Why learn English in Bristol?
Bristol: a great place to study and live
Bristol is the largest city in the South West of England with a population of half a million. It's a multi-cultural city that is home to people from many different ethnic groups and has people from all walks of life.
Together with its rich history and attractive scenery, this makes Bristol a fascinating city to live and study English in.
- Background to Bristol - a safe friendly city with so many things to see and do
- Food and music in Bristol - a huge range of restaurants and music venues
- Video: Destination Bristol - see for yourself what an exciting place Bristol can be
- IH Bristol location - located in the Clifton area of Bristol, International House is easy to get to by car, bus, train or on foot
- Things you can find nearby - shops, supermarkets, restaurants and nearby amenities
- Places of Interest in Bristol - Bristol has two cathedrals, old and new shopping arcades, various museums and the famous Suspension Bridge
Studying and learing English in Bristol is a popular choice for many; why not be one of them? Call us on +44 (0) 117 909 0911 or contact us via email today!
Background to Bristol
Bristol is a great place for learning English.
It's the capital of the South West of England and has 500,000 inhabitants, so it's a big cultural and commercial centre and there's always a lot to see and do. It's a safe and friendly place with a long and colourful history.
It's got two universities, so it's a youthful, dynamic city. It's not industrial with lots of factories. The main businesses here include education, finance, high technology such as computing, retail, tourism and hospitality.
Bristol is also a green city. There are lots of parks and gardens and many of the streets are lined with trees. It's nice to walk around and visit the sights, see the famous architecture and discover lots of interesting places like the Clifton Suspension Bridge - the first suspension bridge ever built.
There's also a great social scene and wonderful nightlife - hundreds of clubs and pubs, several discos, theatres and cinemas and lots more.
We'll help you explore Bristol, its history, its sights and its culture and advise you on the best places to visit. With our regular social activities you'll have the opportunity to discover what the city has to offer.
You'll have a great time!
Food, music, boats and balloons in Bristol
If you like music, Bristol is fantastic.
There are lots of concerts every night of the week - jazz, pop, rock, heavy metal, reggae, indie music, dance music, drum-n-bass, Irish, classical - it's all here for you to enjoy.
There are also many special events through the year. We have Europe's biggest free music festival and one of Britain's most famous street carnivals in the St. Paul's area. There's also a world-famous balloon fiesta attracting over half a million people. The Harbour Festival sees boats from all over the world arrive in the harbour in the centre of Bristol. Plus there are film seasons, a local half marathon, garden shows, fireworks, a circus, fun-fairs ... something for everyone.
Do you like restaurants? We have food for all tastes and budgets from traditional British "pub grub" to authentic ethnic cuisine from all over the world.
We have all these restaurants in Bristol:
• American • Chinese • English • French • Greek • Indian • Italian • Japanese • Mexican • Portuguese • Spanish • Thai • Turkish
And that's not all: We have vegetarian restaurants, restaurants that specialise in fish, restaurants for student budgets, and more...
Destination Bristol Video
IH Bristol location
We are located on a quiet street in Clifton, just a few minutes away from many of Bristol's key points of interest, and only 150 metres from Whiteladies Road, one of the main roads through the city. Click here for a map and more about how to find us.
Nearby shops, restaurants and other amenities
There is a wide variety of shops on Whiteladies Road, only five minutes' walk from the school. At the Clifton Down shopping centre, shown on the map above, you will find a supermarket (called Sainsbury's) where you can buy sandwiches for your lunch. There is also a chemists (drug store) called Boots where you can get general pharmaceutical products and collect prescriptions from a doctor.
Also within ten minutes' walk from the school, there are Thai, Italian, French, Moroccan, Indian and Chinese restaurants also on Whiteladies Road or on Cotham Hill and a selection of more than thirty bars, pubs and cafes. There is a large bookstore, Borders, just 5 minutes walk from the school and several good clothes shops, too.
Things to see and do in Bristol
We think you will enjoy visiting and exploring the following popular attractions in and around Bristol:
Bristol Cathedral: This is the Anglican cathedral in Bristol, which most people know as 'Bristol Cathedral'. It was founded in 1170 and over the years, many parts have been added and changed. Inside, you can see beautiful stained glass windows and a few pieces of the original building from the 12th Century.
The St Nicholas Market is a covered market area that is part of the Corn Exchange buildings, built in the Eighteenth Century. Inside, you can find clothes, fabrics and specialist food shops. The St Nicholas Market has a glass roof, which means that in good weather it is still sunny inside and in bad weather it is dry.
The SS Great Britain was the first ever ship with a body made of metal. Before 1843, all ships were made of wood. Today the SS Great Britain is a museum and visitor attraction in the port area of Bristol. It was designed and built by I.K. Brunel, the same engineer who designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
The Clifton Suspension Bridge is one of the most famous landmarks in Bristol. It was built by Brunel over 100 years ago and it is still in use today as a road bridge. From the Clifton Suspension Bridge you can get amazing views of Clifton Gorge below and Leigh Woods on the West side of the bridge.
Bristol Museum City Museum and Art Gallery in Clifton is a fantastic Victorian Museum with a varied collection on display. Permanent exhibits at Bristol Museum include hundreds of paintings, many by great masters, Roman and Neolithic remains, animals from all over the World, Mummies from Egypt, fossils and dinosaurs. There are also special exhibitions which change every few weeks. In summer 2009, the museum hosted an amazing exhibition of work by Banksy, the famous street artist.