Most of the festival can be reached on foot, however some exhibitions lie beyond the city centre. Be prepared to walk a little further or consider other options (bus, bike, scooter, car or taxi). This post is designed to help those planning routes, using a combination of walking and public transport.
Covering the Festival in Two Days
Day One: The Central Loop Walk
- Start at Arnolfini Gallery. After seeing the exhibition, head to M Shed – 3 minutes on foot.
- Next, head to The Crypt, St Paul’s Church – 4 minutes on foot.
- Walk on to Albion Dockside – 12 minutes on foot.
- From here, cross the harbour on a ferry before walking up the hill to The Georgian House Museum – 20-25 minutes in total.
- Afterwards, carry on to Bristol Museum & Art Gallery – 5 minutes on foot.
- From here, you could continue on towards Serchia Gallery or The Launderette – both approximately 25 minutes on foot.
- Finish the day by walking down to Centrespace Gallery – 20 minutes on foot.
- Total walking time: 1.5 – 2 hours
- Total viewing time: 4 hours (based on 30 minutes per exhibition)
Day Two: Completing the Loop
- Start at Paintworks (Martin Parr Foundation & Royal Photographic Society). After seeing the exhibitions, catch the bus (349, 1 or 522) towards the city centre (there is a bus stop called ‘The Centre’) – 15 minutes by bus or 25 minutes on foot.
- From here you have lots of options. To complete all exhibitions, walk from the city centre to the neighbourhood of Old Market where you will find IC Visual Lab & 17 Midland Road – 15 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by bus.
- After seeing these exhibitions, catch the bus from Old Market to Bricks St. Anne’s House (no. 5 bus, every 30 mins). The journey time via bus is approximately 20 minutes.
- After the exhibitions at Bricks, finish the day by relaxing at Lost and Grounded Taproom (Open Fridays and Saturdays) – 8 minutes on foot.
- Total transport time: 1 hour
- Total viewing time: 2.5 hours (based on 30 minutes per exhibition)
A Single Day Visit
It’s going to be tough to see everything in a single day. However, if this is
- Start at Paintworks (Martin Parr Foundation & Royal Photographic Society). After seeing the exhibitions, head on to Arnolfini Gallery – 35 minutes on foot or 25 minutes by bus.
- After spending time at Arnolfini Gallery, head to M Shed – 3 minutes on foot.
- Next, head to The Crypt, St Paul’s Church – 4 minutes on foot.
- Walk on to Albion Dockside – 12 minutes on foot.
- From here, cross the harbour on a ferry before walking up the hill to The Georgian House Museum – 20-25 minutes in total.
- Afterwards, carry on to Bristol Museum & Art Gallery – 5 minutes on foot.
- From here, you could continue on towards Serchia Gallery or The Launderette – both approximately 25 minutes on foot or 15-20 minutes by bus.
- From the Launderette walk down to Centrespace Gallery – 20 minutes on foot.
- After leaving Centrespace Gallery you can walk to the neighbourhood of Old Market where you will find IC Visual Lab and 17 Midland Road – 20 minutes on foot.
- After seeing these exhibitions, catch the bus from Old Market to Bricks St. Anne’s House – 20 minutes by bus (number 5, leaving every 30 mins).
- After the exhibitions at Bricks, finish the day by relaxing at Lost and Grounded Taproom (Open Fridays and Saturdays) – 8 minutes on foot.
- Total travel time (walking or by bus): up to 3 hours
- Total viewing time: 7 hours (based on 30 minutes per exhibition)