Bristol travel and tourist information
Bristol, with the population of over 420,000 in 2008 is the 8th biggest UK city. Bristol is the largest centre of culture, employment and education in the South West region. Historically, Bristol has always been among the most important cities in England. It was granted County status in 1373 and up to the industrial revolution, it was among the top three cities in England. Bristol has a long history of trading commodities, originally wool cloth exports and imports of fish, wine. Today, Bristol economy is reliant on the aerospace and nautical industry, the media, information technology, defense, financial services sectors and tourism. Bristol is home to two major institutions of higher education: the University of Bristol, chartered in 1909, and the University of the West of England, which gained university status in 1992.
Bristol boasts a diverse culture and has produced over the centuries some of the most talented artists in the country. A vast number of unique venues and galleries display works from across the UK and the rest of the world. The ancient city harbour and some of the oldest and most well-preserved buildings in the country are still in use today in the city. Bristol has over 50 Grade I listed buildings and more than 4000 Grade II listed buildings in a wide variety of architectural styles, ranging from the medieval to the contemporary. Buildings from most of the architectural periods of the United Kingdom can be seen throughout the city, including the elements of the fortified city and castle date back to the medieval era and churches dating from the 12th century. Timeless city icons such as Bristol Cathedral, Clifton Suspension Bridge and the famous Llandoger Trow pub are all well worth a visit. Bristol has two main football teams - City and Rovers, two main rugby teams - Bristol and Clifton and contains Gloucestershire Country Cricket Club's ground.
Bristol has two main railway stations: Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway. Temple Meads station is near the centre and there are many regular high speed services to Paddington station in London as well as other local and regional services. Bristol Parkway is located to the north of the city and is mainly served by high speed services between Cardiff and London, and other services to Birmingham and the North East. Bristol has regular coach services to most major UK cities. The city is connected by road on an east–west axis from London to West Wales by the M4 motorway, and on a north–southwest axis from Birmingham to Exeter by the M5 motorway. The city is served by Bristol International Airport has seen substantial investments in its runway, terminal and other facilities since 2001. It offers scheduled flights to major European cities. Bristol International Airport is also a major base for both budget airlines Easyjet and Ryanair with nearly 80 destinations in Europe.
Bristol is one of the warmest cities in the UK, with a mean annual temperature of around 12 °C .It is also amongst the sunniest, with over 1500 hours of sunshine per year. Annual rainfall is similar to the national average.
Tourist Information Centre in Bristol is located at 1 Canon's Road, Bristol, Avon BS1 5TX. Tourist Information Centre provide all the necessary information about the city, points of interest, tours available and will also help to book affordable accommodation in Bristol.
