To London. Only a couple of hours away.

And throw a brick through Tesco's window. I believe this is an old Bristol tradition.

Lovely pubs, ginchy little restaurants, assorted antique/'stuff' shops, the suspension bridge, generally nice vibe

If you're in Bristol city centre, walk up Park Street from the Waterfront and you're there.

I'd suggest getting a cab in from Almondsbury.

Walk up to the downs at the top of Park Street and have a stroll over the bridge.

Go watch the mighty Gas if they are at home.

Allegedly the source of inspiration for Defoe's Robinson Crusoe Certainly looks the part. Across the road is the Old Duke which is usually home to some good music.

You have to bear in mind that medieval Bristol and the castle was completely flattened in WWII and rebuild by sightless, tastless committees with ties to the concrete industry. Luckily, the huge changes that have taken place in Broadmead (the main shopping area) are a vast improvement on what was there before.

Stay away from the Town Centre (Hippodrome) after dark on a Sat, lest you get attacked by some random ned, though it's the best place to get a cab quickly and the taxi ranks there are safe enough (and effectively manned by an official).

TempleMeads Station is an architectural classic if you like that sort of thing. If you don't, it's also a good place to catch a cab.

Do go to the observatory on the downs - it overlooks the suspension bridge, and it contains a classic Victorian curio - a camera obscura. It's hard to describe, but if you think "scrying pool" you aren't far away.

There are a large number of bars and eateries on Whiteladies Road/Blackboy Hill which leads up to the Downs - bring some calf muscles as most of Bristol is on hills.

The Museum at the top of Park street has an eclectic collection from dinosaur fossils to a surprisingly good collection of art.

Bath is 15 minutes away by train if you fancy something more regency.

Of course, I've been living in the US for the last 3 years, so none of this may exist any more :-) If you're coming in from Almondsbury, you could drop in at The Wellington, my old local, for some lovely Bath Ale. Have one for me.

Was there last weekend with El Toro and there was a shitload of bargains. Turn right out of the door up the hill past the Uni and there is a Rise too which has an exceptional range of Jazz, World, Dance and Electronica on second floor.
Just down from FOPP and down some steps there is Bristols oldest pub which unforftunately I can no longer recall the name of. The Hatchet?
Anyway a fine city.

There's little else to recommend it. Sorry if you're a local there and reading this, but you have to admit it's not the rural idyll, is it?

Grab a cab and beetle into the centre; get dropped off in King Street, near the Old Vic. As mentioned above, The Llandogger Trow and The Old Duke will be enough fun for one evening, and if you want to try a third hostelry, the Naval Volunteer is only a few yards up the street, right opposite the theatre, and always has a good range of ales.

Don't worry about Temple Meads, it's the wrong side of the centre unless you're a Brunel nut. Instead, ask your way from King Street to Baldwin Street (200 yards), hang a left and stroll down to the middle of town, go across St Augustine's Parade, which is the centre of town, towards the Hippodrome (easily visible from where you emerge) and head to the left.

Here you can either wander along the waterfront, where you'll find plenty of bijou eateries, or up the steep incline of Park Street (Fopp alert) towards Clifton. There's a multitude of noshing places on Park Street. If you decide to venture towards Whiteladies Road for the posher noshers, hail a cab or you'll arrive knackered and probably late; it's a long steep climb to get there.

If you're basically in town for the one night out, stick to the centre and there's plenty to keep you amused. Ask around, it's generally a very friendly place, and you shouldn't have any problems unless you're still stumbling around much later on in the evening.

If Sunday morning is free for a stroll, you can do a lot worse than getting a cab back into town and checking out the suspension bridge at Clifton. If the weather's kind, there are cafes and suchlike in Clifton Village that's only a five minute walk away. Stimpy's right; it's very genteel, like a small version of Bath.

If you have your own transport, and you're returning to the east, I'd recommend you drive in the direction of London on the M4 and then turn left onto the A46 at Jn 18, about 10 miles from the M4/M5 interchange. Carefully follow the signs for Tetbury (where Charlie boy lives) and you'll find yourself going past Westonbirt Arboretum, around 7 or 8 miles north from the M4. At this time of year it is STUNNING if you like autumn trees, and there's enough space to wander for a couple of hours without bumping into too many others. Just the job to refresh the soul. Return to the M4 the way you came to continue your journey.

If you're going west, you're going in the right direction anyway, and I'm sure you'll be glad to just put the miles under your wheels.

If you're on the train and you're returning from Bristol Parkway (which you might be if you're staying at Almondsbury) there's not much I can recommend in that neck of the woods, so make the most of your hotel before you leave!

And the waterfront is pleasant, though I've mostly been there when it's warm and /or sunny (also, the longer after dark I've stayed, the greater the apparent potential for a bit more liveliness than a visitor might necessarily want). My favourite pub in the city is the Highbury Vaults, but like a lot of things in Bristol (see mention of hills above) it's a bit of a climb from the centre if you're on foot.

But are Vadims and Platform One still there?

then St Nicholas Market is worth a wander - a range of secondhand record shops and some interesting eating options. There is a branch of Head in the Galleries. Can't recommend boozers as I live out of Bristol but last time I went to the O2 Academy (avoid, it's the worst venue in town) I had a quick one in the Hatchet. May well be the oldest pub in Bristol but sadly the beer was equally old, and stale. In Bishopston - past Tesco Express in Stokes Croft and keep going for another mile or so is my favourite CD and Record emporium - Plastic Wax.

I second a lot of the above, especially Park St, Clifton Village, St Nick's Market and the Downs (if the weather is good). As far as pubs go, I definitely like the Three Tuns - recently done up, very real ale-y. It would also be a shame to miss out on some of the excellent local cider places - the Coronation Tap in Clifton is legendary, and the Apple on Welsh Back (it's a boat!) is also very good. Also on the boat tip, the nearby Thekla is worth a visit if you're a Bonzos obsessive - a floating venue which I'm pretty sure was set up by Viv Stanshall. Not sure how much you can see if there's no gig on, though.

I actually live fairly close to Almondsbury. Yeah, not a lot there. There is a good garden centre, and nice views of the Severn Bridge on a clear day, and that's about it. A taxi from there into Bristol city centre is going to be fairly pricey though - I reckon you won't get much change out of £30 from the trip (unless your hotel has any arrangements with local firms of course). You could taxi or bus it to Parkway station, where there are frequent trains to Temple Meads for about £3.50 return. The journey is only ten minutes or so, but the last train back is not very late - about 10pm. If you're driving and not that fussed about drinking, it's an easy and quick run down the M32 into town.