Clifton Suspension Bridge

What it’s like

Free walk across a famous bridge, plus a museum with hidden vaults, a film and a children's trail to hunt down.

The bridge itself costs nothing and that's the main event: a proper Victorian crossing you can just walk over, with the gorge dropping away underneath. Inside the museum building there's a children's trail with interactive exhibits to work through, a bridge-building workshop to have a go at, and a short film explaining how the whole thing got built in the first place. Kids who like a "how does that work" answer will get more out of the film than the ones who just want to run about, so factor in a bit of patience for the sit-down bit.

If you fancy going properly behind the scenes, the Hard Hat tours take you into the hidden vaults inside the bridge, but they only run from April to Halloween, so a winter visit means you miss that bit. Weekend bridge tours run every Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday at 2pm and last 45 minutes to an hour, finishing back at the museum.

There's a café and a gift shop on site, but no food or drink allowed inside the museum building itself, which is a bit of a faff if you've got a toddler mid-snack. Pushchairs are fine and it's wheelchair accessible, with lockers if you want to dump bags before exploring. Dogs are welcome on the bridge but only service dogs get into the museum.

Getting there without a car is straightforward enough: the number 8 bus runs from Temple Meads to Clifton Village, or it's about a 45 minute walk from the city centre if you fancy stretching everyone's legs first. If you're bringing a large group along, you'll need to book ahead and there's a £1 per person charge for self-guided group visits.

Facilities

Need to know

Dogs

Welcome on bridge. Only service dogs permitted inside museum building

Getting there by bus or train

Number 8 bus from Bristol Temple Meads to Clifton Village, or 45-minute walk from city centre

• No food or drink allowed inside the museum building, so finish snacks before you go in
• Hard Hat tours are seasonal, April to Halloween only
• Lockers are available if you want to explore hands-free
• Only service dogs are allowed inside the museum, though dogs are fine on the bridge itself

Plan your visit

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