*(features press stay)
A couple of weekends ago I visited Bristol for the weekend. It was my second ever visit to the city, and after deliberating the perfect spot for a short break away (which had to fit the brief of ‘relatively short train from London on a Friday night, with plenty of things to do within close proximity’), we settled on this beautiful city. And so, with an M&S picnic in tow caught our post work train from Paddington for a weekend in the west country.
Admittedly, and upon reflection- Bristol is the kind of place you could easily spend a week, never mind a weekend. I don’t think there was a moment I wasn’t checking my map for places nearby I wanted to pop by (of which there were many) and I’ve come to realise that realistically speaking, there are simply not enough meals in a day to pack in even a handful of the delicious places there are to eat here (and that’s with three good meals a day and ample bakery visits in-between)…
With humbug balconies, sorbet-coloured houses flanking the hilly landscapes and riverside and an undeniable fizz across the city that truly champions community, art and all things independent; Bristol has the perfect marriage of culture, cuisine and everything in between.
And although it’s undeniably a student city, there’s a real life here that means you’re very likely to be swept along stream with the buzz and excitement of what it is to be here (even if you do find yourself saying ‘ah, isn’t it nice to see the young people having fun!’ as you head back to your room at 10:30pm on a Saturday night as everyone starts heading out). It’s very much shot up to one of my favourite places in the UK to spend a weekend, and so I thought I’d share our little itinerary below if you fancy planning something similar! It felt like a gorgeous time of year to mooch around the neighbourhoods, sit outside cafes for coffees, cakes and people watching as well as admire the vibrant daffodils and fluffy blossoms making their grand yearly appearances.
So if you’re planning something similar; here’ our little itinerary (with everywhere we’d head back to with more time on our next visit, too)- enjoy!
Friday:
Staying: Clifton Boho Apartments on Kip*
- Having only ever stayed in the city centre before, I was a bit of a novice as to where would be a good place to stay- but thankfully Kip swept in like my knight in accommodation-laden armour and presented me with the perfect pad, in the shape of the ‘Clifton Boho Apartments’, which truly had us quickly feeling like locals. Now, I don’t want to be dramatic at all, but when I say I had to investigate the duvet and pillow labels before leaving because we slept so well I am counting it as a necessary action and not a heady act of a well slept woman- but my GOD, the beds! The bath! It was the perfect place to set off from each day (a stone’s throw away from the Clifton Suspension Bridge and Clifton Village) and a truly heavenly spot to come back to after racking up a significant step count. The beautiful interiors oozed a true sun-drenched joy that even if you aren’t lucky enough to wake with the sun streaming through your window, you’ll likely come away wanting to redecorate and adopt some serious interiors ideas. A dream!
Dinner: Pizzucci
- After arriving as bedtime rolled around, it was Gardener’s World and a takeaway pizza ahead of a big day of exploring. Rumour had it that Pizzucci pizzas were something to write home about and their crispy thin bases, rich sauce and cloud-like-crusts were the perfect addition to a night with Mike and Monty.
Saturday:
AM
- Mooch to Clifton Suspension Bridge (beautiful on a sunny day), before heading down to Clifton Village.
Breakfast: Burra, Clifton Village
- Burra was one place that came up a lot when I was offered some very kind Bristol recommendations, and in the heart of Clifton Village– it is an *ideal* people watching, and more importantly, dog watching spot to have breakfast. Although on a Saturday morning it was touch and go as to whether we’d get a table we were granted the perfect window seat and tucked into sweet coconutty granola and pastries as we watched the world go by (it was so good we went to the North Street one for our Sunday eggs)!
Mid Morning:
- Post breakfast it was a wander around Clifton Village; dipping into the charity shops and peppering of antique shops. Focus on the Past and Rachel’s and Michael’s Antiques were my favourites (especially the latter for the magpie in me)!
- We then headed towards Cotham Hill. If I learnt one thing it was that I could quite easily just mooch around the neighbourhoods here. If my appetite had no bounds I would have headed into Fed here, but popped into some more charity shops and continued to soak it all up!
