Best of Bristol Audio Tour

Tour description: 

Whether you've been in Bristol for five minutes or five decades, my new audio tour is bound to interest you with some facts about the city that you didn't know. 

With me (Heather) as your audio tour guide, locals can see our city from a different perspective and discover things they didn't know, and visitors can learn what Bristol is all about and get tips on places to stop at and come back to. The tour takes you through the oldest parts of the city at your own pace. Using you location, the app plays audio automatically, at exactly the right time and place.

Discover where Bristol all began, what happened to our castle, why we have a clock with two times, why we were such a busy port and why so many things are being renamed. Explore markets, relax in a park, pass through the last remaining city gate, see the city's oldest pubs, marvel at the street art, see our cathedral and historic docks.

As it's all about you enjoying it at your own speed, you can stop as often as you like. To assist with this, I'll give you loads of ideas of places to eat and drink, show you a street which is a craft beer lovers paradise, point out a couple of breweries and tell you the story behind them.

Why an audio tour? 

My passion for sharing things about Bristol's fascinating past and introducing people to our craft beer scene is huge. These audio tours give you more information than you'd get on a guided tour, as there's no need to stop all the time to gather a group - I (Heather) can talk to you as you walk. Using your location, the clever app that's used plays audio automatically, at exactly the right time and place. You can walk at your own pace and have as many beer stops as you like without being rushed along or having to look at your phone.

When to take your tour: 

The actual walking bit takes around 70-80 minutes. If you think you might want to explore the markets in detail, look inside the cathedral or stop for refreshments at one of the many recommended independent venues along the way, then allow much longer. It's a super way to spend a whole dry afternoon.

You can take the tour whenever you like, but it's worth noting these things:

• The first half of the tour has a lot of street art to see. To see it clearly, it is best to start in daylight.
• St Nicholas Market opens 9.30-5pm Monday- Saturday. 
• Check Bristol Cathedral website for their opening hours if you want to look inside. 
• As the pubs, bars and restaurants I recommend are small, independent businesses, opening hours will vary. If you are using the tour to visit multiple pubs,  I would recommend avoiding Mondays if possible to allow maximum choice. 

How it works:

When you buy a tour, you'll receive an email with a unique code and instructions on how to download the tour on the VoiceMap platform (you will need to have an Android or i-phone with the ability to download an app). Your code accesses the tour, which you can download to use maps offline if you like. You must download the tour by 1/10/24. Once dowloaded, it stays on your phone forever but won't receive any updates to the tour when made. 

To take the tour you will need: 

• A set of headphones
• A smartphone with either an Android or I-phone operating system to be able to download the app. 
• Comfy shoes (heels are very difficult to walk on all the cobbles with) 
• To check and follow Covid 19 rules that are in place on the day you take your tour. (facemasks at times, track and trace, group sizes, etc)

It is possible to share headphones, but as you will be walking for over an hour, it may be very awkward to stay that close. 

As you are in the city, you may also struggle to concentrate with just one ear playing the audio and the other hearing sirens, etc.  One ticket per person is strongly recommended.