Things to do in Bristol when it rains
Bristol’s rainy-day kit is compact: M Shed, the museum on Queen’s Road, St Nicholas Market, Arnolfini and the Harbourside arcades are all within a short walk of each other.
15 picks that fit, best first. The order assumes the conditions in the title; the live forecast only nudges it.
St Nicholas Market
Old City
A Georgian covered market packed with food stalls and independent shops, closed Sundays.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. On today.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
SS Great Britain
Great Western Dockyard
Brunel’s iron steamship in the dock where she was built, with a dry dock you walk under.
Mostly under cover.
- Over £25
- In and out
- Half a day
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Ticket valid for a year
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery
Clifton
Dinosaurs, Egyptian mummies, a Banksy and a gypsy caravan, free, at the top of Park Street.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
M Shed
Harbourside
The story of Bristol in a dockside transit shed, with working cranes outside, free.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Wapping Wharf and Cargo
Harbourside
Shipping containers stacked into restaurants and bars on the south side of the harbour.
Mostly under cover.
- £10 to £25
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
Arnolfini
Harbourside
Contemporary art in a harbourside warehouse, free, with a bookshop and a bar.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Aerospace Bristol
Filton
Walk through the last Concorde ever to fly, in the hangar where she was built.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Bristol Hippodrome
St Augustine’s Parade
A 1,900-seat Edwardian theatre for the big touring musicals.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Over £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
We The Curious
Millennium Square
A hands-on science centre with a planetarium in a silver sphere on the harbour.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Tobacco Factory and the Sunday market
Southville
A theatre, a bar and a Sunday market in an old cigarette factory south of the river.
Mostly under cover.
- Under £10
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Bristol Cathedral
College Green
A medieval hall church with a rare Norman chapter house, free, on College Green.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
St Mary Redcliffe
Redcliffe
The church Elizabeth I called the fairest in England, with a whalebone and a Gothic porch.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Underfall Yard
Harbourside
The Victorian machinery that keeps the harbour afloat, with a free visitor centre and a café.
Mostly under cover. Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Bristol Beacon
Colston Street
The city’s concert hall, rebuilt in 2023, with everything from orchestras to hip hop.
Comes alive in the evening.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Bristol Old Vic
King Street
The oldest continuously working theatre in the English-speaking world, with a glass-fronted foyer.
Comes alive in the evening.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Good to know
What can you do in Bristol on a rainy day?
Head indoors. Bristol has 15 rain-proof picks on this list, from free museums and galleries to covered markets and food halls. The list is re-ordered for the live forecast, so the strongest indoor options come first when it is actually raining.
Are there free indoor things to do in Bristol?
Yes. Look for the "Free" label on the cards. M Shed, Bristol Museum, Arnolfini, the suspension bridge, Ashton Court and the street art are all free, which makes Bristol a cheap city to enjoy.