number seven boat trips bristol

Number Seven Boat Trips

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Number 7 Boat Trips in Bristol: perfect party boats for every occasion

Number Seven Boat Trips are the number one name in aquatic excursions around Bristol, with an extensive flotilla capable of catering your every nautical need. Party on the river? Climb aboard.

Richard Rankin and his team provide an excellent service not only in running the previously heavily subsidised Cross Harbour ferry and City Centre - Hotwells and City Centre - Temple Meads routes at zero cost to the taxpayer but also provide superb cruises and private trips all through the year. 

Whether simply for a hop across the harbour on its failsafe ferry service, or for an alternative take on a hen or stag do, Number Seven Boats have a vessel suited to every Bristol occasion.

Operating a fleet of boats with a wide range of size and functionality, Number Seven can be hired to suit your whim. The competitively-priced private hire (which include party boats, Avon Gorge cruises and simple transport), can be booked for any of the watertight flotilla below. 

NUMBER 3  

A 3/4 covered boat with a capacity of 50 persons, the option to fully uncover the deck makes it suitable for all seasons. Catch it cruising up and down the Avon Gorge.

A rather zippy open boat with a capacity of 28 persons, first choice for the speed-thirsty thrill-seekers.

NUMBER 7 

A covered boat with a capacity of 36 persons, its bar and built-in soundsystem make it the ideal party boat.

FREEDOM  

A fully covered boat with an open deck out front and a capacity of 28 persons. Its retractable sun-roof makes it perfect for fine-weather family excursions.

MERCURY  

The 26-seater open-topped HMS Mercury is the little sister of Number 7.

MARY BRUNEL 

The trusty vessel Mary Brunel operates a cross-harbour ferry service, seven days a week.

All boats are certified by the MCA and are crewed by qualified boatmasters and mates.

For more information call 0117 9293659 or visit the Number Seven Boat Trips website .

Article by:

Hannah recently graduated with a degree in English with Writing. She is an avid writer, freelancer and creative. She is currently writing her first full-length novel and a collection of poetry. Always out and about in Bristol's music scene, she attends music events on a weekly basis. 

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The best way to get to know Bristol’s Floating Harbour and  Harbourside  is by boat.

Take your pick from ferry rides up and down the Floating Harbour, themed cruises on the water, afternoon tea trips along the River Avon and wildlife spotting trips to the Avon Gorge with local experts. Tours run all-year-round, so whenever you visit you'll be able to hop-aboard a boat trip in Bristol and enjoy the city from the water.

Water bus services

Bristol Ferry Boats  and Number Seven Boat Trips offer scheduled ferry services, which you can hop-on and simply use to get from A to B or spend longer and do the full round-trip of the Harbour. Stops are located around the Harbourside and behind Temple Meads Station - just look out for the boards, or head over to their website for details of times and services.

Harbour tours and days out

Bristol Packet Boats  offer lots of different tours, including Harbour tours, afternoon tea and lunch trips up the picturesque River Avon and Avon Gorge cruises. Bristol Ferry Boats  do longer themed tours in the spring and summer, including trips to Beeses for live music nights or Sunday lunch.

The Matthew  is the replica of John Cabot's 1497 ship that he used to discover Newfoundland, which is open for visits and cruises around the harbour and through the Avon Gorge and under the Clifton Suspension for a boat trip experience like no other in Bristol. 

Most of the companies offer private charter and hire, so get in touch and travel in style with your group.

• Harbourside activities
• Things to do outdoors
• Family-friendly Bristol

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The 14 best things to do in Bristol

B ristol is bursting with things to do: from trips in the air (ballooning) to boat tours around the harbour; from cutting-edge art galleries and theatres and brazen street art to a myriad of museums and numerous diversions for children; and from brilliant markets and festivals to wondrous feats of engineering. 

What's more, for sports lovers, the city has two football league teams (City and Rovers), a rugby team (Bristol Bears) – City and the Bears also have women’s teams – and is home to Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. No wonder the poet John Betjeman once referred to Bristol as the most 'interesting' city in England. Here are a dozen ways to get a feel of the place.

For further  Bristol  inspiration visit our guides to the city's best hotels ,  restaurants  and nightlife . If planning a longer trip, explore our guide to the perfect holiday in  Somerset .

Find things to do by area

• Harbourside 
• St Philip’s Marsh 
• Old City 
• City Centre 
• Floating Harbour 
• Clifton 
• College Green – Stokes Croft 
• Paintworks 
• Stoke Bishop 
• Filton 
• Bedminster 

Harbourside

Imagine the magic of brunel.

The immersive Brunel Museum, marks the greatest achievements of the Victorian engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It’s hard by one of his most striking creations, the beautifully restored SS Great Britain – make sure to see that as well – and not far from another, Clifton Suspension Bridge. Various rooms examine his life as an engineer, entrepreneur and celebrity, but also his failures; head into 'Brunel’s Mind' for something a bit different. 

