6 must visit sightseeing spots

Clifton Suspension Bridge 

Bristol’s grade one-listed bridge was completed in the year 1864 based on a design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and can be found at the edge of Clifton Village where it spans the Avon Gorge, joining Bristol and North Somerset (all essential pub quiz knowledge). For a more scenic route, take the winding paths scaling the Avon Gorge from Clifton Downs for some great photographic opportunities. 

Cabot Tower 

Standing at 105 foot on Brandon Hill is Cabot Tower, commemorating John Cabot’s voyage from Bristol to North America in 1497. Just off Park Street, Brandon Hill offers a perfect picnic destination and if you’re feeling more adventurous it’s worth climbing to the top of the tower to get an excellent view of Bristol.  

Wills Memorial Building 

If you’re a Bristol Uni student, you will most certainly walk past this building on a weekly, if not daily, basis and will graduate here. The foreboding building pays homage to Henry Overton Wills III, whose family helped establish the university in 1876. Tours of the tower are run on the first Saturday and Wednesday of the month at a reduced rate for students, so get yourselves up there. 

Gloucester Road 

Continuing northwards from Stokes Croft and Cheltenham Road, Gloucester Road has the greatest number of independent shops of any road in the UK, so it’s worth a visit if you’re looking for those one-off kind of purchases. If you’re interested in Bristol’s graffiti scene, it also offers an array of bold designs for a cultured day out. 

SS Great Britain 

First launched in 1843, the SS Great Britain is another of Brunel’s influential designs: the first ever iron-hulled and propeller-driven steamship in the world. During its near 100 years of service, Brunel’s ship was the first iron steamer ship to cross the Atlantic and carried thousands of emigrants to Australia. The ship now stands in the Great Western Dockyard along Bristol’s famous and scenic harbour.  

Banksy 

Bristol is a hot spot for so much of Banksy’s work and his pieces can be found all over the city from Park Street to the Bristol Marina. Banksy’s street art has become highly renowned and is a must-see in Bristol where his work started. To make a day of it, a Banksy walking tour can be found at www.visitbristol.co.uk

Alternatively, if you want to go all out on the tourist front, Bristol has its very own City Sightseeing Tour bus which gives you an hour and a half whistlestop tour of Bristol in one hit. The bus can be picked up at different spots all over the city, with the main stop at Broad Quay near the Harbourside and offers student-rate tickets. This is a great way to see the city, figure out where everything is and see all the best tourist spots in one day.