PM
Lunch: Little Hollows
- If you want a good lunch, it’s clear that a stop off at Chando’s Road is a bit of a must. Stopping at nothing to seek out great pasta, we cuddled up at Little Hollows and filled up on their signature agnolotti and ragu which were heaven, of course.
Late Afternoon:
- Okay, okay we couldn’t do more than one meal along here, but we could make a cake stop at Wilson’s Bread Shop which we very much did. We were also told that they’ve just introduced wine and oyster evenings on a Saturday too, which sound very fancy!
- After lunch it was a slow meander to Gloucester Road where Rhubarb Jumble (amazing vintage and adorable accessories) and UStudio (the most incredible selection of curated lifestyle) were on the agenda, as well as popping our heads into a handful of the charming book, health and nick-nack shops.
Dinner: Bristol Lido
- Oh this place! The Lido is truly the most magical spot in the heart of the city, which I’m sure you could blink and you’d walk past it. If I’d have been more organised I would have loved to book a swim and sauna session here, but dinner and their small plates menu truly didn’t disappoint. It was so gorgeous to sit and watch people enjoy an evening dip, and I bet this place is absolutely glistening on a sunny bright morning.
After Dinner: The Lanes
- Because there is nothing as fun as finding a great place to bowl in a new place, The Lanes were the perfect place for some after dinner fun. Doubling up as a gig venue (where we were lucky to catch some brilliant music from Blvck Hippy), it had such a fun vibe and was such a lovely place for a game or two (plus, it’s opposite Rough Trade which also looked like a great spot for a drink too- they always have amazing in-stores).
Sunday:
AM
- After check out, we found somewhere to drop our bags off for the day. We then popped into Heron Books which is the most gorgeous book shop in Clifton.
Breakfast: Tobacco Factory
- Although we ended up revisiting Burra for a proper breakfast, that wasn’t before we’d done an essential cake run at the Tobacco Factory and explored the market stalls on a sunny Sunday. North Street and around Bedminster really feels like the place to be on a nice weekend in Bristol, and given more planning we could have definitely tried to catch one of their brilliant events too.
Mid Morning/Early Afternoon:
- Post breakfast, it was time to tick off some of the beautiful shops on North Street. Mon Pote was an absolute treasure trove of everything, literally EVERYTHING beautiful (to say I could have spent a fortune would be an understatement), A New Tribe for creative and considered lifestyle brands and goods, Bristol General Store for the most excellent clothing selection (a.k.a a tonne of Le Bon Shoppe and the loveliest staff) and Friendly Records for a good old-fashioned tinker through the collection.
- From North Street, we walked over towards Wapping Wharf. Unfortunately, we didn’t have lots of time to spend here, but loved being beside the water and seeing all of the gorgeous things going on- next time I’d love to head back to M Shed, which I’ve been told is brilliant.
- Finally, our last stretch was into the centre, via the Quay and up Park Street for a mosey; before heading back to the station.
Although we only scratched the surface, I feel like we covered some really lovely ground on this trip. I would have loved to see more, but for a relaxing weekend somewhere you can’t do it all, can you?! There definitely has to be a line between trying to do it all and actually soaking it in, and I think we just about got the balance right (what’s nicer than a weekend of good food, good shops and some bowling?!)
I’ve popped below a handful of spots we didn’t quite make it to but were starred on my map, just in case (and so I don’t forget them for next time)!
S P O T S O F N O T E
The Mayflower for Dim Sum, Dragon (next to IKEA), COR, Kask Wine, Farro, Hart’s Bakery, Under the Stars, Paco Tapas, Salt and Malt, Pasta Ripiena, The Bristol Loaf, Swoon Gelato, Rova, Park St., Guild of Dough, East Village Vegan Cafe, Sonny Stores, Fed, M Shed, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery King St. & Sparks.
(I can also confirm the wonderful Elly Pear has some excellent suggestions too, and is a true Bristol legend)!
x
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