Insider tip:  From late July unlock additional audio, video and image content curated by experts that delves deeper into the history behind the iconic ship via   Bloomberg Connects and select Brunel’s SS Great Britain.

Contact: ssgreatbritain.org

Get curious about science

Known for making science accessible and fun, the aptly named We The Curious science centre – run by an educational charity and housed in one of Brunel’s old goods sheds – is finally set to re-open at the beginning of July following a roof fire in 2022. A must-see for families as the exhibits are both novel and excitingly immersive – look out for the continuing interactive exhibits based around ‘Project What If’ which brings together science and art to ask seven questions about life from the nature of time to illness and happiness. There’s a new exhibition about “impossible activities” and a 3D planetarium.

Insider tip: Seek out a member of the Live Science Team; they are a mine of information and include astrophysicists, palaeontologists, biologists and musicians.

Contact: wethecurious.org

Immerse yourself in the past

M Shed , a 1950s former transit shed, dominated by four massive cargo cranes, houses a captivating and thoughtful insight into Bristol’s past – and present – capturing what makes it tick and its independent spirit. Three floors offer an evocative picture of “Life, People and Places”, including those who shaped the city (authors, inventors, engineers and political reformers). Elsewhere, discover about everything from the slave trade and past industries (chocolate to tobacco) to boycotts, festivals and the Blitz. Look out too for the now permanent display of the Colston statue, which was pulled down in 2020 because of its slave owner associations – it focuses on the theme of protest and is exhibited lying on its side and remains covered in graffiti.

Insider tip: Add another dimension to your trip with a (free) behind-the-scenes tour (Tue-Sat) to see some of the items not in the regular collection with a visit to the L Shed next door. Even better, ask about the steam engine and crane driving experiences.

Contact:   bristolmuseums.org.uk

Price: Free

St Philip’s Marsh

Get lost in an imaginary world.

Wake the Tiger is a hugely imaginative immersive and now extended art experience – terrific for kids and adults. Dubbed an “Amazement Park” and set on an old industrial estate, it features numerous different creative environments with soundscapes, secret passageways, artwork and installations. Visually clever and tricksy, Wake the Tiger is certainly different as visitors encounter various imaginary worlds – think of it like a massive film set – one dreamt up, perhaps, by Peter Jackson, Terry Gilliam and David Lynch.

Insider tip: Take your time – there really is a lot to experience and if you look hard enough you’ll find new avenues to explore. 

Contact: wakethetiger.com

Price: ££ 

Catch a play at the oldest theatre in Britain

The Bristol Old Vic, the oldest continuously working theatre in Britain, has some terrific productions throughout the year. A recent renovation in the timber and glass-fronted foyer has also brilliantly revealed the original auditorium brick façade – built in 1766 – for the first time. On stage, expect everything from challenging new theatre to established works, comedy, dance, children’s shows and Christmas plays (and Mark Rylance makes his Old Vic debut in 2020). 

Insider tip: For a great fringe option, look out for productions at the Wardrobe Theatre  in Old Market with a mix of theatre, story-telling, puppetry and family shows; it shares a building with the Old Market Assembly pub, which has an excellent food menu.

Contact: bristololdvic.org.uk

Make the most of the markets

With its impressive Georgian architecture, St Nicholas Market or 'St Nicks' is home to an array of permanent stalls selling everything from from second hand books to classic reggae, blues and punk LPs, bike equipment, jewellery and children’s toys. There are some terrific food stalls too, offering the likes of pies, Moroccan dishes, ice creams and cakes. Also head to the eco-aware Tobacco Factory Market in Southville on Sundays with artisan breads, fresh fish, Jamaican food, paintings, children's clothes and more. Look out too for BoxHall in Welsh Back in the summer. Two disused dockside warehouses have been converted into a version of London’s BoxParks with seven restaurants and a food hall and the venue will also offer a showcase for local musicians. 

Insider tip: Look out for the occasional Friday night St Nick’s market, here with street food vendors, musicians, and performers. The Over Here 'stall' sells t-shirts from local makers, such as Mild West Heroes. 

Contacts:   stnicholasmarketbristol.co.uk ;  tobaccofactory.com

City Centre

Experience the creativity and inclusivity of a renowned venue.

After a £130 million refurbishment, the Bristol Beacon will finally re-open in November 2023 – it was formerly known as Colston Hall, a name which long attracted controversy because of the association with local 16th/17th century merchant Edward Colston and his links to the slave trade. The Beacon, which has some events on now, will offer three main music spaces: the Beacon Hall (with a capacity of 2,000), the Victorian Lantern Hall and the intimate cellar (200). It will further enhance the city’s strong music credentials with a diverse selection of performances and acts. 

