Do you know Bristol?

[SarahLovesMarmite]

Visiting Bristol for the weekend next month. Can anyone familiar with the city suggest the best location for a hotel? Only staying two nights, travelling by train and have never been before, so an area that's central for all the main things to see and do would be great (ie. I'm NOT looking for a quirky gem in the trendy suburbs). Don't have much idea about the geography of the city. Thanks.

I’ve recently stayed at The Bristol and the Hotel Du Vin. Have also stayed at the Radisson Blu. The former two were simply lovely. The Blu was pleasant enough

Take a look - all three are feasible walking distance from Temple Meads if you don’t have too much luggage but easier to jump in a taxi! Recommend Tare for a dinner and the Milk Thistle for late night drinks. 😊

Temple meads Station is a bit outside the city centre, so you'd be best off getting a hotel in the city centre and a taxi there, not a hotel near the station.

Ah that's really helpful to know Avocados - thank you. What would be a good central landmark to look for a hotel near?

The Radisson Blu would be the best location for me. Look for hotels near the harbourside/Bristol Cathedral. There's loads to do around there and you get get a bus very easily (the 8 or 9!) up to the North/downs/clifton/Bridge etc or down into town

chocauvin - thank you. These look lovely, but are probably a bit more than we plan to spend. It's only a girls weekend I've been charged with sorting out.

The problem with Bristol is it sprawls quite a bit. Temple meads is about a 10 minute walk to Cabot’s circus shopping then A 20 minute walk to the Hippodrome and further still from Clifton so it depends what sort of things you are wanting to do.

You can probably get a decent Airbnb around St Nick's market.

Travel lodge or Premier Inn.
The rooms are ok and you will be out all the time.

Have a look at Ibis Bristol Centre. It’s in the Harbourside development so very central for everything.

More questions:
Where is good for shopping?
And, in terms of getting about the city - do buses take cash fares, contactless, or do I have to buy some kind of travel pass?

You can use cash on the buses. If you are doing more than one ride it is worth getting a day rider ticket for basically the same cost as two singles. But if you are staying centrally, most of what you will probably want to see is within walking distance, unless you want to save yourself the walk up the hill to Clifton to see the suspension bridge.

The harbour ferry is a good way to see a bit of the city for cheap if it is a nice sunny day.

Shopping - depends what you want. Clifton has upmarket boutiquey things, there is a weekend market on the harbourside (by the tourist information office), St Nicholas Market is good for quirkier clothes and stuff (and street food) or if you want mainstream/branded clothes and make-up, then Cabot Circus has things like Urban Outfitters and House of Fraser.

You can even get the harbour ferry from Temple Meads to Millennium Square if you stay somewhere like the Ibis.

Try the premier Inn on King's St bs1

We stayed in the Radisson Blu and it was a great deal we got. Worth having a look. Got an upgrade to a business class room too. Amazing views. We got the train and in hindsight would've got on one of the tour buses at Templemeads that gives you a ticket that lasts a couple of days and you can hop on and off whenever you fancy. The Rad Blu is next door to Turtle Bay too which do AMAZING cocktails and nice food. Love Bristol. Have fun.

The YHA is near to the docks and quite swish I understand.

A good attraction which is central for google maps is Bristol Hippodrome. This is by the harbourside and in the middle of pretty much the Town area, central to the nightlife and also is right by park street which you can walk up to get to Clifton. As pp have said Clifton also have boutiquey shops, and it has cute cafes also.

Uber is also in Bristol so useful for getting around city centre.

There's a ferry that goes from behind Temple Meads station all the way to The Pump House pub by the Cumberland Basin. You can buy hop on hop off ticket. There's a stop by the SS Great Britain as well as at the end of St Augustine's Reach.
Shopping - Cabot Circus, Quakers Friars and Broadmead/The Galleries. The areas all run into each other. There's everything from one of the biggest Primark to Harvey Nichols. There's a Mall at Cribbs Causeway but it's a bus or car journey from the centre.
A word of warning. Once you're away from the harbourside it's bloody hilly.

Local custom dictates that when you get off a bus you must say "Cheers Drive".

Cribbs causeway is soulless. Don’t bother with that!

And a taxi MrsMoasty

You can use contactless payments on the buses now.

The Sack serviced apartments on Broad Quay are very central and very nice. As an alternative to a hotel. We live in Bristol, family came to visit and stayed there.

www.sacoapartments.com/serviced-apartments/uk/bristol/saco-bristol-broad-quay/

Saco. Not sack. Stupid phone.

The Harbour Hotel is very central too. And has a spa, if that is something you wanted.

www.harbourhotels.co.uk/bristol

We stayed at the Hampton by Hilton .. it's right near the shops and has parking ... the shopping is fab .. we had a great time there .

Travelodge Bristol Central was great.