I spent a few days in Bristol, and although I have been before, I am usually there for a gig, theatre, or to catch a flight, so I haven’t had much time to really explore the city. So we booked a few days with no agenda or set plans; it was lovely to take our time, and the weather was incredible. We tried not to use our phones to look for places to go and just went with the flow, and we discovered some great places & had a great time.

Bristol is such a colourful city; it feels so creative and alive. The architecture is beautiful and full of history. Every street you go down is interesting and inspiring. We tried as much as possible to explore off the beaten track, take the side streets and get off the main busy areas, and Bristol is full of hidden gems, lots of street art and quirky buildings.

We went to the free museum; I love that so many of the galleries and museums in the UK are free (obviously they encourage a donation). It was pretty good. I love taxidermy, and they had a lot of animals, including the infamous gorilla named Alfred from Bristol Zoo. The Egyptian section had a video of them unwrapping a mummy, which was fascinating, and there was also a Wallace & Gromit trail (meant for kids, but we loved it). Well worth a visit. The cathedral was also beautiful, and the College Green area of Bristol is a great place for a picnic lunch or to sit with your coffee and enjoy the architecture and buzz of the city in the Summer.

There is no shortage of great cafés in Bristol; you are spoilt for choice. One we do always seem to go back to year on year is Coffee Under Pressure; it is so bright, friendly, the matcha is 10/10, and my husband said the coffee was up there. I am not someone who would typically get an iced matcha, but the whole time we were there it was 30+ degrees, and it was too hot for a warm drink. I did spy a Bird & Blend, which is one of my favourite shops to buy tea & matcha to have at home; they do the most delicious flavours.

I couldn’t walk past a painted building/house or street art without taking a photo, and that meant it took us ages to get from A to B! Bristol is quite a well-known city for graffiti, street art and sculptures; we managed to see a lot of cool pieces dotted around the city. We managed to see one of Banksy’s sculptures in the Museum and the Well Hung Lover piece of graffiti on Park Street.

We stopped at so many lovely pubs over the few days we were in Bristol, and it was so nice to be able to sit outside in the beer gardens, enjoy a shandy in the sunshine. We found a really nice pub on the water called The Ostrich Pub; they had a great food menu and lots of seating right on the water. One of our other favourite pubs, The Bank, is right in the centre but tucked away on a back street with a sort of courtyard. What we love most about this hidden gem is that at night the twinkle lights are on, people are sat outside, and there is such a nice vibe. When the Summer evenings are warm, and you can sit out late into the night, that’s one of my favourite things to do in a city.

The architecture in Bristol is beautiful: so many old brick and stone houses with big windows, flowers in the front garden, and so much history. I love the variety of architectural styles, from Georgian and Victorian to  Tudor and even a fair few medieval buildings that are still standing. Also, I have to mention the Bristol Byzantium buildings, which are so distinctive in the city; they’re unusual and very grand and make Bristol even more interesting.

So that’s Day 1 in Bristol. Make sure to check back for Day 2, where we have more coffee, pizza, cocktails and a walk to the Clifton Suspension Bridge.