Contact: bristolbeacon.org 

Floating Harbour

Get on board a river cruise.

Experience a sense of Bristol’s bustling maritime past with a trip around the Floating Harbour with Bristol Packet Boat Trips. They have four boats –  Tower Belle and Narrowboat Redshank are the oldest and have most character – and the trip to go for is the City Docks Tour, which reveals the origins of the city and how it has changed from its old trading days. There are also (less frequent) trips to Bath and the Avon Gorge.

Insider tip: Take a summer trip up the River Avon on the boat for lunch at Beese’s Riverside Bar . Look out for swans nesting in spring in the manmade marshland opposite the SS Great Britain landing point.

Contact: bristolpacket.co.uk

Enjoy the view from the top

At various times the site of the Clifton Observatory has been an Iron Age hill fort and a windmill, but since 1828, it has been home to the observatory and then the home of the Camera Obscura, which was originally installed by the artist William West; turn the wooden handle to get a panoramic view of the surrounding area. Descend into the natural limestone Giants Cave for a spectacular view of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. 

Insider tip: Sunsets are quite something from the excellent 360 glass café’s rooftop terrace (with more views of Brunel’s bridge); it’s a great place to see the Bristol Balloon Fiesta in August, when the café opens especially early. 

Contact: cliftonobservatory.com

College Green – Stokes Croft

Take a crash course in street art and graffiti history.

Explore Bristol’s inspired street art with an expert, which you’ll do by going out with Where The Wall. Their aim is to give a 'contemporary culture experience' about the home turf of Banksy and more than 30 years of street and graffiti art history and the guides (street documenters, Banksy fans and artists) do that with ease. The tour begins on College Green and ends in Stokes Croft; an added bonus is that new street works by various artists appears all the time.

Insider tip:  Three times a month Where The Wall has a 'spray session' – your chance to practise stencilling. 

Contact: wherethewall.com

Tour times:  Sat at 11am, with more dates during the week in holidays and half-terms 

Price:  £

See photo exhibitions in Bristol's creative quarter

The Martin Parr Foundation, brainchild of the acclaimed documentary photographer, is housed in a new-build at Paintworks, the live/work creative hub south of the river. This neat gallery displays photography that focuses on and perfectly captures life on the British Isles – five exhibitions a year from various photographers – and also preserves Parr’s own immense archive of collected works. Right opposite is the expansive new home of the Royal Photographic Society,  which stages regular exhibitions and events.

Insider tip: Take out a supporter membership for the Martin Parr Foundation and you will get a tour of the gallery with Parr. Stop off for a coffee, a drink or a bite at the atmospheric BocaBar at the entrance to Paintworks.

Contact: martinparrfoundation.org

Stoke Bishop

Lose yourself in a secret garden.

Something of a hidden gem, the University of Bristol Botanic Garden is set  in a compact 3.2 acres and is described by the current curator as a place of 'science, learning, intrigue and fun.' Every possible space is given over to plants, shrubs and trees of all shapes and sizes as it engagingly tells the story of their evolution, taking in everything from Mediterranean and Australian flora to Chinese medicinal herbs; there’s a charming café, too.

Insider tip: Look out for the weekly notice board by the entrance, which tells what to see in the garden: autumn colours, say, or peonies in May. Don’t tread on the fruit of the ginkgo tree – they smell of sick.

Contact: botanic-garden.bristol.ac.uk

Take to the skies

The last Concorde ever built might be the go-to attraction at Aerospace Bristol, but there is a whole lot else to get stuck into at a museum that recalls Britain’s achievements in the air and showcases the role played by the Bristol site in Britain’s aviation history. There are restored and replica planes, helicopters and missiles and lots of interactive options. The gift shop is imaginatively stocked with goodies such as Airfix kits.

Insider tip: Go to the balcony above supersonic Concorde and walk around to the front of the plane – it’s the best selfie spot in the museum. Chat to the volunteers, many of whom have worked on Concorde.

Contact:   aerospacebristol.org

Take a walk on the dark side

Going by the grimly persuasive title of Blood and Butchery in Bedminster, this weekly walking tour hosted by the Show of Strength Theatre company takes in tales of grave robbers, body snatchers, hanging judges and the city’s place in the Brinks-Mat gold heist in 1983 via the involvement of local gangster John Palmer, aka “Goldfinger.” If you like a bit of gruesome history, this two-hour tour has it by the bucket load. The company also runs other walks, among them Blood, Blackbeard and Buccaneers around Harbourside and Saint and Sinners in St George.

Insider tip: The Tour ends at the Hen and Chicken on North Street, which apart from good food and drink puts on live shows from comedy to music. 

Contact: showofstrength.org.uk

How we choose

Every attraction and activity in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from world-class museums to family-friendly theme parks – to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations.

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