10 Top Tips to Studying in Bristol

Being born and bred in Bristol (though we’re now known worldwide), all of us at Creditcall HQ wanted to welcome new and returning students to the area. So we asked everyone in our Bristol office to share their best bits of this vibrant city for us to pass on to you, things that will make your time in Bristol unforgettable and maybe even convince you to stay.

King Street

A 17th century street named after King Charles II now renowned around Bristol for its cluster of pubs and hangouts. In short, there’s always something going on there: from food festivals galore to old school gaming nights at Kongs, cider at the Apple or craft beer at Small Bar – depending on your taste!

We could fill the rest of this list with things to do at King Street and trust us, many Creditcallers tried to make it happen!

Christmas Steps

Named after the nativity scene in a stain glassed window at the top of the steps, the Christmas Steps offers 4 flights of steep slanted steps to help you burn off those extra calories you’ll undoubtedly eat whilst in Bristol.

If you need a pint of Dutch courage before attempting the steps there’s a pub (which is also one of Bristol’s oldest pubs) at the bottom named after the steps themselves, or if you need a break from the steps you can stop off at Chance and Counters one of Bristol’s Boardgame Cafes.

Live Music

From the Canteen in Stokes Croft to The Louisiana on the Harbourside, and The Old Duke on (you guessed it) King Street. If metal is more your bag try The Gryphon, The Crown and The Hatchet. No matter where you are in Bristol, live music is always just around the corner.

We’re not just talking open mic, and local bands; Bristol also attracts many of the biggist names in the business to places like Colston Hall and the O2 Academy and the many festivals throughout the year (see below).

Food

Head to St. Nick’s (trading since 1743!) for food from around the world, from Moroccan and Italian, to Caribbean and Indian; topped off with a good old Bristol pie from PieMinister. You’ll soon see that the food choice in Bristol is unrivalled.

If you’re looking for something a bit different, check out Cargo & Cargo 2 on the Harbourside. Offering everything from yoga (In. A. Shipping. Container.), bottomless brunch at Harbour & Browns (all you can eat breakfast foods and prosecco by the bottle) to craft beer, cider, burgers, souvlaki, indian, fish & chips, and more – all wrapped up in a lovely location right on the harbour.

Being a student we all know you might need to keep your pennies for ‘other’ things, and that’s where Wriggle comes in. Wriggle is an app which offers you deals on local independent eateries, meaning you can still get your food fix but at a more student friendly price. At Creditcall lots of us Wriggle at lunch time.

We The Curious (@Bristol)

After 17 years of “making science accessible to all” We The Curious is the new name for @Bristol. It’s home to the UK’s most advanced Planetarium (a 3D 4K projection dome – AKA the big silver ball), perfect for those tourist selfies when you have friends and family visit.

Not only that but they also do adults only evenings where you can get your hands (or hand as you’ll have a drink in the other one) on all the activities and exhibits without being surrounded by lil ones

Climbing

It has been said that Bristol has the highest number of climbers by population of any city in Europe (Gethen Baker, Project Manager at Creditcall). Hence our climbing centres are nothing short of epic. From Redpoint in Bedminster to Bloc in St. Werburgh’s and TCA in St. Phillips.

Park Life

Everyone loves how green Bristol is, not only is the city surrounded by rolling hills and fields (which you can see from our office) but you’ll also find inner city parks right on your doorstep, 357 of them to be exact. Perfect for those moments where you need some peace and quiet to clear your head and get out of the hustle and bustle of the city.

Queens Square, Brandon Hill, and The Downs all give a welcome reprieve from city life. But if you’re after more, Ashton Court offers mountain bike trails, 2 x 18 hole golf course, or just a nice long walk with wildlife around the manor.

Pint of Science

Pint of Science do an annual science get together based around the city centre bringing some of the most brilliant scientists to your local pub. Also keep an eye out for their pop-up events throughout the year delving into various scientific topics. Science and beer - what’s more to like?!

Festivals

You’ll never be short of things to do at the weekends with an almost unlimited supply of festivals, there’s pretty much a festival for everything.

Bristol hosts many world famous festivals like the International Balloon Fiesta and Upfest – which celebrates graffiti artists from all over the world (we can’t mention graffiti without mentioning Banksy, so don’t forget to check out the Banksy Walking tour of Bristol).

If it’s more music, comedy, and food you want; Bristol Harbour Festival (give us a wave), Bristol Comedy Garden in Queens Square, Love Saves the Day, and Dot to Dot with venues dotted around Bristol hosting up and coming music. There’s so much going on you might even be tempted to stick around during the summer.

Cycling

Bristol was named England’s first cycling city, with an unprecedented cycling infrastructure you can cycle from one end of the city to the other and back (if you can make it up Park Street/St. Michaels Hill that is) making commuting a breeze. There’s also the likes of Leigh Woods and Ashton Court if you fancy going off road or trying something new.

There’s also a huge community of cyclists in Bristol, with cycling cafes such as Mud Dock on the Harbourside, you can get your bike serviced and grab a coffee before getting back on the road again.

Don’t have a bike? Then YoBike has you covered! Launched this year, YoBike allows anyone to rent a bike to use across Bristol, all you need is the app and your legs.

So there you have it. Creditcall’s guide to Bristol, We should probably mention that you should always eat and drink responsibly (Park Street is hard work at the best of times!) but hopefully this should give you plenty to get on with.

We’ll be at both UWE (18th October) and University of Bristol (18th-19th October) careers fairs and host a drinks social on Thursday 19th October from 5pm – pop by our stands for a chat.

Enjoy, you’ll have the time of your life and welcome to Bristol!

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