When I first moved to London, I was good about taking day trips to nearby cities. From Brighton to Bath, St. Albans to Stonehenge, I went, I saw, I wrote. But recently I’ve been remiss about seeing more of England. In an effort to change that, I planned a trip to the southwest for not one, but 2 days in Bristol for sightseeing, restaurants, and shopping.
2 Days in Bristol
Bristol had been on my list of places to visit in England for a long time. Several friends of mine went to university there and couldn’t say enough good things about the city.
Given it was only an hour and 45 minutes from London by train, I had no excuse to keep postponing a visit. I booked my tickets and got excited about spending 2 days in Bristol.
2 Days in Bristol: Day 1
Things to Do in Bristol
When I arrived, my first stop in the city was the M Shed museum. There I learned about Bristol’s history, places, people, and life.
The M Shed in Bristol had several large exhibits on Bristol’s World War II history, a display detailing the city’s links to the infamous Triangle Trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, and walls covered with recent quotes from local Bristolians.
My visit to the M Shed museum gave me a good overview of the city and its culture. Armed with that information, I took a walk along the River Avon and made my way past the SS Great Britain ship and up the hill on the opposite bank.
Clifton, Bristol
There I continued my 2 days in Bristol with a visit to in Clifton, a pretty hilltop neighborhood full of stunning Georgian crescents, small cafes, wine bars, clothing boutiques, and colorful shops.
A bit farther up the hill lay the Clifton Suspension Bridge, a famous landmark in the city. It spanned a deep gorge in the hillsides, beneath which was the River Avon.
Bristol Hotel
I walked back through Clifton and past some of the stunning university buildings on the way to my accommodation for the evening: the Hotel du Vin.
I had been invited to stay the night there during my 2 days in Bristol, and offered dinner and breakfast at the Bistro du Vin, which I was excited to try.
My room at the hotel was huge. It had a large bedroom and sitting area with a sofa, chairs, and desk. The bathroom was equally big. A giant clawfoot bathtub stood on one side, and a spacious shower on the other.
Downstairs on the ground floor, the bar and lounge area was buzzing with hotel guests and locals enjoying pre-dinner cocktails and wine. Large brown leather sofas and overstuffed chairs gave the area a comfortable feel.
The adjacent dining room was full of dark wood tables, each of which was topped with a candle. The window sills were lined with wine bottles, and the walls were covered with pictures and paintings.
For dinner I started with green asparagus with Bearnaise sauce. The asparagus was perfectly fresh and lovely, and the sauce was so good that I had to remind myself to ration it.
For my main I had the caramelized fig and goat cheese tarte tatin, which was as rich and flavorful as it sounded. That was followed by an Eton Mess, my favorite British summer dessert (and one of my favorite English dishes in general).
2 Days in Bristol: Day 2
Bristol Zoo
The next morning my 2 days in Bristol continued with a trip to the Bristol Zoo. My entry was compliments of the Bristol Tourism Board.
I spent a good part of the morning at the zoo. My first priority was seeing the famous red pandas, which were climbing around their enclosure and looking as cute as ever.
I learned at the M Shed museum that Jasmina the red panda was voted the most beloved animal at the Bristol Zoo, and I couldn’t have agreed more.
After watching the red pandas for a while, I moved on to the lemurs, which were in an enclosure that people could walk into.
Not since my trip to Madagascar have I seen lemurs up close without a cage separating us. It was great to see them climbing and playing.
From the lemurs, I walked over to the penguins, seals, gorillas, pygmy hippos, and other flocks and herds. On my way out, I stopped by the cassowary, an elusive Australian bird that escaped me during my trip to Port Douglas years ago.
Bristol Lunch
Back in the city center, I enjoyed a quick lunch at a restaurant right on the waterfront. I bought a tuna sandwich at their deli and sat outside at a picnic table to enjoy my food and the views.
Bristol Sightseeing
Afterwards I hopped across the bridge to the Arnolfini museum to check out the contemporary art on show.
I still had a bit of time left after the museum, so I decided to walk along Castle Park, the site of a historic fortress in Bristol. From there I meandered up to Cabot Circus.
Cabot Circus in Bristol
Cabot Circus was an enormous retail complex, complete with pedestrianized streets and every high street shop imaginable.
It also hosted special events like the many deck chairs set up in front of a huge screen that was showing live Wimbledon tennis coverage.
Further along was a small sign for a church that John Wesley preached in before he set off for America and became famous during the Great Awakening.
2 Days in Bristol
From the church I made my way to my hotel to collect my bags and head to the train station. As I traveled back to London, I was sad to leave behind the Bristol sightseeing, restaurants, and shopping that I had enjoyed during my stay.
Now that I’m home, I’ll have to make a point of taking more overnight and day trips from London. I loved spending 2 days in Bristol, and I’m sure the same will be true for other parts of England.
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I love those mugs! We have two (mine says goddess, Rodolfo got alpha male) as well as a teapot, all of which were given to us. They just make me smile every time we use them.
I have to admit that I’ve never really given a thought to Bristol, but you make it look like a nice place to spend a couple days.
Thanks Emily! I thought the mugs were great, too! Bristol is definitely worth a visit if you get a chance next time you’re in the UK.
WOW! You have been to so many places! I just looked at the sidebar.
I am moving to London in September. I am excited to go to all these places.
That’s great that you’re moving to London in September. You will love it here!
It’s amazing
It’s a great city, isn’t it?