Bristol is the largest city in South West England and one of the most laid-back cities in Britain. If you’re wondering where to stay in Bristol, it helps to know the city grew up around its harbour, where Brunel’s steamship SS Great Britain now sits in dry dock. Bristol is known for its street art, the Clifton Suspension Bridge spanning the Avon Gorge, and a food scene that’s better than many people expect.
Choosing where to stay comes down to what you want right outside your door: the harbour, the old streets, Georgian calm, the trains or the nightlife. Here are my five picks for areas, with three hotels in each.
Contents
Where to Stay in Bristol: The Best Areas
- Harbourside - best area for first-time visitors
- Old Town & St Nicholas Market - best area for pubs, food and shopping
- Clifton Village - best area for couples and romance
- Redcliffe & Temple Meads - best area for trains and day trips
- Stokes Croft & Gloucester Road - best area for street art and nightlife
Below, I go through the areas one at a time with a map, transport, price level and three hotels in each, from the most expensive to the cheapest. The prices come from a search for two people on a weekday in May, so expect higher rates at weekends, during the summer holidays and during the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, which fills the city every August.
1. Harbourside - best area for first-time visitors ⚓
- 📍 Distance to the centre: You’re staying at the heart of the city. From Millennium Square it’s about a 10-minute walk to St Nicholas Market and 25 minutes to Temple Meads.
- 🚢 Transport: You can walk almost everywhere, and the yellow Bristol Ferry Boats sail between the quays, SS Great Britain and Temple Meads.
- ✈️ Time from Bristol Airport: About 30 minutes on the Airport Flyer to Temple Meads, then a 20 to 25-minute walk or a ride on the harbour ferry, or about 25 to 30 minutes by taxi.
- 💰 Price level: Around £70 to £210 per night for the three places below when I searched on a weekday in May.
- 👮 Safety: Safe and full of life during the day and evening. On Friday and Saturday nights there can be groups of partygoers along the quays, so choose a room away from the bars if you’re a light sleeper.
Harbourside is the area around the Floating Harbour, the old port that’s now a long stretch of quayside with museums, restaurants and boats. Here you’ll find the M Shed museum, which is free to enter and covers the city’s history, and the Arnolfini arts centre in an old tea warehouse. A little to the west lies SS Great Britain, one of the world’s first ocean-going iron steamships, and according to Bristol Dockyards an adult ticket costs £22 online and gives you free return visits for a year.
On the south side of the harbour is Wapping Wharf, where small restaurants and cafés are housed in old shipping containers, and behind it Spike Island with its artists’ studios. In the evening, Bristol sits out on the quays with a beer or a cider, and if you want the history too, you can take a guided tour along the harbour from around £14. The Bristol Ferry Boats run all year round, and you pay on board.
See hotels at Harbourside here.
I’d stay here if it’s your first trip to Bristol or if you only have a weekend. The main sights are within walking distance, the cathedral is right by College Green, and the Old Town is just a few minutes away across the bridges.
The downside is that there aren’t many hotels right on the water, and the big chain hotels dominate. Many of the cheap deals are flats at Wapping Wharf and Cumberland Road, and they’re further from the centre than the map makes them look. In summer, the quays are also packed with day-trippers.
Hotels at Harbourside
Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel - classic four-star hotel by the cathedral
The Marriott Royal sits on College Green right next to the cathedral and a few minutes’ walk from the harbour and Millennium Square. It’s the city’s classic grand hotel in a historic building, and you can choose between deluxe rooms, junior suites and a Royal Suite, with a breakfast buffet and a gym. It was the most expensive of my three suggestions here, and several guests find the parking at £17 per night pricey.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “Beautiful hotel, the staff are excellent, and the room was beautiful and made good use of the space.”
See photos and book Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel here.
Leonardo Royal Hotel Bristol - four-star hotel right on the harbour
The Leonardo Royal, formerly The Bristol Hotel, is on Prince Street right on the quayside and a few minutes from M Shed and the Arnolfini. There’s a restaurant, bar and gym, and rooms range from standard to suites. Parking in the adjacent car park costs £16 to £19 per night, and some guests find the standard rooms rather small.
From one review: “Fantastic hotel and location, very clean and friendly staff.”
See photos and book Leonardo Royal Hotel Bristol here.
