"GURT LUSH!" a Bristol Travel Page by Duffelgirl

Bristol is a great city - plenty of diversity, a vibrant music scene, thousands of pubs, some super restaurants, lots of entertainment, good links with the rest of the country, and escaping from the city noise and pollution to the gentle rolling landscape beyond the city fringes is easy (Bristol also has the most parks/open spaces per head of population than any other English city).
Although the city is home to nearly 500,000 people, it doesn't feel like a 'big' place and out of the many cities I have visited in England, Bristol is definitely one of the more relaxed, yet is often overlooked by nearby Bath on the tourist trail.

Like many British cities, Bristol is rich in history and many old buildings managed to survive quite well during the war. I came across a brilliant website which Paul Townsend runs. He kindly allowed me to use this photograph showing the centre of Bristol in 1890 when it used to be a bustling port. His website provides loads of interesting old pictures and stories (www.bristolhistory.com).

As you may guess from all my tips I have lived in Bristol or nearby for most of my life. To be honest, I increasingly feel over-familiar with this city, often finding my itchy feet trying to head for the airport ('if only I had the money!' I tell them). Having said this, I can appreciate that Bristol has a lot to offer visitors. Excellent for those staying a few weeks or days, or providing a good base for those staying in England for a year or two (an ideal alternative for people preferring somewhere quieter and less intimidating than London).
I often feel that Bristol is solar powered, when the sun comes out and warms everybody up the atmosphere puts a song in your heart and it feels great!! Summer evenings down the waterfront pub or in a sunny beer garden just can't be beaten.