Bristol with Kids
A Victorian ship to explore top to bottom, a science centre built for touching everything, and a free playground with a view over the whole city, the version of Bristol built for families.
Bristol works well with kids in tow, several of its best sights are hands-on by design, and the compact centre means less time trudging between them. Here’s how I’d spend a family day here.
We The Curious
A properly interactive science centre on the harbourside, hands-on exhibits across physics, biology and technology, plus a planetarium for a sit-down show partway through the visit. The 3D bridge linking the two floors, walked through rather than around, tends to be a highlight on its own.
SS Great Britain
Brunel’s restored Victorian steamship lets kids explore the deck, cramped third-class cabins and the engine room, a proper hands-on history lesson rather than a look-but-don’t-touch museum. The dockyard museum and Brunel Institute next door round out the visit, budget a good couple of hours.
Brandon Hill and Cabot Tower
A proper green hill right in the centre, Brandon Hill has open space to run around plus Cabot Tower at the top, climbable for a view over the whole city. Free, unhurried, and an easy way to burn off energy between the bigger sights.
Bristol Zoo Project
The successor to the old Clifton zoo, Bristol Zoo Project sits on the edge of the city and focuses on conservation and open, naturalistic enclosures rather than a traditional zoo layout, home to giraffes, zebras and gelada baboons among others. A short drive out, but a properly good full-day option if animals are the priority.
M Shed
Bristol’s free city history museum on the harbourside, with hands-on displays, a giant map to walk across, and working cranes and boats moored right outside. A properly good option when the weather turns, and it costs nothing to get in.
Where to eat with kids
Wapping Wharf’s converted shipping containers offer a properly varied, casual food scene where nobody minds a fidgety kid at the table. St Nicholas Market’s food stalls work well for a quick, relaxed lunch between sights too.
A note on the Suspension Bridge with kids
Free to cross on foot, and the view down into the gorge is genuinely thrilling for kids old enough to appreciate the height. Keep a close hold on smaller children near the railings, the drop is considerable and the footway can get busy.
That’s everything I’ve got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government’s latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