YHA Bristol - hostel with private rooms in an old warehouse
YHA Bristol is on Narrow Quay in a converted harbourside warehouse, right by the Arnolfini. As well as dorms, there are private rooms for three to six people, plus a café with a breakfast buffet, a bar and a shared kitchen, and it was by far the cheapest of the three. If you go for a dorm, expect less privacy, which several guests mention.
One guest highlights: “Great location, excellent rooms, good facilities, lovely communal areas and wonderful staff.”
See photos and book YHA Bristol here.
2. Old Town & St Nicholas Market - best area for pubs, food and shopping 🏛️
- 📍 Distance to the centre: You’re staying in the historic centre. From St Nicholas Market it’s a 5-minute walk to the harbour and 10 minutes to the shopping areas of Broadmead and Cabot Circus.
- 🚶 Transport: You can walk everywhere. City buses stop on Baldwin Street and at The Centre, and the bus station on Marlborough Street is 10 minutes to the north.
- ✈️ Time from Bristol Airport: Around 30 to 35 minutes on the Airport Flyer to the bus station on Marlborough Street plus a 10-minute walk, or around 25 to 30 minutes by taxi.
- 💰 Price level: Around £73 to £276 per night for the three places below when I searched for a weekday in May.
- 👮 Safety: Safe during the day and in the evening. Around The Centre and Broadmead there are lots of drunk people late at weekends, but it’s rarely unpleasant.
Old Town is Bristol’s medieval core between the harbour and Castle Park, and it’s home to St Nicholas Market in the old 18th-century Corn Exchange. The market has covered arcades with stalls, second-hand books and records, and a whole street of small food stalls where you can have lunch for a few pounds. Out on Corn Street stand four bronze pillars, “the nails”, where merchants once paid in cash, which is where the expression “to pay on the nail” comes from.
A few minutes to the south is cobbled King Street, with old pubs such as the 17th-century Llandoger Trow and the Bristol Old Vic theatre, and to the north the old Christmas Steps lead up towards Colston Street. If you want to hear about pirates, the slave trade and Banksy all in one go, you can take the walking tour from Blackbeard to Banksy from around £14, which has thousands of great reviews.
I’d stay here if you want the pubs and food just round the corner and can’t be bothered with buses. You’ve got the harbour on one side and the shops in Broadmead and Cabot Circus on the other, and most of the sights are within a 15-minute walk. In the evening the pubs on King Street and Corn Street are packed, and you’re never far from your bed.
The downside is that the area empties out on weekday evenings once the offices close, and the market is closed on Sundays. Many of the hotels are in old bank and office buildings with a bit of street noise, so ask for a room facing the courtyard. There’s almost no parking, so come without a car.
Hotels in Old Town
Hotel du Vin Bristol - boutique hotel in an 18th-century sugar refinery
Hotel du Vin is in The Sugar House on Narrow Lewins Mead, an old sugar refinery close to Christmas Steps and around a 10-minute walk from Cabot Circus. Rooms range from classic to suites, there’s a restaurant and bar, and it was the most expensive hotel of all in this guide. There are only a few parking spaces at £20 per night, which several guests complain about.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “Very original, clean, great location, and the room has loads of character.”
See photos and book Hotel du Vin Bristol here.
Clayton Hotel Bristol City - large modern hotel with almost 12,000 reviews
Clayton Hotel is on Broad Street in the middle of Old Town, a couple of minutes from St Nicholas Market and around a nine-minute walk from Cabot Circus. It’s a modern four-star hotel with a restaurant, bar, gym and family rooms, and its score stays high despite the large number of guests. Parking is in a multi-storey car park on Nelson Street at a discount, and some guests feel the staff could be more attentive.
From one review: “Modern and clean, the room was spacious, and the breakfast was fantastic.”
See photos and book Clayton Hotel Bristol City here.
The Bristol Wing - budget hostel with private rooms and a high score
The Bristol Wing is on Bridewell Street on the northern edge of Old Town, a few minutes’ walk from Christmas Steps and Broadmead. As well as dorms, there are private rooms and family rooms for up to four people, plus a shared kitchen, a lift and a 24-hour reception. The facilities are basic, and several guests mention that the shower can lack pressure and heat.
One guest highlights: “Clean and tidy room. Very central.”
See photos and book The Bristol Wing here.
