Student Accommodation

Bristol

The University of Bristol

Founded in 1876 as University College Bristol, the University of Bristol is a research-intensive Russell Group university and one of the original redbrick universities. It was the first higher education institution in England to admit women on an equal basis with men, and 13 Nobel Prize winners are associated with the university, including Dorothy Hodgkin and Paul Dirac. It welcomes a large number of international students each year, and the city around it is known for its creativity, music, art and green credentials.

The Students’ Union is based in the Richmond Building on Queen’s Road, one of the largest purpose-built students’ union buildings in the UK. It’s home to the Anson Rooms gig venue and the Winston Theatre, and it supports more than 400 societies, sports clubs and networks, so there’s a wide range of interests to explore. The university also has its own on-campus Student Health Service.

The University of the West of England (UWE)

UWE Bristol is one of the largest universities in the South West and has built strong partnerships with employers in the region and beyond, with placements and internship opportunities available during study. Students can gain practical experience alongside their degrees using specialist facilities, including a simulation house for forensic and paramedic training, wind tunnels, mock courtrooms and a flight simulator.

The Students’ Union is the social hub of the campus, with bars, clubs and restaurants, a Job Shop that advertises part-time work, and a wide range of sports clubs and societies to join.

Get to Know the City

From your Prestige Student Living home in Bristol, you’ll be spoilt for choice, whether you’re after a quick bite, vegetarian and vegan food, or street food from around the world. Here’s a sample of the areas and independent places to try.

St Nicholas Market

St Nicholas Market, known locally as St Nick’s, has traded since 1743 in The Exchange on Corn Street. Its street food market runs on Tuesdays and Fridays, with traders serving dishes from around the world, including Brazilian, Japanese and Indian street food. Bristol also has the Harbourside Street Food Market, which runs on several days each week, including weekends.

The Athenian (Wapping Wharf)

The Athenian serves Greek street food from Cargo 2 at Wapping Wharf, alongside many other small independent restaurants on Bristol’s harbourside. The menu centres on souvlaki and gyros, and the pork, chicken and halloumi gyros come packed with salad and sauces. There are plant-based options too.

Pinkmans (Bristol Cathedral and Stokes Croft)

Pinkmans is one of Bristol’s best-loved independent bakeries, known for its sourdough, hand-baked pastries and sourdoughnuts. After a serious fire at its original Park Street premises in 2023, the team reopened in Bristol Cathedral’s café in autumn 2024 and has since opened on Stokes Croft.

Bertha’s (Cumberland Road)

Bertha’s serves Neapolitan-style sourdough pizza from the Old Gaol Stables on Cumberland Road at Wapping Wharf, behind its bright yellow doors. The dough is fermented slowly and baked in a hand-built oven, and you’ll find inventive toppings plus homemade gelato.

City Centre

As a student, you’ll want to find a good night out, and Bristol has plenty to choose from, including big nightclubs, student nights, comedy, live music and pub crawls. The Students’ Union at both of the city’s main universities is a good place to start too. Here’s a look at some of the different areas and nights out you can expect.

Areas to Explore

When you first move to a new city, it’s a good idea to explore as many areas as you can, so you can get a taste for the different types of night out on offer. King Street is a popular first stop, with cobbled streets, historic pubs, craft beer bars and The Old Duke, a well-known jazz pub. Park Street and The Triangle are both lively areas with student club nights, bars and pubs. For something more alternative, head to Gloucester Road and Stokes Croft.

The Apple (Welsh Back)

The Apple is a Bristol favourite, a cider bar on a converted 1930s Dutch barge on Welsh Back, a short walk from King Street. It’s known for its selection of West Country ciders and makes a great stop on any night out.

The Lanes (Nelson Street)

The Lanes on Nelson Street combines a retro bowling alley, diner, bar, karaoke rooms and pool tables with live gigs and club nights. Whatever your idea of a night out, you can do a bit of everything under one roof. Other places worth a mention include The Cat and Wheel on Cheltenham Road and The Gallimaufry on Gloucester Road, both with live music and a local feel.

Motion

Motion has been one of Bristol’s best-known clubs for almost two decades. After its original Avon Street home closed in July 2025, it reopened in October 2025 at Victoria Terrace in St Philips, just a short walk away. It’s also running a new series of events called Momentum, and it keeps the industrial feel of the original venue.

Live Music Venues

Bristol has a thriving music scene, with grassroots venues for up-and-coming bands as well as larger venues for touring artists. Thekla is a gig venue on a former cargo ship in the Floating Harbour. O2 Academy Bristol on Frogmore Street hosts touring acts and regular club nights, and The Island, a former police station on Nelson Street, hosts occasional dance and arts events. The Black Swan in Easton is known for its dub, jungle, drum and bass and techno nights.

