Bristol at a Glance
Bristol is one of the most fashionable and trendiest cities in the UK with everything to offer its visitors, culture and history, fun, charm and a uniqueness that will draw you to the city over and over again. A huge regeneration, especially around the original city centre docks, has created a vibrant atmosphere that draws tourists, sightseers and city dwellers to its many attractions and popular venues. The city's cosmopolitan feel is mainly due to its harbour-side location, a key feature of the city and a great place to hang out people watching from one of the many waterside cafes.
There are plenty of venues and places of interest to discover in this fascinating city, from stylish restaurants and cafes to smart clubs and bars it is no wonder tourists, both local and international, flock here at weekends in droves, drawn to the famous clubbing scene or just to hang out at the latest bars. Home to the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England it has a large student population to cater for and this is reflected in the enormous amount of bars and clubs on offer. For an entertaining night out Bristol has 5 casinos to choose from, Gala Casino is one of Bristol's leading casinos, Grosvenor Casino offers an unbeatable gaming experience , Triangle Casino has a boutique, upmarket atmosphere and Stanley Annabelle Casino is a popular city centre casino.
Bristol is an interesting place to explore as it has several separate areas each revealing an individual appeal and character. In central Bristol, Broadmead is popular with shoppers and tourists for its array of malls and designer boutiques, restaurants and cafes. Cabot circus shopping centre just opened last year and is already one of the main attractions for visitors to the city as it contains over 120 shops, dining venues and a multiplex cinema.
For those interested in history and culture, The Old City is not too far from Broadmead and a fascinating place to explore as many parts of it remain the same as it was centuries ago. Christmas Steps appeals to all for its architecture and cobbled streets, take time to discover the quaint shops with unique items on sale. Stop by St Nicholas Market to pick up some fresh produce, and for a cold glass of ale there is the historical Llandoger Trow pub.
Originally working docks, the Harbourside has now been transformed into a contemporary area with restaurants, bars, shops and hotels and offices. The Bristol ferry is a peaceful way of seeing this area of the city from another angle and check out Explore-At-Bristol and Millennium Square, Brunel's ss Great Britain, the Watershed Media Centre and Arnolfini Gallery for an insight into the city's history and exhibits on science, contemporary art, photography and cinema.
A lot of original music has evolved in Bristol, punk bands from the 70's, trip hop in the 90's and drum & bass made famous by the likes of Tricky, Portishead and Massive Attack, Roni Size and DJ Krust. If you like to see something original, the city is famous for its live music venues, Fiddlers, Victoria Rooms, St George's, The Old Duke, the Fleece and Firkin and the Louisiana all have live music on various nights of the week.
Musicians aren't the only talent to come out of Bristol. Archibald Leach, or better known as Cary Grant, was born in Horfield, Jeremy Irons, John Cleese, J K Rowling, Damien Hirst and Keith Floyd are all familiar names and originate from here. John Harvey set up a wine importing business in Bristol in the 19th Century, before inventing a new blend of sherry known as Harvey's Bristol Cream. And Banksy is a notorious local graffiti artist legendary all over the world for his street art. Some of his pieces have been sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds, and top collectors of his type of art include Hollywood A-listers and celebrities.