3. Clifton Village - best area for couples and romance 🌉
- 📍 Distance to the centre: About 2 kilometres west of the centre. It’s a 25 to 30-minute walk down to the harbour, but the way back is up a steep hill.
- 🚌 Transport: City buses run from the centre and Temple Meads up to Clifton, and a taxi from the harbour takes about 10 minutes.
- ✈️ Time from Bristol Airport: About 25 to 30 minutes by taxi, or about an hour on the Airport Flyer to Temple Meads followed by a bus or taxi up to Clifton.
- 💰 Price level: Roughly £106 to £336 per night for the three hotels below, when I searched for a weekday in May.
- 👮 Safety: Very safe. Clifton is one of Bristol’s nicest neighbourhoods, with quiet streets and lots of families and students.
Clifton Village is the part of Bristol that looks most like Bath, with long terraces of pale-stone Georgian houses, curving streets such as Royal York Crescent and little squares lined with cafés and wine bars. In the middle of the neighbourhood is Clifton Arcade, a Victorian shopping arcade from 1878 filled with small independent shops, and around it you’ll find delis, bakeries and pubs with garden chairs out on the pavement.
The neighbourhood comes to an abrupt end at the Avon Gorge, where Clifton Suspension Bridge hangs high above the river. The bridge was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and opened in 1864, and you can walk across it for free to Leigh Woods on the other side. There’s a small visitor centre by the bridge, and according to the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust admission is always free and it’s open every day from 10am to 5pm. Right next door is Clifton Observatory with views over the gorge, and down by the water are the colourful houses of Cliftonwood and Hotwells.
See hotels in Clifton Village here.
I’d stay here if you’re a couple who want peace and quiet, beautiful streets and a good dinner without having to catch a bus home. It’s also the right choice if you’ve been to Bristol before and simply want to enjoy the city rather than see everything.
The downside is the hills. The walk up from the harbour via Jacob’s Wells Road or Park Street is steep, and with a suitcase you’ll want a taxi. It’s also a long way to Temple Meads, so it’s not the best choice if you have an early morning train.
Hotels in Clifton Village
Avon Gorge by Hotel du Vin - the hotel looking straight out at the suspension bridge
Avon Gorge Hotel sits on Sion Hill right above the gorge, a few minutes’ walk from Clifton Suspension Bridge and Clifton Arcade. Many of the rooms have views over the gorge and the bridge, and there’s a restaurant, a bar and a terrace overlooking the gorge. It was the most expensive of the three, and there are only a few parking spaces at £12 per day.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “Fantastic location, staff and breakfast!”
See photos and book Avon Gorge by Hotel du Vin here.
The Rodney Hotel - Georgian townhouse in the heart of Clifton Village
The Rodney Hotel is on Rodney Place in a terrace of Georgian houses in the middle of Clifton Village, a couple of minutes’ walk from Clifton Arcade and 10 minutes from the bridge. It’s a smaller hotel with a restaurant, bar and garden, and the rooms range from singles to doubles and twins. There are only seven parking spaces at £8 per night, on a first come, first served basis.
From one review: “Good location, parking, room size, staff.”
See photos and book The Rodney Hotel here.
The Washington - budget hotel in lower Clifton
The Washington is on St Paul’s Road in the lower part of Clifton, about 15 minutes’ walk from Clifton Village and the same distance down to Park Street and the harbour. There are family rooms, a breakfast with English and continental options and limited parking at £12 per night, and the price was the lowest of the three. The décor is worn, and some guests have complained about the cleaning.
One guest highlights: “Good location. The staff are very friendly.”
See photos and book The Washington here.
4. Redcliffe & Temple Meads - best area for trains and day trips 🚆
- 📍 Distance to the centre: About 1 kilometre south-east of the Old Town. It’s a 15-minute walk to St Nicholas Market and 10 minutes to the harbour.
- 🚆 Transport: Temple Meads is the city’s main railway station, with trains to London, Bath, Cardiff and the rest of South West England. The harbour ferry leaves from behind the station and runs into the centre.
- ✈️ Time from Bristol Airport: About 30 minutes on the Airport Flyer, which stops right by the station, and a single ticket costs £9.
- 💰 Price level: Around £104 to £212 per night for the three hotels below when I searched for a weekday in May.
- 👮 Safety: Fine during the day. In the evening it’s quiet around the station and the big office buildings, and there may be homeless people in the pedestrian underpasses, so walk back along the main streets.
