. In fact it's average. I wouldn't describe this place as somewhere special.
The Shopping...
Is surprisingly good. The city shopping isn't particularly ... ...you love Next, you'll love Bristol City Centre Shopping! The best place to go for shopping is Cribbs Causeway which is a large mall where you can find every shop you will possibly want. There is a large Next and a large department store at either end. The food facilities aren't great though. Which brings me to...
The Restaurants...
You have you normal TGI's and stuff...no Planet Hollywoods though! It's not that great. There's allsorts of fast food ...
annalouise 04.11.2001
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Advantages: Easy to get to, lots to see and do. Disadvantages: Cars! Traffic and parking.
Bristol, England is a small but attractive city, with good shops and lots of places to hang out. The city is probably the capital of wildlife in the UK, being home to the BBC Natural History Unit, Partridge Films (HTV), a world famous and exceptional Zoo, and the newest attraction, Wildscreen@Bristol funded by a huge Millennium lottery grant.
Anyone with an interest in Natural History will find the Zoo and @Bristol and the Avon Downs and Gorge ideal ... ...endangered species, some amazing new state of the art enclosures and is directly involved in conservation projects at home and abroad. The Zoo is small but long gone are the days of giraffes, leopards, tigers, polar bears etc. Instead smaller species are on show.
@Bristol has three elements, including Wildscreen which combines Tv/electronic techniques with some exhibits of small live animals, mainly invertebrates, there is a nice walk through forest ...
ZooStephen 26.07.2000
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...for several years now, and Bristol Hippodrome is definately the place to go.
Over the years I have been to many theatres including Oxford Appolo and the Plymouth Royal, as well as several in the Westend, but none have compared to the Bristol Hippodrome.
It has a great atmosphere with friendly staff who are all welcoming, and the prices are very competitive. Some of the musicals that I have seen their range from the well known Phantom of the Opera ... ...but the shows they have here are some of the best in the world. For those of you who tend to prefer comedians, Bristol also offers a range of the best from Roy Chubby Brown to Lilly Savage.
No matter what you want, Bristol Hippodrome provides! ...
JPARRY 17.01.2001
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