Moving to Bristol

[BroganLee]

I am a youngish professional, moving to Bristol. Can anyone advise on nice areas to live, not to far from centre with local shops/amenities. I don't know Bristol at all, so don't really know which areas to to look in. TIA

Clifton is lovely if it's in your budget, especially the village. If not, around Gloucester Road is also nice but a bit more studenty

It depends what you mean by nice? Wealthy? Trendy? Hipster? Affordable?

And what your budget is. Do you want to rent or buy?

I live in Bristol, I love it! So much variety!

Clifton, Cotham and Redland if you have the budget. Totterdown, Bedminster, harbourside are good too. Nowhere is that cheap unfortunately! Downend is lovely and a bit cheaper but may be too far out for you

I'm in Bristol and it's impossible to say without your budget really

So up to 350K 1/2 bed and I suppose I mean safe for a single female.

You'd be looking at flats if you decided Clifton, Cotham or Redland.

Clifton/Redland

I know quite a few young professionals in bedminster who love it. It's a bit more 'up and coming' so you'd get more for your money. But echo Clifton and Redland as lovely, also westbury on trim is nice but a bit further out.

Emersons Green and Downend are 20-30 minutes' commute from the city centre.

Redcliffe and the Harbourside are centrally located.

Try Ashley down I’ve just looked on Rightmove 2 bed flats in your price range close to the Gloucester Road easy access to the city centre Victorian conversions safe area but cheaper than west of the Gloucester Road because of school catchment areas. I live in the locality although moving away shortly

You might also consider Bishopston, which is home to the bustling Gloucester Road shopping area, and not far from Redland/Cotham.

Where are you moving from? The reason I ask is I'm a Londoner here - over 10 years now - and I found settling in really hard as some areas, while nice with all the amenities I wanted and perfect on paper, just didn't have the vibe I wanted so I felt incredibly homesick and out of place.

I'm moving from Leeds. I'm used to a city but I do hear what you say about being lonely but I'm going to give it a try.

Where will you be working?

Emersons Green or Downend are nice but further out so you'll get more for your money.

I would rent first to get a vibe once you’re there.

Yes I will rent first as buying will take some time, I am sure, but I want to get on and look for something to buy.

I would say think about what you're used to, what you're happy to compromise on and what are deal breakers. I'm an inner city girl so I found some places to have a villagey vibe - Downend for example is nice but very white and conservative and wasn't for me. Plus there are other things to consider, do you drive/ cycle? The public transport here is mental: 30
min wait for buses in a city/ trains that don't appear. Crazy. On your budget there are options for flats in Bishopston, St Andrews, Redland, Stokes Croft/ Montpelier, Southville, Henleaze, parts of Clifton. For houses on that budget there’s Bedminster, Redfield, St George, St Werburghs, Brislington, Fishponds, some areas of Horfield/ Ashley Down (though AD is close to Gloucester Road so prices higher). Westbury on Trym is nice but quite villagey and further out. Long Ashton is really villagey but very close to the centre. Depends on what you want. If you are renting first though that’s an advantage so you can get a real feel for the city, especially if you’ll be living alone. We were lucky enough to do that. It’s a great city (bar the public transport, which after 10 years I still haven’t got over).

Yeah echoing the public transport - the buses are shocking at the moment, hopefully it's temporary. They've never been great but lately it's pretty awful, lots of cancellations. I'd try for somewhere within walking/cycling distance if possible - you'll save yourself a lot of stress!

Thank you everyone, this is incredibly helpful.

In your shoes I would look for a flat around the Harbourside, Clifton village, Southville area. All central and buzzy with lots going on.

The rental market in Bristol is bonkers at the moment, so might take a bit longer to find somewhere than you think.

Good luck op, Bristol is an amazing city!

How will you be commuting? There's no underground system or trams. It's just buses, trains, car, taxi , walk or cycle. Even the airport, if you need it is about 10 miles south of the city and isn't directly connected to the rail network (you have to get a bus or taxi into the city for onward connections).
Bristol is incredibly hilly, but despite that it has lots of cycle routes (including one off road one to Bath).

If you plan to commute by car, do bear in mind that Bristol's Clean Air Zone scheme comes into effect this autumn.

www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/streets-travel/bristols-caz/charges-and-vehicle-checker

Where are you working? Traffic is crazy at times so this makes a difference. There's some suburban rail routes. I live out on the channel which we prefer, 35 mins by bus into the city centre but more laid back vibe with good pub and restaurants

The commute into Bristol on the M32 is a nightmare every morning it's at a absolute stand still so if you need to use this route for work everyday you need to factor that into your daily routine.