Sammy Jones

Bristol has a reputation for being one of the most energetic and exciting cities in the UK, and boy is it deserved. From the so-called Beermuda Triangle on King Street to the stylish boozers around Cotham and Clifton, the best pubs in Bristol are glorious celebrations of the magic of a good pint. Bristol is a city of real community, and much of that comes together in its pubs, where ideas are discussed and plans are made. It has always been this way, and we hope it never changes.Brizzle is also at the forefront of the craft beer revolution in the UK, and many innovative brews are front and centre of the taps in the city’s best pubs. Whether you’re stopping for a quick half in between exploring the city’s attractions or loading up after a meal in a fabulous restaurant, you can’t go wrong with Bristol’s pubs.  

Tucked into the Somerset hills but easily accessible from London and Bristol by train, Bruton seems to be the village on everyone's lips at the minute. Recently, the teeny tiny town has been attracting attention with its luxurious, arty air. It seems that art galleries like Hauser & Wirth, speciality shops, fancy places to eat, and luxe places to stay are around every corner in these cosy streets. As well as the cultural delights of the town, the opportunity to get into nature is always calling at this Somerset hideaway. Look above to see the Bruton Dovecote, a National Trust-enshrined tower, which you can tramp up to via allotments and charming stonework. A day out here is a perfect amalagmation of the old and contemporary, nature and newness combined.

Castle Combe is a blast from the past – but in a good way. Lots of effort has been expended to keep it special – for example, no new houses have been built in this tiny Wiltshire village since the 1600s, so you won't have to worry about a new build breaking your immersion in amongst the ancient, honey-hued Cotswold stone cottages (which are its signature feature). Its so unique that its impeccable period features have been the choice setting of beautifully-made TV shows and films including Downton Abbey, Poirot and Stardust. The village's panoramic views, bubbling river and restrictions on parking make it no surprise that Castle Combe is a mainstay on lists of the UK’s prettiest places. Here are the best things to do in Castle Combe right now.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So what does that make brunch? Equally important if you ask us. Life offers few pleasures greater than starting your day in sterling – and copious – culinary style, and that holds whether you’re more into the idea of a full English cheap eat or a long and lazy continental brunch at a smart-ish tableclothed restaurant. Feeling peckish? You better be – these are the absolute best places for breakfast and brunch in Bristol. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in Bristol

Despite its rich musical legacy and present-day status as a hotspot for genre-busting electronic music, Bristol hasn’t escaped the gentrification that has clawed away at the UK’s nightlife over the past decade. Venues and DIY spaces including Clockwork, The Surrey Vaults and Brunswick Club have been shuttered or demolished outright, due to noise complaints from local residents of the flats that used to be office blocks or encroaching developers. Thankfully, Bristol is a resilient place, with many of the city’s best parties popping up in improvised club spaces in studios and basements, while existing nightspots are diversifying their programmes to bring in new sounds filtering up from the underground. All of which is to say that you’ll rarely find a venue that focuses on a single genre, or that caters to a distinct crowd – check out any of our favourite bars and clubs in Bristol and you’ll feel like you’ve had three nights out in one. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in Bristol

It’s very easy to spend a good week pottering through Bristol’s vastly contrasting neighbourhoods. All locals have their own strongly held views on the best stuff to see, hear and taste in Bristol – meaning that even if you’re stumped on where your next stop should be, you can always ask whoever you end up sitting next to at the pub, coffee shop or art gallery. However, with such a wealth of options, it doesn’t hurt to go in with a plan. Here are 20 totally brilliant things to do in Bristol next time you’re in town.

Bristol is unbeatable for an unpretentious and delicious dining experience: even the higher-brow restaurants we list here share a sense of fun when it comes to their food. The city’s obsessive quest for the most ‘authentic’ restaurant offerings also means the turnover of eating establishments is fast and furious, and spots that make it past the one-year mark really have proved themselves something special. So whether it’s burgers, brunch or bar snacks you’re after, here’s a tantalising slice of the packed dining scene the South West is enjoying right now. Eaten somewhere on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutEatList. You can find out more about how Time Out makes recommendations and reviews restaurants here.

Looking for sea, sand and – fingers and toes crossed – sun? There’s no need to get on a plane to find it. Look no further than the UK’s most south-westerly county (some locals prefer to call it a country): Cornwall.  This beautiful region has long been synonymous with the quintessential English holiday, and has 300 miles of coastline including many of the most stunning beaches in the UK. There are sweeping swathes of sand, thrill-factor waves, secluded coves, dramatic cliffs, quaint fishing villages and romantic views. When the sun shines, it can even feel more like the Bahamas than Blighty. Oh, and there are pasties, did we mention the pasties? Here’s our definitive guide to the best beaches in Cornwall. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in Cornwall

Lulworth Cove is a sheltered, shell-shaped bay edged with bright white pebbles. Its striking views attract hundreds of thousands of visitors throughout the summer – so we’d recommend a day trip during the early evening, or when the temperature dips. While you’re there you’ll become an amateur geographer, spotting and navigating towering rock formations that were shaped 25 million years ago when continental tectonic plates collided (also forming the Alps in the process). Though the smattering of pubs, restaurants and other great attractions in these parts might not have been around quite that long, plenty are still old enough to feel like a trip back in time. Ready? Here’s our pick of the very best things to do in Lulworth Cove. RECOMMENDED: Find the best things to do in nearby Weymouth, Bournemouth and the New Forest

