Visit Bristol For Culture and Heritage

By Jannice Short


South West England is home to Bristol, an attractive University City. Bristol draws more than 9 million visitors annually. Its tourism is expanding steadily and the City is currently a top ten destination to visit in England. Bristol is an easy place to get to because of its excellent rail, road and international airport links.

With such an interesting mix of culture and heritage, Bristol is an extremely vibrant and fun place. It still has a great deal of character despite suffering heavy blitzes in World War 2. Well worth a visit is the Victorian ocean liner SS Great Britain which is situated in the the old harbour area.

Famous Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, had an important part in the design and creation of the floating harbour in Bristol. The twice daily tide has zero effect on boats inside the harbour due to an ingenious locked gate system. Isambard Kingdom Brunel additionally designed the world famous Clifton suspension bridge which has become an iconic symbol for Bristol and an extremely popular place to visit. This truly stunning bridge sits high above the Avon River , spanning the cliffs of the ancient Avon Gorge, offering spectacular views over the gorge and the city beyond. It is remarkable at night when lit up.

Bristol is a really popular place for nights out, it has a exciting club scene with a great selection of cutting edge designer bars, public houses, nightclubs and restaurants. Developed in the early 1990's, was trip-hop. It is a blend of hip hop and electronica that began in Bristol and remains popular on todays music scene. The famous Bristol local artist Bansky created and inspired a number of murals in the area which have since become popular attractions.

There is also a great theatre opportunity because Bristol hosts one of the UK's top theatres, the Bristol Hippodrome, where major productions are staged along with world premieres of various shows and musicals.

You will find a wide range of shopping opportunities including The most recent shopping area at Cabot Circus features over 120 retail outletsand you will find hundreds more in the neighbouring Broadmead area. There is also a completely individual selection of unusual and quirky independent stores in the popular Gloucester Road area.

One of the largest free festivals in the UK is held at Bristol harbour at the end of July, making this a great time to visit. Currently in its 40th year, it is Bristol's most impressive event with a variety of musicand street theatre.

Each August, another fun, free, family event, the British Annual Balloon Fiesta, is held at the country estate of Ashton Court. The Bristol skies fill with a display of vibrant and colourful hot air balloons. You will also find camel races and a large funfair.

Whatever you are seeking Bristol will be sure to tick the box.




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