Hotels in Bristol

Bristol's hotels reflect a city that spans a working harbour, a hill of Georgian terraces and a compact, walkable centre, so where you choose to stay changes the character of your trip considerably. The harbourside and Old City put you within walking distance of the SS Great Britain, the M Shed and St Nicholas Market, and this is where the city's grandest hotels have set up, in converted sugar warehouses and banking halls with views over the water. Clifton, up the hill and across a short bus or taxi ride from the centre, offers a quieter and more residential base among Georgian squares, with boutique guest houses that trade nightlife for architecture and a village feel close to the suspension bridge.

Prices in Bristol sit comfortably below London and are broadly in line with other regional English cities, though the harbourside's flagship properties and boutique addresses in Clifton command a premium, particularly on weekends when the Balloon Fiesta or a big match at Ashton Gate is on. Business travellers and conference visitors are well served by the international chains clustered around Broad Street and the harbourside, while the city's guest houses and small independent hotels, several in listed Georgian buildings, tend to offer better value and more character for a weekend break.

Booking ahead matters more than it might first appear: Bristol's calendar of festivals, graduations and rugby and football fixtures at Ashton Gate can fill hotels across the city with little warning, and the best boutique guest houses in Clifton have only a handful of rooms. Whichever part of the city you choose, most central areas are within a 20-minute walk or a short bus ride of the harbourside attractions, and the eight properties below cover harbourside luxury, dependable mid-range chains and characterful Clifton guest houses.