Nowhere sums up Cornwall’s contradictions quite like Britain’s most south-westerly town, Penzance. Jump off at the final stop of the railway line and you’ll find a seaside town that’s full of Cornish pride and eccentric charm. While it’s not as polished or packed out with visitors as its little sister St Ives, there are just as many galleries, cafés and restaurants to explore, all set alongside some of Britain’s most romantic and beautiful beaches. As it’s so exposed to the elements on a windy shoreline, this town is prone to moody, atmospheric weather. When the wind blows and rain falls, it brings its pirate-filled past to life, but when the sun comes out and the palm trees bob in the breeze, this working fishing port feels almost tropical. Pull up a deckchair – here’s our pick of the best things to do in Penzance right now. RECOMMENDED: The 12 best things to do in Cornwall

Ask your average Bristolian for their absolute favourite place to drink and they’ll likely reel off a list of bars and pubs so long you can’t remember a thing. They’re really not trying to be difficult: Bristol is a city that treasures its drinking culture, and it’s genuinely hard to choose between the exceptional watering holes scattered from North to South. Though bars open and close at a pretty high rate in these parts, there’s a good handful of old faves still knocking around, while up-and-coming brewers and world-class mixologists shake up the scene along newly throbbing drinking drags. Boozy bucket list need updating? Whether you’re more into beer, cider or cocktails, these are the 19 bars in Bristol you totally shouldn’t miss.  Drank somewhere on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDrinkList. You can also find out more about how Time Out makes recommendations and reviews bars.

What’s the deal with Easton? Thanks to the fast-paced rent economy and our even faster-paced, hyper-connected smartphones, half of UK residents don’t speak to our neighbours any more. Not so in Easton. Here, as well as lending a cup of sugar or two, locals consistently go out their way to help each other out. This is where residents protested for seven hours against the forced immigration of their neighbour, a local man has opened a shop simply to improve the lives of others in Easton, and thousands gather for the annual Grand Iftar, a celebration of breaking Ramadan’s fast where locals and visitors share food and eat for free. And there are few better places to go out than here: Bristolians frequent all manner of brilliant independent bars, restaurants and shops in Easton’s graffiti-daubed streets, and there’s no shortage of exhilarating DIY events and pop-up venues either. It may not look polished on the surface, but for those who benefit from its community ethos, this neighbourhood’s scuffed streets shine. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the 50 coolest neighbourhoods in the world If you only do one thing... Photograph: Paul Box Shake down Sweet Mart for its first-rate selection of global delicacies. This much-loved independent shop is stacked wall-to-wall with exotic fruit and veg you can’t find anywhere else, an insane array of spices, and if hunger beckons, a deli filled with excellent ready-to-eat goods.  Go off the beaten track A neighbourhood’s finest wellness options are

I’m perched on a majestic rock formation in the middle of Dartmoor National Park, and… I’m thinking about Rihanna’s greatest hits. I’m thinking about what my cats are up to at home. I’m thinking about the many, many TikToks I watched on the train here before I was scooped up in a minivan at Totnes station and whisked out to the moors. I know I shouldn’t be thinking about all this stuff. After all, I’m wild camping for three days with Wandering Wild, part walking tour, part mindfulness retreat. This should be the perfect opportunity for me to say farewell to my ingrained thought loops and let myself dissolve into nature. I should be ‘finding my quiet’. But letting go of my usual thought patterns doesn’t feel that easy. This concern eases a little after our first stop. Henriette Lofstrom, our walk leader, encourages our eight-person group to ‘meet’ our environment. I find this peculiar at first. Nature doesn’t have eyes or a mouth like we do, and it’s not likely to return a friendly handshake. But as we sit on the mossy floor of an ancient oak forest and turn our attention to our surroundings, peace starts to seep in. The soft, living ground supports us and our heavy backpacks, and we listen to the stream babbling, drips from the trees and passing birds. By the time we reach a stone circle perched on a granite-studded hill on the last leg of the first day, there’s a definite change in my outlook. I certainly don’t want to crack open TikTok. The Wandering Wild approach means we

Still gutted about two years without Glasto? Well, luckily, the people behind the coolest corner of the festival, Shangri-La, have just opened a new independent arts centre and bar in central Bristol – Lost Horizon HQ. In its festival format, Shangri-La stuns Glastonbury punters with larger-than-life art installations and secret stages that play host to every kind of hedonism right through till the early hours. The organisers promise to translate this energy into the new space – bringing art, music and cocktails to St Jude’s, just beyond the city centre. Photograph: Ramona Carraro Photography Shangri-La’s signature has to be its dizzying handcrafted structures, and Lost Horizon HQ will place just as much focus eye-popping artwork. They’ll be inviting artists from all over the world to display their pieces. There’s also an events programme planned – spanning live music, DJs, drag acts and more. The number of people who can get in right now is severely capped due to Covid, but the venue will be able to let in 350 merry-makers at a time when restrictions are lifted (fingers crossed that’ll be July 19). After a summer of glumly watching past Glastonbury highlights on the TV – and seeing venues closing basically everywhere you look – it’s enough to bring an optimistic tear to the eye.  Planning a trip to Bristol? Here’s our pick of the very best things to do right now.