Explore Bristol

What to know before visiting Bristol

Bristol is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. On the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. It is in the West of England Combined Authority and the most populous city in South West England. The wider Bristol Built-up Area is the eleventh most populous urban area in the United Kingdom.Iron Age hillforts and Roman villas were built near the confluence of the rivers Frome and Avon. Bristol's modern economy is built on the creative media, electronics and aerospace industries; the city-centre docks have been redeveloped as centres of heritage and culture. The city had the largest circulating community currency in the UK, the Bristol Pound, which was pegged to the pound sterling before it ceased operation in August 2020. The city has two universities: the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). There are a variety of artistic and sporting organisations and venues including the Royal West of England Academy, the Arnolfini, Spike Island, Ashton Gate and the Memorial Stadium. It is connected to London and other major UK cities by road and rail, and to the world by sea and air: road, by the M5 and M4 (which connect to the city centre by the Portway and M32); rail, via Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway mainline rail stations; and Bristol Airport. Bristol was named the best city in Britain in which to live in 2014 and 2017; it won the European Green Capital Award in 2015. -Wikipedia