Bristol sees life from a different perspective, just as the views from the city reward the eye with an ever- changing horizon. Nearby there is the dynamic gorge of Cheddar, the beautiful walking countryside of the Mendips and the Cotswolds, the wildlife reserves and historic castles of South Gloucestershire, Victorian seaside resorts such as Clevedon and Weston-Super-Mare, not to mention our neighbouring city of Bath.

Bristol is undoubtedly one of England’s greenest cities with swathes of open green spaces spread around the city. The estates of Ashton Court and Blaise Castle are great places to stroll and enjoy the views over Bristol. The Downs at the top end of Clifton are 450 acres of lush green commons ideal for kite flying on a windy day. For spectacular views of the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Avon Gorge this is the place to visit.

getting around

By Road: Ideally situated between the M5 & M4, which offer good access routes to the North, East, West and South West.
 
By Rail: Bristol Temple Meads is based in the heart of the city, offering almost hourly trains to London and the West. With a further station at Bristol Parkway, servicing the North of the city and including South Gloucestershire, there's plenty of opportunity to travel.
 
By Air: Bristol International is one of the fastest growing regional airports offering low cost domestic, European and International flights.
 

entertainment in bristol.
When the sun goes down, Bristol lights up. The strip on Whiteladies Road, the city centre, the waterfront and Clifton offer an amazing range of places to be entertained, eat, drink and party away.

If you want the ‘real’ Bristol scene there are plenty of venues where local and visiting talented artists perform. Whether you are into stand-up Comedy, Jazz, DJ, Acoustic…. Bristol has it all.

For those wanting glitz and glamour, the Bristol Hippodrome and the Old Vic theatres are a must, staging both contemporary and West End productions.

shopping.
Bristol boasts an impressive range of city centre and out of town shopping. The Mall at Cribbs Causeway opened in 1998. Located on the northern outskirts of the city, with its 130 top name stores, free parking and 15 cafes and restaurants the mall offers a unique shopping experience, the best in the west.
 
Broadmead shopping centre in Bristol’s heart offers a host of big name shopping in an open-air pedestrian precinct. The Galleries centre sits in the centre of the Broadmead area and has over 100 shops under cover and is just 5 and 10 minutes walk away from bus and rail links.

sports and leisure.
For sport enthusiasts, within easy reach are Golf, Horse racing and eventing, first class football, Rugby, Cricket and Sailing. For the more adventurous, sports such as rock climbing, motor sports, dry skiing, windsurfing, trekking, caving, flying and gliding, mountain biking and ballooning can all easily be found.

Fitness and leisure centres abound both private and municipal.


education.
Bristol local education authority maintains 164 schools and 9 day nurseries, including many excellent primary and high schools. There are numerous independent schools and colleges including the famous Clifton college and Badminton school for girl. There are also Bristol’s two Universities, the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England.

There are 11 schools for children with special needs in the Bristol area all details available on Bristol Council’s website.


employment.
Bristol is enjoying a renaissance in its commercial fortunes. The Ministry of Defence has offices providing work to six thousand personnel and companies such as Orange, Hewlett Packard, RAC and Lloyds have joined Rolls Royce and British Aerospace at Filton in bringing virtual total employment to the city of Bristol.

Other famous companies are the World leading Cameron Balloons, who recently set the record for a manned balloon flight around the world and Ardent Productions, the Oscar winning producers of ‘Wallace and Gromit’.