Temple Meads was built by Brunel as the terminus of the Great Western Railway and opened in 1840, and the old station building with its towers and pointed windows is one of the finest pieces of architecture in the city. North of the station, Temple Quarter has grown up with new offices and hotels, and to the west lies Redcliffe with St Mary Redcliffe, a huge Gothic parish church with a spire you can see from most of the city. If you’d like to hear the story behind it, you can take a guided tour of St Mary Redcliffe for around £6.
The trains are the reason to stay here. With GWR you’re in Bath in about 15 minutes, and it’s so close that many people pop over for half a day. If you’d rather stay in Bath, I’ve written about where to stay in Bath. The train to London Paddington takes about an hour and a half, so you can easily combine Bristol with a couple of days in the capital, and then you can read my guide on where to stay in London.
See hotels near Temple Meads here.
I’d stay here if you’re arriving by train, going on day trips, or landing late and taking the Airport Flyer. If you land at Heathrow instead, take the train into Paddington and change to GWR for Bristol, and you can see how to get onwards in my guide from Heathrow Airport to the city centre.
The downside is the atmosphere. The area is practical but not cosy, and the hotels are large chain hotels aimed at business travellers. On the other hand, prices are often lower than by the harbour, and there’s always a room available when the rest of the city is sold out.
Hotels near Temple Meads
Leonardo Hotel Bristol City - modern four-star hotel with a score of 9
Leonardo Hotel Bristol City is on Temple Way, about a seven-minute walk from Temple Meads and 10 minutes from Cabot Circus. It’s a modern hotel with a restaurant, bar, gym and bike parking, the breakfast has plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, and its score is the highest of the three. There’s no water or snacks in the room, and parking in a nearby multi-storey car park costs £14.50 per day.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “Beautiful hotel! Very clean. The staff were very helpful and polite.”
See photos and book Leonardo Hotel Bristol City here.
DoubleTree by Hilton Bristol City Centre - four-star hotel by St Mary Redcliffe
DoubleTree is on Redcliffe Way right by St Mary Redcliffe church, about a five-minute walk from Temple Meads and 10 minutes from the harbour. There’s a restaurant, a gym and on-site parking at £15 per day, which is rare this central. Some guests have found that their room wasn’t cleaned until late in the afternoon.
From a review: “Good location for Temple Meads station and close enough to walk into the centre.”
See photos and book DoubleTree by Hilton here.
ibis Bristol Temple Meads - budget chain hotel five minutes from the platforms
ibis Bristol Temple Meads is on Avon Street, about a five-minute walk from the station and by the River Avon. It’s a simple, modern hotel with a bar, restaurant and breakfast buffet, and its price was the lowest of the three. There’s no on-site parking, so you’ll pay around £20 per day in a nearby multi-storey car park.
One guest highlights: “Lovely modern hotel close to Temple Meads.”
See photos and book ibis Bristol Temple Meads here.
5. Stokes Croft & Gloucester Road - best area for street art and nightlife 🎨
- 📍 Distance to the centre: About 1 kilometre north of the Old Town. From Stokes Croft it’s a 15-minute walk to St Nicholas Market, and Gloucester Road carries on for a couple of kilometres to the north.
- 🚌 Transport: City buses run up and down Stokes Croft and Gloucester Road, and Cabot Circus and the bus station are 5 to 10 minutes from the hotels.
- ✈️ Time from Bristol Airport: About 30 to 35 minutes on the Airport Flyer to the bus station on Marlborough Street plus a 5 to 10-minute walk, or about 30 minutes by taxi.
- 💰 Price level: Around £128 to £165 per night for the three hotels below when I searched for a weekday in May.
- 👮 Safety: Lively and mostly safe, but Stokes Croft and St Pauls can feel rough late at night, and drugs are dealt on a few corners. Stick to the well-lit main streets.
Stokes Croft is Bristol’s alternative neighbourhood, and Visit Bristol calls it the city’s cultural quarter. The façades are covered in murals and graffiti, and on Stokes Croft you’ll find Banksy’s early work Mild Mild West, featuring a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at the police. In the evening there are music venues, cocktail bars and clubs, and at weekends the place stays lively until late into the night.
