Bath ★ 4.5
Famous for: Sally Lunn buns, afternoon tea and Georgian dining rooms
Bath stacks Georgian crescents, Sally Lunn's centuries-old bun house and a dense afternoon-tea circuit just fifteen railway minutes east of Bristol.
Food destinations within easy reach of Bristol. worth the train, the rental car or the early start.
Worth the trip
Cheddar Gorge ★ 4.2
Famous for: The gorge, its caves and the village that named cheddar cheese
Cheddar Gorge carves through the Mendips 45 minutes from Bristol, pairing Gough's Cave and clifftop walks with the village of cheese pilgrimage.
Chew Valley ★ 4.3
Famous for: The Pony Chew Valley's garden-led cooking and lakeside walks
The Chew Valley folds farms and its reservoir lake into Bristol's nearest countryside, with The Pony at Chew Magna cooking from its own garden.
Sandford (Thatchers Cider) ★ 4.1
Famous for: Thatchers cider tours at Myrtle Farm, home since 1904
Sandford is Thatchers country, where cider tours at Myrtle Farm walk the orchards and tanks a family has worked since 1904, then pour the range.
Frome ★ 4.0
Famous for: The Frome Independent market takes over town on first Sundays
Frome's cobbled Catherine Hill hosts The Frome Independent, the monthly market Sunday that turns this Somerset town into a producer showcase near Bristol.
Bruton ★ 4.2
Famous for: Osip's farm-driven tasting menus and the Hauser & Wirth gallery
Bruton packs galleries and destination dining into one small Somerset street, led by Osip's farm-driven tasting menus about an hour out from Bristol.
Wells ★ 3.9
Famous for: England's smallest city, market days and cathedral-close tearooms
Wells sets twice-weekly market days and tearooms against England's grandest small cathedral, the classic Mendips run from Bristol with lunch.