Bristol · South West England, United Kingdom
10 Best Bristol Tours & Things to Do
The best things to do in Bristol, ranked by real traveller reviews: cross Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge above the Avon Gorge, board the SS Great Britain in the dry dock where she was built, hunt Banksy originals through Stokes Croft and the harbourside, eat your way round St Nicholas Market, drink West Country cider in the Old City — and day-trip to Bath, Cheddar Gorge and Stonehenge. Compare guided walks, harbour tours and day trips side by side, most with free cancellation.
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Ranked · updated October 2026
The 10 best tours in Bristol
Every bookable Bristol experience ranked by what travellers say: average rating weighted by the number of reviews, so a 4.9 from a dozen people doesn't beat a 4.8 from two thousand. Near-identical tours from different operators appear once.
| # | Tour | Rating | Duration | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Air Raid Shelter + St. Nicholas Market Walking Tour | ★ 5.0 (2,202) | 2 hours | $17 |
| 2 | TreeTops Adventure Bristol | ★ 5.0 (247) | 1h 30min | $32 |
| 3 | Blackbeard to Banksy - The Ultimate Walking Tour of Bristol | ★ 4.9 (2,273) | 2 hours | $19 |
| 4 | Guided Walking Tour of Bristol Old City and Harbour | ★ 5.0 (167) | 2h 15min | $29 |
| 5 | Guided Walking Tour Suspension Bridge Clifton Splendour & City. | ★ 5.0 (103) | 2h 30min–3h | $162 |
| 6 | West Country Games - the most popular group activity in the South West! | ★ 4.9 (351) | 2 hours | $61 |
| 7 | Avon Gorge Rock Climbing Experiences | ★ 5.0 (55) | 3h 30min | $74 |
| 8 | Fun, Flexible Treasure Hunt Around Bristol with Cryptic Clues & Hidden Gems | ★ 4.9 (105) | 2h 30min | $20 |
| 9 | Only Fools and Horses Tour of Bristol | ★ 4.9 (310) | 4 hours | $51 |
| 10 | Stonehenge and Cotswold Villages Full-day Tour from Bristol | ★ 4.9 (198) | 8h 30min | $116 |
Ratings and review counts collected by Viator and Tripadvisor. Ranking by Excurgo; prices per person, refreshed daily — check the tour page for your date.
Sunset tours in Bristol
Departures that are under way when the sun sets in the coming weeks — start times checked against the local sunset.
Good for families in Bristol
Children can join from a young age and pay less than adults — taken from each operator’s price list.
Browse
Explore Bristol by interest
Whatever brings you to Bristol — world-class museums, the river, or a long lunch — start with the experiences travellers love most.
What to see
Top attractions in Bristol
The landmarks that define the city — and the tickets and tours that get you in, often skipping the line.
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Brunel over the gorge.
25+ toursView tours
SS Great Britain
The first modern liner.
25 toursView tours
Banksy trail
Three originals still up.
20+ toursView tours
Floating Harbour
The river, dammed in 1809.
25 toursView tours
St Nicholas Market
Trading since 1743.
20 toursView tours
Old City & the Nails
Where deals were struck.
25 toursView tours
Craft beer & cider
The West Country pours.
20 toursView tours
Haunted King Street
Pirates, plague, gallows.
15 toursView tours
1 day
Bristol in 1 day
- 1Old City walking tour
- 2St Nicholas Market lunch
- 3SS Great Britain
- 4Clifton at sunset
2 days
Bristol in 2 days
- 1Day 1: Old City & harbour
- 2Day 2: street art & Clifton
- 3Craft beer evening
- 4Optional Bath
With kids
Bristol with kids
- 1Aboard the SS Great Britain
- 2Treasure hunt in the Old City
- 3Harbour ferry ride
- 4Banksy spotting
Day trips
Day trips from Bristol
- 1Bath in 15 minutes
- 2Cheddar Gorge & Wells
- 3Stonehenge
- 4Cotswold villages
15 min awayBath
Roman baths, Georgian crescents.
from €30View trips
40 min awayCheddar Gorge
Britain's deepest gorge.
from €45View trips
45 min awayWells & Glastonbury
England's smallest city.
from €45View trips
1 h 15 awayStonehenge
Sarsens raised in 2500 BC.
from €86View trips
1 h awayThe Cotswolds
Honey-stone villages.
from €56View trips
40 min awaySomerset cider country
Farms, presses, cheddar.
from €95View trips
Practical guide
Know before you go
Short, straight answers to the questions every Bristol visitor asks before booking.
Spring (Apr–May)
Clifton in blossom, harbour terraces opening up.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Harbour Festival in July, Balloon Fiesta in August.
Autumn (Sep–Oct)
Mild, quieter, and the pubs come into their own.
