Holiday rentals in Bristol

Whether for its independent spirit, thriving music scene, or the beauty of the surrounding landscapes, Bristolians rave about their city, and many folks dream of moving here. As a centre for creative industries, with a focus on sustainable living, hippyish undertones, and a rebellious, revolutionary edge, Bristol is an exciting place to be. And it’s gorgeous, too, with many green parks and a lively harbourside of wharfs and boatyards, overlooked by the candy-coloured houses of Cliftonwood.

Art galleries and historic attractions abound: Clifton Observatory, the M Shed history museum, and Brunel’s SS Great Britain, the world’s first great ocean liner, are just a few things to keep travellers busy. The Gloucester Road and Stokes Croft neighbourhoods bristle with fiercely innovative independent stores and bars, a new generation of plant-based restaurants caters to vegans, and the LGBTQ+ scene is buzzing.

And if you have time to look up and look out, you’ll see Bristol got lucky geography-wise, too. Dramatic countryside circles the city: Somerset’s incredible Cheddar Gorge, the Mendip Hills, the Cotswolds, and over the Bristol Channel, South Wales’ Brecon Beacons National Park and the luscious Wye Valley.

Bristol is an outdoorsy place, so to make the most of the pedestrianised areas, the harbour, and adventures into the surrounding scenery, come when the weather’s good, which could be a crisp autumn day or frosty winter. Great stuff happens all year but most spectacular is the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in August, when more than 100 colourful hot-air balloons float to the skies above Ashton Court. In May, a month-long walking festival sees dozens more guided and themed walks than the rather hefty usual, plus there’s the Gert Lush vintage cycling festival (“gert lush” is Bristolian slang for “great”). In September the Foodies Festival features food stalls, chef demos, and kids’ classes, while December is when Westonbirt, the National Arboretum lights up its colossal collection of 2,500 tree species with illuminated forest trails.

Cycling out of town

There’s tons of lovely cycling in the area, but a popular route is to bike out west through Clifton, whizz around the Downs — a vast area of parkland on the edge of the city — then along the River Avon, passing the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge and riding the trails of Leigh Woods.

Music and street art

From ’70s reggae and the trip-hop acts of the 1990s to the freshest DJs today, Bristol’s talented offspring have made a big impact on its identity. Hear them in a huge range of clubs and see work by the world’s most famous graffiti artist on buildings and passageways all over town.

Surfing

It turns out you don’t have to live in Australia to go surfing in a city. The Wave just north of Bristol is a manmade, inland surf wave, where technology creates more than 1,000 waves an hour in a 200-metre pool — as many rideable waves as you’d get during eight hours in the sea.