Staying Fit and Active

If you’re looking for a sports team or other way to stay fit and healthy, or you’d like to watch some live professional sport, Bristol has a wide range of options. There are university sports clubs, extensive facilities and major stadiums to choose from.

University Sport Facilities

The University of Bristol’s sport facilities are available through membership. The Indoor Sports Centre on Tyndall Avenue has a gym, fitness studios, a sports hall and a sports medicine clinic. The university’s 32-metre swimming pool is in the Richmond Building, and the 38-acre Coombe Dingle Sports Complex has grass and artificial pitches, an indoor tennis centre and an Olympic weightlifting gym. Whether you want to run, swim, play squash or tennis, or join a football or rugby team, there’s a sport for everyone.

University Sports Clubs and Elite Performance

Bristol SU runs more than 60 student-led sports clubs, from football and archery to ultimate frisbee, snowsports and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. If you’re good enough, you can compete against other universities in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) leagues. The university’s performance sport programme supports talented student athletes to continue their sporting careers alongside their studies, with a personalised development plan and services such as coaching, physiotherapy and nutrition advice.

City and Rovers

Bristol City play at Ashton Gate in the south-west of the city, whilst Bristol Rovers play at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, close to Gloucester Road in the north. Ashton Gate has been redeveloped in recent years and also hosts rugby and live music.

Rugby Union

Ashton Gate is also the home of the Bristol Bears, who play in Premiership Rugby. If you’re more interested in international rugby, Bristol is well placed for trips to Cardiff for Wales internationals at the Principality Stadium, or to London to see England play at Twickenham.

Healthy Lifestyles and Steep Walks

Bristol is a hilly city, so you can get your steps in on a walk around College Green and Brandon Hill. It was also the UK’s first Cycling City, designated in 2008, and cycling is widely promoted as a healthy and practical way to get around.

Clifton Village

Clifton Village is one of Bristol’s most attractive neighbourhoods and is well connected to the city centre by public transport. Take a stroll through its Georgian streets and you’ll find independent boutiques, antique and gift shops, the Victorian Clifton Arcade and plenty of cafés. The Clifton Suspension Bridge is on the edge of the village, so it’s well worth combining a browse with a walk to the bridge and its views over the Avon Gorge.

Independent Shopping Across the City

Bristol is great for independent shopping, with areas such as Gloucester Road and Stokes Croft full of independent shops. Whether you’re after craft supplies, bespoke jewellery, vinyl, or retro and vintage clothing, you’ll find it. Park Street and The Triangle are also popular with students.

Cabot Circus and the Shopping Quarter

For high-street brands, head to Bristol Shopping Quarter in the city centre. Cabot Circus has more than 100 stores, including Zara, H&M and Harvey Nichols, plus restaurants, a cinema and leisure options. Nearby, Broadmead, The Galleries and Quakers Friars add more high-street names, with a good mix of independent retailers too.

Bristol Markets

Markets are one of the best ways to get to know a new city. St Nicholas Market is a historic indoor market in the city centre, with independent stalls selling records, books, gifts and food. The Christmas Steps Arts Quarter is a historic street lined with independent shops and galleries, whilst Wapping Wharf has independent shops and restaurants in converted shipping containers.

UNESCO City of Film

Bristol is a hub for film and the moving image. It was designated a UNESCO City of Film in 2017, recognising its strong film and television industry, its film festivals and venues such as Watershed. You’ll also find creative spaces such as Spike Island, home to artists’ studios and a public gallery, along with arts and film events and collectives across the city.

Street Art Tours

Banksy is closely associated with Bristol, where he’s widely believed to have grown up, and there are guided and self-guided street art trails that take you to murals across the city, including in Stokes Croft and Park Street. Away from street art, Bristol is also home to traditional and contemporary art in galleries such as Bristol Museum & Art Gallery and the Arnolfini.

Brunel and Bristol’s Heritage

Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed many of Bristol’s best-known engineering landmarks. The SS Great Britain, launched in 1843, was the longest passenger ship in the world at the time, and you can now visit her at the harbourside. The Clifton Suspension Bridge, another Brunel design, opened in 1864 and remains one of the city’s most recognisable sights. Other heritage sites worth visiting include Blaise Castle and Bristol Cathedral, as well as many Grade I listed buildings across the city.

Bristol also played a major role in the transatlantic slave trade, and that history is part of the city’s streets and buildings. At M Shed, the Bristol People gallery explores the city’s history and its links to the slave trade.

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

Every August, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta fills the sky above the city with hot air balloons. It’s a free four-day event held at Ashton Court, with teams from around the world taking part in mass ascents. It has been running since 1979 and is one of the largest events of its kind in Europe.