Winter (Nov–Mar)
Short days, cheap hotels, Christmas market on Broadmead.
For street art
Upfest in Bedminster repaints the walls each summer.
Best overall
May, June and September — long days, no festival crush.
One day
Old City, harbour, SS Great Britain, Clifton.
Two days
Add street art, Bedminster and a beer tour.
Three days
Add Bath, or Cheddar Gorge and Wells.
For Brunel
Ship, bridge and Temple Meads in one day.
For street art
Half a day each for Stokes Croft and Bedminster.
For families
Two days: ship, ferry, treasure hunt, gorge.
From London
Paddington to Temple Meads in about 1 h 40.
From the airport
Bristol Airport Flyer bus to the centre, 30 minutes.
Harbour ferry
Hops between the SS Great Britain, M Shed and centre.
On foot
Old City to harbourside is ten flat minutes.
Up to Clifton
25 minutes uphill, or a short bus from the centre.
By bike
The Railway Path runs traffic-free all the way to Bath.
SS Great Britain
About £22, and the ticket lasts a year.
Free landmarks
Clifton bridge, M Shed and the Banksys cost nothing.
Market lunch
St Nicholas Market beats the harbourside chains.
Best viewpoint
Cabot Tower on Brandon Hill, free to climb.
Currency
Pounds sterling; cards accepted almost everywhere.
Sunday pubs
Roast dinners sell out by two — book ahead.
Balloon Fiesta
August weekend — hotels sell out months ahead.
Harbour Festival
Mid-July fills the centre and the hotels with it.
Street-art tours
Small groups, and only a few departures a week.
Food & cider tours
Somerset farm visits run limited dates.
Stonehenge days
Timed stone-circle entry sells out in summer.
Ghost walks
Weekend evenings book out, especially near Halloween.
Self-guided trail
From £4.37 for an audio walking tour.
Guided walking tour
£12–£22 for two to three hours.
Street-art tour
£14–£25 with a local artist or guide.
SS Great Britain
About £22, valid for a year.
Food & drink tour
£37 for craft beer, £75 for the Old City food tour.
Full-day trip
£56–£86 for Bath, Stonehenge or the Cotswolds.
When to visit
Bristol through the seasons
What's best, how busy it gets, and one booking tip for each time of year.
Spring (Apr–May)
Apr–May
- Best for
- Clifton and the harbour.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Pack a raincoat anyway.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Jun–Aug
- Best for
- Festivals and balloons.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Book hotels months out.
Autumn (Sep–Oct)
Sep–Oct
- Best for
- Pubs and quiet streets.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- The local favourite.
Winter (Nov–Mar)
Nov–Mar
- Best for
- Museums and markets.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Dark by four in December.
People also ask
Bristol travel FAQ
What are the best tours in Bristol?
The highest-rated experiences are the Old City and harbour walking tour (£12–£22), the Banksy and street-art trail (£14–£25), the SS Great Britain in her dry dock (about £22), a craft-beer or Old City food tour (£37–£75), the King Street ghost walk (£17–£22), and a day trip to Bath or Cheddar Gorge (£30–£86).
How much do Bristol tours cost?
Self-guided audio trails start at £4.37, guided walking tours cost £12–£22, street-art tours £14–£25, ghost walks £17–£22, bike tours about £29.50, food and drink tours £37–£75, private pub tours around £104, and full-day trips to Bath, Stonehenge or Wales £56–£86.
How many days do you need in Bristol?
Two days covers the city properly — one for the Old City, harbour and SS Great Britain, one for the street art and Clifton. A third day buys Bath, or Cheddar Gorge and Wells.
When is the best time to visit Bristol?
May, June and September have the longest comfortable days without the festival crush. August brings the Balloon Fiesta and July the Harbour Festival — both are worth planning around, in either direction, because the city books out.
Is Bristol a walkable city?
The centre, Old City and harbourside are flat and walkable in ten or fifteen minutes end to end. Clifton is 25 minutes uphill, and Bedminster’s street art is across the river — both are short bus or bike rides.
Where can you see Banksy in Bristol?
Three originals remain on public display: ‘Well Hung Lover’ on Park Street, ‘The Girl with the Pierced Eardrum’ at Harbourside, and ‘Mild Mild West’ in Stokes Croft. Guided street-art tours reach all three and cover the works that no longer survive.
What are the best day trips from Bristol?
Bath is 15 minutes away by train; Cheddar Gorge and Wells 40 minutes south; Stonehenge an hour and a quarter southeast; the Cotswolds an hour northeast; and Cardiff 50 minutes over the Severn. Bath needs no tour; the rest are far easier with one.
117 Bristol experiencesfrom £4 · free cancellation
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