Things to do in Bristol Old City – what to see and where to eat

The Bristol Old City quarter is one of the best places to soak up Bristol’s history as a thriving port. Ships from all over the world would arrive laden with wines, rum and sugar to be unloaded on the quayside. Peek through the doors of the elegant buildings of Corn Street and you’ll see the lofty banking halls that reflected the city’s wealth and importance.

Now these buildings have been turned into bars and restaurants that you can enjoy. Stroll along the cobbled streets by the river and have a drink in the old pubs that were a favorite haunt of sailors and pirates. I love writing about all the things to do in Bristol old town, so read on for my personal guide to the Old City of Bristol.

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Let’s start from Bristol’s Harbourside

My weekend Bristol old city walk started at the fountains on St Augustine’s Parade, which are easy to find opposite the Hippodrome. As you stand on this spot, the harbourside is straight ahead.

You may not realise that the water once extended much further into the old town of Bristol. Where you are standing would once have been a busy quayside with a forest of masts, as ships unloaded their cargo from all over the world.

You’ll get a feel for the narrow cobbled alleyways of past centuries in old Bristol if you walk up Christmas Steps which once led up the hill from the harbour.

Read More: 10 cool things to do in Bristol Harbourside

Corn Street – the heart of Bristol Old City

From the fountains you can walk up Corn Street, into the heart of Bristol’s Old City. Here is where where much of the business and commerce took place. Be sure to look up at the impressive buildings that were built by the banks and financial institutions of Bristol.

Now transformed into bars and restaurants, you can still get a feel for the wealth if you pop into some of them. Check out the Cosy Club, The Commercial rooms, Pizza Express and the Sansovino Hall of the Harbour Hotel. All are former banking halls with lofty skylights and decorative plaster-work.

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Corn Street is now pedestrianized and still buzzing, although not with commercial activity. There’s more of a lively bar and restaurant scene as well as regular street markets.

As I wandered through on a weekend there was a flea market selling antiques, vintage clothes and collectables. You’ll also find the Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays and the Street-Food Market on Tuesday and Friday.

If you reach the end of Corn Street and turn left into Small Street, you’ll find more impressive old buildings. Many were associated with the law courts and chambers. Their narrow openings lead through to courtyards and alleyways that look positively Dickensian.

We’ll explore this street in a bit but first it’s time to visit St Nicholas Market, which was the old Corn Exchange. This is where the merchants came to trade. Outside you can still see the metal tables where they made their deals, known as The Nails. It’s where the expressions “to pay on the nail” came from.

Read More: 25 Fun things to do in Bristol with your friends

St Nicholas Market – quirky shopping in the Old City of Bristol

Inside the Corn Exchange the room is packed with stalls of small traders. There’s a festival feel with a waft of incense in the air, silver jewellery and colorful scarves and clothes on sale. This is the place that local businesses selling handmade or specialist items start out. You’re bound to find something unique and unusual.

On the far side of the Corn Exchange building is the Glass Arcade. This comes alive around lunchtime as locals come to buy their lunch from their favorite food vendors.

Each stall sells something different, from salads and fresh juices, to sausages and pulled pork. You’ll also find Caribbean, Moroccan and Portuguese flavours. The market’s open on Saturday but closes on Sunday and in the evening, so the market is best for a lunchtime visit.

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Places to eat in Bristol Old City

The streets around St Nicholas Market are packed with unusual cafés, bars and restaurants. So, even when the food market’s closed there’s always something good to eat.

Want a taste of the fantastic places to eat in Bristol? Try the Eat Walk Talk food tour which is a great way to dip into Bristol’s food culture. The tour stops at different places around the Old City so you’ll always get a different flavour.

While I was out exploring on at the weekend I tried out a couple of places that would make great lunchtime stops. At the end of St Stephen’s Street is TukTuck, a small café that sells Asian street food to eat at their inside tables. Or, order some to take out and perhaps eat in Castle Park.

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I ordered the Korean Bibimbap bowl of cooked rice topped with lightly cooked vegetables, shredded chicken, egg and some hot sauces to mix in to taste. It was very tasty and excellent value and my whole lunch was just under £11.

There are lots of other dishes such as Japanese gyoza dumplings, Kimbap (a Korean version of sushi) and Thai red curry. I saw lots of veggie and vegan choices on the menu too.

