Tag Archives: Saftey

Top Things To Know About Visiting Bristol

The top things to know about visiting Bristol are not only interesting, but can also help you prepare for your trip in West Country’s unofficial capital.  Bristol remains one of England’s top tourist destinations, despite the devastating legacy of the war.  And with its laidback vibe backed by great music, Bristol is a place you will definitely enjoy staying in.

Here are some of the top things to know about visiting Bristol, so pack your Carlton travel luggage, get your plane, train or bus ticket, and get ready to enjoy one of England’s most interesting cities!

streets of Bristol

Great music scene.  If you’re into music, then Bristol is one of the places you should definitely visit.  Some of the greatest acts in the music scene have their humble beginnings here in Bristol, such as Massive Attack and Portishead.  While it was once the backwater of the British music scene back in the 80’s, it is now considered Britain’s most musical city in 2010.  To date, its music scene is still as vibrant as ever.

Get free maps.  If you’d like to travel around Bristol without joining one of those packaged tours, you can grab a free map from the Visit Bristol website, the city’s official tourism website.  You can also get the distinctive Blue A3 tourist maps from the Tourist Information Centre, the library, shops and the Temple Meads railway station.  These maps cover the city centre, the Harbourside and Clifton.

It’s a year round tourist destination.  One of the top things to know about visiting Bristol is that it’s a year-round tourist destination with something to look forward to the entire year.  There’s a great number of celebrations and festivals spread out the entire year, so you won’t miss out on anything when you visit the city anytime you please.  There is also some beautiful countryside around Bristol to enjoy.

Watch out for drunken brawls.  Friday and Saturday nights may not only mean a vibrant night life in Bristol but also a night for isolated drunken brawls especially during closing time.  But thanks to the heavy police presence in the city centre, this has been significantly reduced.

Scammers and drug peddlers.  While Bristol is generally a safe tourist destination, there are areas that need to be avoided especially during the wee hours of the morning.  Stay out of Baldwin Street at around 11:00 PM to 2:00 AM.

In addition, watch out for people selling you drugs.  Often, these people don’t have drugs with them and will instead give you a bogus parcel and run-off with your money.  They also have knives, so it’s best to avoid them at all costs.