Moving to Bristol

Bristol has been voted multiple times as the most liveable city in the UK and for good reason. It’s a lively city with a vibrant culture, great music and art vibes, and a hipster feel. It’s an easy place to meet people and there’s a lot of young people living here as it is home to the University of Bristol. It’s also environmentally conscious. I lived here for a year and I loved it! It is a lot easier to move to Bristol and to establish yourself here than in London. However, there’s a lot of things I wish I knew earlier to get set up more quickly and to truly experience what Bristol and the rest of the UK and Europe have to offer.

Housing & Accommodation

Bristol is a great city to live in but where you live does make a big difference. I strongly recommend you live within walking distance of Bristol’s city to fully immerse yourself in the Bristolian way of life. It’s definitely more expensive than the outer suburbs but it’s still way more affordable than London. Also, if you don’t have a car, living in the outer suburbs would be really inconvenient.

Sharing a flat or house is a great way to meet new people. I recommend using Spare room and Gum tree for share accommodation. Read here for more detailed information on how to rent in the UK.

If you are looking for a place for yourself I would have a look on Right move or Zoopla. Right move is also good for checking if an area has a good internet connection.

Best places to live:

• Southville: This is where I lived. It is a great place. It’s close to amenities and within walking distance of the city centre. It is also a safe neighbourhood. However, parking a car can be difficult during the week days (you will need to get a council parking permit).
• Clifton: The expensive area of town. Nice area, lots of cafes but very expensive.
• Redcliffe
• Temple meads
• Redland
• St Andrews
• Bedminster: A little further out from the city but it’s mostly a nice place. Public transport (buses) is also good. A lot of my friends lived here.
• Around the University of Bristol is also good.

Places to avoid:

• St Pauls (especially the area just north of Cabot circus)
• Eastville
• Easton
• Southmead
• Hartcliffe
• Shirehampton
• Avonmouth
• Knowle

Cost of living

The total cost of living in Bristol is approximately £1000-1400/month assuming you are living in a flat share. This includes rent (£400-600/month), groceries, utilities and entertainment. The cost varies considerably depending on how frugal or spendy you are but at least this gives you a general idea of what you will be spending.

Mobile & Internet

I recommend getting a Three sim plan for your mobile. Depending on your sim plan you will be able to use your mobile as a Wifi hot spot. There also many cafes with free Wifi. Favourites include Arnoldfini on week days and the Boston Tea Party cafes.

Transport

Bristol is a great city to walk and cycle around. Often this will be the most convenient way to travel. I would avoid driving a car in the city centre during peak times as there can be a lot of traffic and there is a lot of small, windy roads. There are also limited spots to park. However, a car is really useful for travelling to the outer suburbs and for going on weekend road trips.

Walking

The first thing you will notice is Bristol is a very walkable city. You can walk to most places easily and it’s also the best way to explore the city and to find all those Banksy art works!

Bicycle

Bristol has great cycle paths which makes it safe and easy to get around the city. It’s also worth noting that drivers in the UK are usually more aware of cyclists and drive more safely around cyclists than drivers in Australia.

Bus

There is a good bus network. There are also regular buses to Bristol airport. The buses are reliable but they do not come frequently in some of the outer suburbs of Bristol.

Car

You don’t need one but it is convenient and really helps with exploring nearby areas outside of Bristol. Try to avoid driving in the city especially during peak hours as traffic can become congested. Uber is also available.

Train

I never needed to use the train while living in Bristol. It’s expensive and the rail network does not go to some places in Bristol. I recommend only using the train for trips to Bath or to other cities like London. I only used them because they were convenient and saved me the hassle of driving and parking in London.

Coach

This is the cheapest way to travel to London. Megabus and National Express both operate coaches between the two cities. A new coach business also just started up at the end of my UK stay called Snap which I really liked. It’s an app which organises coaches based on how many people want to sign up for a trip. Unfortunately this means they have limited trip times but it was really affordable and I was happy to adjust my trip to save some money.

Plane

Bristol airport is located just outside the city. There are frequent buses between the city and the airport. You can also drive there and park in one of their long term car parks for a fee. Bristol airport is quite well connected and you will have a reasonable number of places you can fly to. Otherwise, you can fly to London or one of the other major UK airports before heading over to Europe.

Safety

Bristol is quite safe. However, there are certain areas like St Pauls and Easton where I would recommend avoiding at night.

Weather

Great during Summer. A bit drizzly and chilly in the winter. Not as cold as the North.