If you enjoy Asian food there’s plenty of choice in Bristol Old City so look out for Eatchu and Chilli Daddy in St Nicholas Market. Try Pho on Corn Street as well as Dangun on St Nicholas Street recently opened by the same owners as TukTuck.

Bristol’s burger culture

Another place I’d been wanting to try for ages is Burger Theory, which is on St Stephen’s Street. I’d heard they serve some of the best burgers in Bristol.

There’s a bit of a burger culture in Bristol, with lots of places that serve juicy pink beef patties served with tempting toppings. If you’re out and about in other neighborhoods of Bristol look out for The Burger Joint, Asado and Oowee if you love a proper juicy burger.

Burger Theory brand themselves as The Creative Burger people. They make all their burgers, sauces and pickles on site, using locally sourced and high welfare meat. The place had a nice atmosphere and relaxed vibe, with an outside area of tables too.

I ordered a Down n Dirty burger with a juicy beef patty topped with crispy bacon, melted cheddar, pink pickled onions and dirty burger sauce. They offered a choice of brioche, Italian herb, seeded wholemeal or gluten free bun.

I was really happy with my super juicy burger oozing with cheese and toppings and in danger of splattering the front of my shirt, just as you’d hope for in a good burger.

Street Art in Bristol Old City

After a great lunch I continued my wander around Bristol’s Old City Quarter along Small Street. This is where the law courts and legal chambers of Bristol were traditionally based.

Heading down Small Street will take you to the old gate and part of Bristol’s medieval city wall. Here you can pass through the arch under the church of St John in the Wall.

Read More: Bristol Street Art – so much more than Banksy

Beyond the city gate is Nelson Street, where you’ll find quite a few impressive street art murals. These murals were created as part of the See No Evil Street Art Festival that took place in 2011 and 2012.

The festival was a popular celebration of Bristol’s street-art culture. It was later replaced by Upfest, the Urban Arts festival that takes place in summer in the Bedminster neighborhood south of the city.

If you enjoy Street Art you should visit the Upfest Gallery on North Street. Here you can see the murals created during the festival when international street artists come from all over the world.

Stokes Croft

Stokes Croft is another area where you can see Bristol’s famous Street art scene and is around 10 minutes away from the Nelson Street murals. It’s also worth taking a street art tour with Where The Wall. They take you past the best street art murals that you may not find as a visitor and tell you the stories of each piece and the artists behind them.

Check out this ultimate walking tour of Bristol – from Blackbeard to Banksy: A fun, informative and educational tour through 1000 years of history and Bristol’s wealth of street art

Castle Park in Bristol Old City

As you walk back along Small Street you’ll be heading towards Bristol Bridge, the original bridge across the river. This gave Bristol it’s name of Brigstowe – the place by the river.

Old drawings show that the medieval bridge was much wider than the current stone bridge. There were shops along both sides and houses closely packed along the river.

This part of old Bristol was heavily bombed during the war. The houses overlooking the river had to be demolished and instead the area was made into Castle Park.

In the centre of the green space sits the shell of St Peter’s church, left as a memorial to the civilians who lost their lives in the bombings. The park is a beautiful place to walk or relax on the grass in summer. It’s a popular spot for locals working in nearby offices to come in the lunch-hour or after work.

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Behind the church are stone sculptures as part of a water feature. Running along one side is a Physic garden, modeled on the medieval gardens that would be packed with herbs and medicinal plants used in cooking and healing. The scented garden is at its most beautiful at this time of year, with the roses and poppies blooming among the tangle of herbs and summer wild flowers.

If you want to explore across the river, the snaking footbridge, named Castle Bridge was recently completed to connect Castle Park with the Finzels Reach development on the other side.

Old Inns and Warehouses in Old Town of Bristol

Enjoy a wander in Castle Park (it’s a good place for a picnic), then walk back to Bristol Bridge and continue along the cobbled street by the river known as Welsh Back. Along this stretch are several boats and barges made into restaurants, such as Three Brothers serving burgers, craft beers and cider and The Apple, specialising in ciders.

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This quarter of Bristol Old City was once full of warehouses and was a favorite drinking spot for the sailors who landed in Bristol’s harbour. You may notice the blackened timber beams of the Llandoger Trow that was built in the 17th century.