Head north and Stokes Croft becomes Cheltenham Road and then Gloucester Road, which according to the tourist office is one of the longest streets of independent shops in Europe. There are charity shops, record shops, bakeries and greengrocers’ stalls, and the pubs are full of locals. If you want to understand why Bristol became the street art city, you can join the street art tour with John Nation, one of the pioneers of the city’s graffiti scene, from around £15.50.
See hotels near Stokes Croft here.
I’d stay here if you’re travelling to go out, listen to live music and eat cheaply, and if you’d rather see how Bristol lives than how it looks on the postcards. The three hotels below are at the southern end between Stokes Croft and Cabot Circus, so shopping and the Old Town are close by. By day you can hunt for new murals in the side streets, and in the evening there are gigs at the small venues.
The downside is that there are hardly any hotels on Stokes Croft and Gloucester Road themselves, only flats and rooms above the pubs. The area is also noisy at weekends, and some of the side streets in St Pauls aren’t pleasant to walk alone at night.
Hotels near Stokes Croft
Artist Residence Bristol - design hotel in a Georgian house on Portland Square
Artist Residence is on Portland Square, a Georgian square in St Pauls, about a five-minute walk from both Stokes Croft and Cabot Circus. The hotel is decorated with art and vintage furniture, and there’s a restaurant, bar, coffee shop, garden and games room. There’s no parking, and the nearest car park at Cabot Circus costs around £18 a day.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “Lovely relaxed atmosphere at the hotel. The rooms were very comfortable and clean.”
See photos and book Artist Residence Bristol here.
Moxy Bristol - quirky design hotel with a bar in reception
Moxy Bristol is on Newfoundland Street, about a four-minute walk from Cabot Circus and 10 minutes from Stokes Croft. You check in at the bar, there’s a gym, games room and family rooms, and its score is one of the highest in the area after almost 5,000 reviews. The hotel has no parking of its own, and even with a discount at the car park opposite, several guests find it expensive.
From a review: “I absolutely loved the hotel. It was quirky and spotlessly clean, and the staff were very friendly and helpful.”
See photos and book Moxy Bristol here.
Hampton by Hilton Bristol City Centre - simple hotel with free breakfast and air conditioning
Hampton by Hilton is on Bond Street by Cabot Circus, about a 10-minute walk from Stokes Croft and the same distance from St Nicholas Market. The rooms have air conditioning and breakfast is included, which makes it good value, and the price was slightly below the Moxy when I searched. There’s no on-site parking, and the Cabot Circus car park costs around £20 a day.
One guest highlights: “The location, lovely staff, very clean, nice breakfast, great bed, shower and air conditioning.”
See photos and book Hampton by Hilton here.
Where not to stay in Bristol?
I’d avoid the cheap chain hotels by the motorways on the outskirts, such as at Cribbs Causeway, Aztec West and Bristol Parkway north of the city. The prices look tempting, but you’ll spend 30 to 45 minutes on a bus or in a taxi each way, and your evenings in town get cut short. Also be careful with the cheapest rooms in Old Market and east towards Easton, where the streets can feel unsafe at night.
Airport hotels only make sense if you have an early morning flight, as the airport is out in the countryside south of the city. And remember that Bristol is hilly: a flat with a view in Totterdown, Kingsdown or Cliftonwood can be lovely, but check how steep the walk home is.
If it’s your first trip to Bristol, I’d stay at Harbourside, and if you want pubs, the market and shopping right round the corner, the Old Town is the safe choice. If you’re travelling as a couple and want peace and pretty streets, go for Clifton Village, and if you’ll mainly be taking day trips by train, stay near Temple Meads. If you’re into street art, music and nightlife, Stokes Croft is your place.
From the airport, the easiest option is the Airport Flyer from Bristol Airport, which runs around the clock to Temple Meads and the bus station in the centre. If you want to see more of England, the Cotswolds are just under an hour’s drive to the north-east, and here you can read about where to stay in the Cotswolds. To the south-west, Cornwall awaits with beaches and fishing villages, and I also have a guide to where to stay in Cornwall. For the villages and the coast, a hire car from Bristol is the easiest option, but in the city itself a car is mostly more trouble than it’s worth.
Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇
• Booking.com has the best offers on hotels and unique places to stay
• GetYourGuide is the best place to book tours & activities with free cancellation
• Welcome Pickups is the best & safest place to pre-book airport transfers
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