Bristol, hills and harbour
Date Ideas in Bristol: Hills, Harbour and Art
Climb a tower, cross a gorge on foot or ride a harbour ferry: Bristol dates with an easy way out.
Climb Cabot Tower on Brandon Hill, cross the Clifton Suspension Bridge on foot, ride a harbour ferry past M Shed, and keep Bristol Museum & Art Gallery for rain. Most have no charge, and none needs a table.
Bristol’s inhabitants like to say the city stands on seven hills, like Rome, and a harbour cuts through the middle. Every date therefore has a view or a bridge. The trick is to choose one and leave the rest for next time. Our date ideas for other cities follow the same rule.
House rules
Do this, skip that
Do
- Choose one hill, one view and one drink, then stop.
- Let the weather decide: the gorge when it is dry, a museum when it is not.
- Walk the harbour edge. The Floating Harbour opened in 1809 and covers 70 acres.
- Let the other person pick the second stop.
Skip
- Park Street in heels. It climbs a steep incline from College Green.
- Winging the way home. Each night bus service varies, Travelwest warns.
- A three-hour itinerary. Two stops are plenty.
- Pre-booking anything. A first date should be allowed to change its mind.
Nine places
Where to take someone in Bristol
Cabot Tower
On Brandon Hill, built to mark the 400th anniversary of John Cabot’s 1497 voyage. Visit Bristol says it is no charge to enter and climb, with views to Wales. Check it is open first.
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Opened in 1864 over the Avon Gorge, to a design based on Brunel’s earlier plans. The bridge’s own site says crossing is at no charge for pedestrians.
The Downs
412 acres of open limestone downland. The Observatory on Clifton Down gives a dramatic view of the gorge, says Wikipedia.
A harbour ferry
Bristol Ferry Boats link the centre with Temple Meads and Hotwells, across 17 landing stages. Check times and fares first.
M Shed
A dockside museum on Prince’s Wharf with 3,000 artefacts and stories, from transport to Bristol’s role in the slave trade. No entry fee.
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
In Clifton, about half a mile from the centre, run by the council with no entrance fee. It hosted a Banksy show of more than 70 works in 2009.
St Nicholas Market
In the Exchange on Corn Street, built from 1741 to 1743 by John Wood the Elder and Grade II* listed. Browse and ask what they would take home.
Stokes Croft
Street art country. Banksy’s 1998 mural The Mild Mild West sits at the Jamaica Street junction, in an area that has rebuilt itself around art and music.
College Green and Queen Square
Two public open spaces in the centre: 1.1 hectares beside the cathedral, and a 2.4 hectare Georgian square. A coffee in hand and no agenda.
After dark
Getting home from Bristol
Sort the way back before you sort the second drink.
- Night buses. Travelwest lists services running between 11pm and 4am, nearly all by First Bus, and says each one varies. A few run only on Friday and Saturday nights.
- Safe Space at Night. Visit Bristol lists one on the central promenade, open Friday and Saturday from 10pm to 4am, with a first responder medic and a security marshal.
- Taxis. Bristol’s hackney carriages are painted blue and can be hailed or taken from a rank. Private hire cars are not blue and must be pre-booked.
- Trains. Temple Meads is the main station near the centre. Last trains differ by destination, so check yours.
Before you go
Meeting someone from Forget Dinner
Forget Dinner has members in and around Bristol. Meet at a landmark you can both find, such as the foot of Cabot Tower or College Green, and keep the chat on the site until you have agreed a time. ID verification is optional, and members who have done it carry a badge.
Tell a friend where you will be, and keep your own way home in your pocket. If someone makes you uneasy, block or report them and walk away. Our safety page lists the tools, and what to wear on a first date is worth a look before Bristol’s hills.
Roughly six in ten UK members are between 35 and 54.
Members in the UK by age, as shares of everyone listed.
Bristol date questions
What can we do on a first date in Bristol that isn’t dinner?
Climb Cabot Tower, cross the Clifton Suspension Bridge on foot, ride a harbour ferry, or look round M Shed or Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. All but the ferry have no charge, and the ferry is worth a price check. The daytime date ideas guide has more.
Does it cost anything to walk across the Clifton Suspension Bridge?
Not on foot. The bridge’s own site says crossing is at no charge for pedestrians and cyclists, while motorists pay a toll. It opened in 1864 and spans the Avon Gorge, so pick a clear day for the view.
Where can we go in Bristol when it rains?
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery in Clifton and M Shed on Prince’s Wharf are both indoors with no entry fee. St Nicholas Market runs from the Exchange on Corn Street, and its Grade II* listed building gives you something to look at besides each other.
Can I get home from Bristol at night?
With planning, yes. Travelwest lists night buses between 11pm and 4am, mostly First Bus, though each service varies and some run only on Fridays and Saturdays. Blue hackney carriages can be hailed, while private hire must be pre-booked. Check the last train too.
Can I meet someone from Forget Dinner in Bristol?
Yes, the site has members in and around Bristol. Talk first, meet somewhere public, tell a friend and arrange your own way home. You can find singles near you, and nobody is obliged to meet anyone they are not sure about.