A weekend in Bristol
We escaped to Bristol for a weekend with friends. A rare kid-free weekend where we could wander, stop for food and drinks, take in the sights and not carry a rucksack full of snacks!!
It isn’t very often we adventure without the children. But sometimes it is a lovely treat to take a time out and have a bit of a grown up adventure.
Bristol is a great city for a break away. Although I have to say it has an incredible amount of stuff for kids, and we will definitely head back again soon with the Adventure Boys.
Why head to Bristol for a city break?
Our location in the south west makes Bristol a really easy city to reach, meaning we don’t have to spend ages travelling. But whatever your location, I would definitely say Bristol makes for a fab city destination with or without children.
There is a lovely feel to the city, with the large waterways, harbour-side eateries, cocktail bars, a lovely old town, beautiful buildings, some great museums, lots for children to see and do, and a huge number of places to stay.
Our weekend in Bristol:
- We spent our first afternoon wandering around the waterfront area grabbing some lunch and exploring the old town. There are some lovely parks and squares to wander through in this area including Castle Park and Queens Square.
- There are lots of eateries and cool cocktail bars in and around the waterside area. We ate on a boat moored close to the Bristol Hippodrome (another fab destination to watch a show). The food was wonderful; tapas as good as in Spain! And sunshine to make us believe we could have been. The menu is lovely at Under the Stars and it is a lovely space to spend a couple of relaxing hours.
- There are lots of bars, we opted to treat ourselves to a cocktail at the Gold Bar – this place is incredible. The former bank managers office is now an opulent bar with a cool speak-easy vibe. Lovely for a special occasion (it was a weekend away for mine and my friend’s birthdays so we thought this was the perfect excuse!)
- We wandered through the old parts of Bristol taking in the sights including Corn Street, St Nicholas Market with the Glass Arcade, Queens Square, and Castle Park. There is plenty to see and great if you’re in to photography as it is really picturesque.
- We had a gorgeous evening meal at Aqua, an Italian restaurant near Queens square and a short walk from Castle Park in one direction and the water front in the other.
- We spent Sunday doing lots of walking to take in more of this beautiful city… We loved the College Green area of the city with the lovely Cathedral and great independent shops and eateries nearby.
- From here we crossed the water and walked past the M Shed to the SS Great Britain. There is so much history in this area of the city and children would love it. There are old railway lines and trucks, and lots of reminders of Bristol’s incredible industrial past. The M Shed is a museum about Bristol’s past, and looks brilliant. We are keen to go back there with the children. The SS Great Britain is amazing and you can pre book or purchase tickets on the day. Another one we have on our list to do with the Adventure Boys!
- Further back along the water from here, is a really cool area of Bristol called Wapping Wharf. This is a new and really vibrant part of the city with homes and independent businesses. Part of the area is entirely made up of shipping containers that have been converted in to independent shops and eateries. There is such a variety of food and drink on offer and it has a lovely vibe. We enjoyed drinks and sweet treats at the lovely Mokoko. You can find out more about Cargo -this area of Wapping Wharf here
We spent the weekend with friends to celebrate our birthdays! Clare is editor of a great site which has brilliant tips and inspiration for travel, from city breaks to family holidays. You can get some inspiration at the Travel Daily.
Happy holidays, Emma x