Llandoger Trow is thought to be the inn mentioned in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island as where the young hero Jim Hawkins comes across a pirate’s treasure map. There are information signs around here for the Treasure Island Trail which follows the Bristol places mentioned in the Treasure Island book.

On a summer evening it’s a great place to sit outside on the wooden tables between the pubs. You may hear some jazz wafting from The Old Duke which is just opposite.

Along King Street you’ll see old buildings from different centuries. There’s the Georgian Bristol Old Vic Theatre which has undergone a complete renovation, to Victorian decorative brick warehouse buildings.

Many have swing arms at the upper windows that would have been used to hoist cargo up into their lofts. There are plenty of historic pubs and bars here if you want to spend an evening supping ale or West Country cider.

Queens Square in Old Bristol

Set behind Welsh Back is Queens Square, with grass, gravel walks and a central statue of King William III. It’s surrounded by shady mature trees and elegant Georgian buildings that are now mainly used as offices.

This area was marshy land in medieval times, but once it was drained the square was laid out in the 1720s, with houses built by wealthy Bristol merchants. In the 1820s many of the houses were destroyed during the Bristol riots, but were later rebuilt. The square is now a pleasant place to walk and admire the old houses or sit with a picnic, often also hosting festivals and events.

Check out this Bristol self-guided sightseeing audio tour

At one corner of Queens Square you’ll find the Hole in the Wall pub. This favorite sailor’s haunt was mentioned in Treasure Island and was known for having two entrances and a round “Spyglass” window. Through this window someone could keep watch for press gangs who might try take the sailors by force while they were drinking.

Walking back across Queen’s Square, you’ll find yourself back by the the harbourside where we started our walk around Bristol’s Old City. There’s lots to see in Bristol’s Old City and I hope that my guide has helped you dip into the city’s past as a bustling port and thriving commercial centre, while having a bite to eat and a drink or two along the way.

Where to stay in Bristol Old Town

If you’re looking for a place to stay in Bristol’s Old City Quarter there’s plenty of choice and here are a few that I’d suggest to suit all budgets.

Click here to check prices and book for more hotels in Bristol

Luxury Hotel in Bristol – The Harbour Hotel

For luxury take a look at The Harbour Hotel on Corn Street, a boutique hotel formed from two old banks. The rooms are colorful and individually designed, with luxurious bathrooms and some with roll-top baths. In the old bank vaults is the hotel’s urban spa and you should definitely have a cocktail in the Gold Bar and dinner in their Jetty restaurant specialising in seafood.

Check prices and book for The Harbour Hotel | Read my review of The Harbour Hotel

Mid-range Hotel in Bristol – Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel

The honey stone hotel on Small Street has recently gone through a complete refurbishment. Rooms are contemporary but nod to the hotel’s Victorian heritage, as well as a bit of street art thrown in through their collaboration with Upfest.

Check prices and book for Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel | Read my review of the Bristol Grand Hotel

Boutique Guest House in Bristol – Brooks Guest House Bristol

Brooks Guest House is one of my favorite boutique guest houses within St Nicholas Market. There’s a courtyard garden and silver Rocket caravans on the roof that you can also stay in.

Check prices and book for Brooks Guest House | Read this review from Me and B make Tea

For more Bristol hotel options read this article Where to stay in Bristol

More information on visiting Bristol and Bristol Old City

For lots of information on visiting Bristol check out the official tourism website of Visit Bristol. When you arrive there’s a tourist information centre in the harbourside, next to the Watershed Arts Centre. Here you can pick up leaflets, get advice and book tickets for many of the tours in Bristol.

Need a guide book for Bristol? We recommend The Rough Guide to Bath, Bristol & Somerset.

If you’re visiting other parts of Great Britain, you’ll find all the information you need on the Visit Britain website.

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About Crooked

This article is brought to you in partnership with Crooked alcoholic sodas. My choice was the Midnight Stage which is a mix of blood orange and passion fruit and I found it fruity and light with a natural soda taste. The other flavours available are raspberry and lime Dayglo Skies or peach and pomegranate Mother Moon.

The Crooked alcoholic sodas are made with natural ingredients and are not as sweet as some other alcoholic sodas, so are ideal if you want something light and fresh and I could imagine drinking these at a summer picnic or festival.

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This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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