Groceries

Bristol has all the major supermarkets. If you live just South of the river, the huge Asda and the Aldi are great. There are also some specialty grocery stores worth visiting in Bristol as well:
Best Chinese grocery: Wai Yee Hong Chinese supermarket. It has the widest selection of products but you need a car to get there.
Best Indian grocery: Bristol sweet mart
Organic groceries: There are a lot of good ones. Better food is a small grocery with a lot of quality products I frequented a lot. I have also heard Matter Wholefoods is good.

Gym

Bristol gyms:

• PureGym: Pure gym is cheap and a decent place for a good workout. They are a gym franchise with gyms all over the UK. Referral link.
• Luxe Fitness gym
• Anytime fitness: Unlike the Australian ones it’s a bit more expensive than some of the other gyms in the UK.

Bristol Cafes & Restaurants

There are so many places but here is a selection of my favourites:

• Atomic burger: My favourite burger place in the world! I highly recommend the Elizabeth Shue burger!

• Wok to walk: Quick and cheap dinner. There’s a discount if you have a student card.
• Cosmo world buffet restaurant: It’s pretty good and has tasty Asian food. Quite expensive but it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet so it’s worth it if you go there with an empty stomach.
• Catch 22: They do a solid fish and chips.
• Eat a pitta: My favourite falafel place. Tasty and huge portions. I really like the one on Gloucester road. Good vibes and friendly people.
• Spicer and Cole: Great breakfast with a few locations.
• Little Victories: I really like the coffee here which is saying something given the generally awful coffee on offer in the UK.
• Arnoldfini: Best place to chill and do some work during the week. Friendly vibes and great atmosphere. They will be too busy on weekends for you to take your laptop and work but during the week you can take your laptop and there are power points all along one side of the room where you can sit without being interrupted for hours.
• Giggling Squid: Tasty but high end thai place
• Bosco Pizzeria: Great pizza and vibes but exxy like everything else in Clifton

Things to do

• Banksy art: There are street art tours but I recommend finding them all yourself.
• Bike riding:
  • Ashton Court and Leigh Woods: Hire a mountain bike at Blackboy Hill Cycles and ride on these dirt tracks. They are really good and a lot of fun. You can ride across Clifton bridge to Ashton Court for some great views. After you have finished with the tracks at Ashton Court, make your way to Clifton Lodge East. Ride through the arch and turn left onto Abbots Leigh Road. Turn right onto North road and 100m on your left you will see a park sign. Enter there, ride up the small hill and soon you will go through a big hole in a small brick wall where there are even more bike tracks! It is very popular so you won’t get lost!
  • Bristol to Bath railway cycle path: This is a 13 mile asphalt bike path and a fun way to travel to Bath.
• Secret cocktail bars
• Cabot tower
• Castle park
• Brandon park
• Circomedia: Interesting circus/theatre shows. Although some of the shows are odd they are also highly entertaining. They also run circus lessons here if you are interested.
• St Nicholas market: Tasty food market
• Dive bars: Basically old pubs with good beer. There are quite a few in Bristol
• Walk along Gloucester road:  It has a great line up of quirky and interesting independent shops.

Bristol Events

• St Pauls Carnival (July)
• International balloon fiesta at Ashton Court (August)
• Bristol Christmas Markets: Everyone is really here for the famous Bath Christmas Markets but if you have some spare time in Bristol you should check it out.
• Love saves the day
• Circomedia events
• Harbourside festival

Places to visit near Bristol

(Some of these places will require a car)

• Cardiff: Definitely worth a visit!
• Durdle door: A great day trip to see the cool rock malformation and spend some time at a British beach. The views are worth seeing but the beach is a bit rocky.
• Stone Henge: It’s good to see but honestly unless you’re a history buff it really is a stack of big stones. Going there with low expectations led me to really enjoy the visit and there’s a good museum which gives you a bit of background on what the Stone Henge is all about. I think if you come with huge expectations you may be a little disappointed. Definitely worth ticking off the bucket list.
• Salisbury: Nice town. Make sure you check out their huge cathedral.
• Bath: Bath is a pretty and quaint town with lots of restaurants and bars. There is a lot of young people as the University of Bath is nearby. There are also a lot of tourists because it is home to the Roman Baths, its namesake. There are also thermal baths you can try at the Thermae Bath Spa. Another huge attraction is the Bath Christmas Markets. I highly recommend you see these markets. Winter Wonderland in London is huge with lots of rides but the Bath Christmas Markets are special and just had a more magical Christmas vibe to them.
• Bristol footpaths: Bristol has a lot of footpaths and trails around the farms in outer Bristol. It’s quite nice for a weekend walk through English countryside. Many of the trails will lead you through farms and you will find yourself walking across green paddocks amongst the cows.