Staying in the UK for your holidays has become all the rage since the pandemic. Not only are they cheaper, but they’re also a chance to soak in the beauty sitting right on your doorstep. But where to go? Well, a lot of people might be thinking of visiting Bristol, with the city recently crowned the best place to visit in the UK for 2024.
Time Out has been looking at the UK’s best staycation destinations. Choosing places with thriving food, drink and arts scenes, “they’re home to exciting new openings and they have plenty of big events for you to scribble into your calendar, pronto.” So why has Bristol come out on top? Other than the obvious, obviously.
Time Out says: “Should we really be surprised that (apparently) everyone is moving to Bristol? Its cultural scene is just as exciting as London’s, but it’s still only a short coach journey away; it has picture-perfect streets and bustling, diverse nightlife.”
We’re sure that will ruffle a few feathers! (Do we really need more people moving from London?) Time Out is quick to point out how the arts offerings in Bristol are only growing in 2024. Some of the mentions include DIASPORA!, the brand new festival showcasing BIPOC artists launching in May; Undershed, a new immersive gallery, coming in Spring; and Boxhall – the new food hall and events space from the team behind London’s Boxpark.
They didn’t even mention the reopening of We The Curious or the fact that the Bristol Beacon is back! It did suggest planning your trip around the 2024 edition of Bristol’s newest music festival, Forwards, which takes place on August 31 and September 1. It also left a suggestion of the perfect day out in Bristol, however, which if you followed would probably leave you running around like a headless chicken:
“Start with grabbing a coffee from Clifton Coffee Roasters before pottering around Gloucester Road and perusing the many shops (it’s the largest strip of independent retailers in Europe). Then, hop on a Bristol Ferry water bus tour to see the city from the water. Finally, feast on a dinner of Spanish small plates at Bravas (or check out one of the city’s other excellent restaurants), before heading out to rave the night away at one of the many DIY-style clubs.”
All good suggestions! But living in Bristol, you’re probably thinking: I don’t need to visit the city I live in! Good point. Luckily, Time Out listed 14 other places in the UK to visit in 2024. These include Hull, which has become “a surprising capital for the UK’s LGBTQ+ community”; The Isles of Scilly, the “British version of the Caribbean”; and “good old London”, for always having new things to discover no matter how many times you visit the capital.
To see Time Out’s 15 best places to visit in the UK in 2024 head here.