BristolThe merchant harbour
Measured from 1,000+ plays across 6 walked routes: in Bristol, you pass a place with a story every 347 metres.
Ranked #7 of 10 United Kingdom big cities
2026 edition · scores vs all indexed cities · measured 2026-08-21 · scored on 7 of 8 measures · how we measure
Depth38/100
42 places with a story
9 historical figures · 1h of stories
Density38/100
a story every 347 m
median along a route
Character87/100
legends & myths
typical story: 1846 · 19th century
Pulse46/100
Instagrammability 38/100
peak month: Aug
Bristol, measured
The scores
Ranked against
| What we measure | Bristol | Score out of 100 | Rank | Global leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | ||||
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 42 | 35 | #48 of 71 | London · 594 |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 9 | 41 | #29 of 68 | London · 184 |
| Hours of storieshow long its stories take to read, end to end | 0.5h | 37 | #37 of 71 | London · 7h |
| Density | ||||
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next | 347 m | 38 | #66 of 71 | Williamsburg (United States) · 100 m |
| Character | ||||
| Years its stories coverfrom its oldest story to its newest | 868 yrs | 87 | #23 of 70 | London · 1025 yrs |
| Pulse | ||||
| Instagrammabilityhow often players photograph this city | 38/100 | 38 | #22 of 54 | Sydney (Australia) |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3 or more | 19 in 100 | 54 | #26 of 69 | Houston (United States) · 32 in 100 |
| International visitorsshare of player reviews written in a foreign language | 2% | not scored here: most visitors write English too, so the measure cannot tell them apart | #37 of 47 | Venice (Italy) · 97% |
How to read this table›
How to read it: each score is out of 100, measured against a fixed scale that is the same for every city and every edition. Bristol's 42 on places with a story scores 35, and it scores 35 on any page you find it. The switch above changes who it is ranked against, not the scores: right now that is all 80 indexed cities (19 countries so far). Bristol is scored on 7 of the 8 measures: its overall score averages those 7, and the greyed measures stay out of the average rather than counting against it. Ranks compare cities of a similar size. What a city's stories are about has no better or worse, so themes and eras aren't scored. Instagrammability is shown as a score only; how it's calculated is on the methodology page.
Character
What its stories are about
- legends & myths29%
- arts & culture21%
- crime & dark history12%
- guilds & trade12%
- industry & modern era10%
Out of Bristol's 42 places with a story, the share whose story touches each theme. One story can touch several.
Character
Which centuries you walk through
- 19th century45%
- Post-war21%
- Contemporary17%
- Early modern14%
- Medieval3%
When Bristol's stories happen (69% of them mention a year).
Pulse
When people play here
Typical share of player reviews per month (median across 5 recent years). Peak: Aug.
Pulse
Who visits, by review language
- English98%
- French1%
- Dutch1%
Language of 500+ written player reviews. A proxy for who visits; English hides several nationalities.
Depth
42 stories wait on its streets. Here are three
The Bristol riots occurred here over three days and nights in October 1831. They were sparked by widespread injustice and political exploitation.…
Arnolfini is an enduring beacon of art and innovation in Bristol since 1961. This iconic arts center, nestled along the historic Floating…
Today, Wapping Wharf is a lovely place to eat, drink, and live. While the wharf was originally created for shipbuilding, did you…
Depth
Figures you meet on Bristol's streets
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
at 3 places
The SS Great Britain · Underfall Yard & A Bond Warehouse · The Lookout Lectern
Alexander Selkirk
at 2 places
The Pirate Hunter · Llandoger Trow
Daniel Defoe
at 2 places
The Pirate Hunter · Llandoger Trow
William Jessop
at 2 places
The New Cut · Underfall Yard & A Bond Warehouse
Edward Colston
at 1 place
Howard Lock
El Mac
at 1 place
Bell Lane
Nick Walker
at 1 place
Quay St Diner
Pixel Pancho
at 1 place
The Lanes
Depth
Every Bristol place with a story, on one map
Each pin is a place whose story a Questo route tells. Tap one for the quest that tells it. See an empty street that deserves a pin? The form at the bottom of this page adds your story to the editors' queue.
Walk Bristol's stories yourself
Three of 6 routes here. See everything in Bristol
Where next after Bristol?
LondonThe city of kings and crowds170 km away · a story every 273 m
BrightonThe regency seaside185 km away · a story every 239 m
ManchesterThe city that rewrote pop226 km away · a story every 293 m
NorwichThe city of medieval churches296 km away · a story every 246 m
ColchesterBritain's first city245 km away · a story every 312 m
EdinburghThe old town and the new502 km away · a story every 254 mHow does Bristol compare?
Put Bristol head-to-head with any city in the index, measure by measure, from real walking data.
Quick answers
- What is Bristol like to explore on foot?
- Bristol has 42 places with a story across 6 self-guided Questo routes, with a story every 347 metres of walking on average. Its stories lean towards legends & myths and arts & culture.
- Which historical period defines Bristol?
- 45% of Bristol's dated stories come from the 19th century period; its oldest dated story reaches back to 1150.
- When do people visit Bristol?
- Player activity in Bristol peaks in Aug, with a typical 36% of reviews arriving June to August (median across 5 recent years of Questo reviews).
- How is this measured?
- From Questo's own walked routes and player activity in Bristol: 1,000+ plays and 500+ reviews. Full method on the City Stories Index methodology page, 2026 edition.
Quote any line, attributed
For press and citation
- Walking a Questo route in Bristol, you pass a place with a story every 347 metres on average.
- 45% of Bristol's dated stories come from the 19th century period.
- Bristol's typical story happens in 1846: the median year across its dated stories, which span 868 years.
- Players meet 9 historical figures in Bristol's stories, from Isambard Kingdom Brunel to Alexander Selkirk.
- 2% of Bristol's written player reviews are in a language other than English (from 500+ reviews).
- Roughly 19 of every 100 plays in Bristol is a group outing of three or more people, measured from invited multi-device sessions over the last 12 months.
- Bristol's play season peaks in Aug; a typical 36% of reviews arrive June to August (median across 5 recent years).
Copy any line as it stands: for an article, a post, or an argument at dinner. Attribution: Questo City Stories Index (2026 edition), with a link to this page. Method and sample sizes on the methodology page.
Bristol ranks #42 of 80. Show it.
For city halls, tourism boards, local press and anyone who lives here: this badge is yours to use, free and without asking. It links back to the measurements behind it, and it updates itself when the next edition is published.
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</a>Know a story these streets are missing?
Every place, story and figure on this page comes from routes built by people who know Bristol. Add what's missing: as a Questo creator, or with a quick suggestion.