Hello,
My husband and I are meeting a friend (single female) in Bristol UK in April. She will be arriving 2 days before us and was concerned about reports that Bristol is not as safe as other parts in the UK.

Since I have no information on this either way, I thought I would ask people on this forum with first-hand knowledge.

Your opinions/insights are much-appreciated
Thanks

I would let my Granny go to Bristol.

There are some Right-wing people in the USA who like to portray the UK as some sort of either 1) Ultra ISIS base or 2) a Yardi training ground

It is neither.

AFAIK, the primary danger in Bristol might be heart attacks from walking up and down a lot of hills.

Here are the crime stats for a central Bristol area for November 2016:
https://www.police.uk/avon-and-somerset/BE193/

This might be a better map:
https://www.police.uk/avon-and-somer...crime/+4DxqZS/

Bristol is a fine and fun city to visit. It is compact enough to easily get around but has its fair share of "village like" communities to enjoy exploring. Like all towns and cities, there are certain areas you wouldn't want to be found walking around at night on your own, looking like a tourist. But they are not easily accessible to accidentally wander into.The huge ring road sees to that.

She will be a lot safer than in a typical American large city

Just take the usual precautions that you would anywhere.

Thank you to all those who replied.

I can't figure out why people resort to sarcasm when a serious question is asked. It may seem dumb/insignificant to you, but it's important to someone else.
It's not hard to give your insights/expertise without tearing into the other person.

I don't know where she got her concern from, internet maybe? Who knows.

It is not inconceivable to say that some cities in the UK are safer than others. The question was does safety in Bristol raise any red flags? Not an offensive questions or one that warrants sarcasm or aggression.

It is responsible for a woman alone to ask about areas she's never been to.

Anyway, thanks. I will pass the message along.

Esperanza, your point is well made.

It might help your understanding if you realise we get hoggins of these "safety" questions and, after a bit, they hurt our European soul, the recent Trump comments make it worse.

Have a great day

I don't know if you're American, but if so, perhaps best pretend you're Canadian. Just to be on the safe side ;-)

Esperanza - Bristol is a large, vibrant, fun and safe city where you should all have a great time.

There are lots of things to do, from an excellent theatre, a top notch concert hall, and great food, to the museum and galleries, the SS Great Britain, the zoo, the Avon Gorge, etc, etc., and the surrounding countryside.

I hope that you are going to be spending some time there!

As a former Houstonian who now lives in England, I can't think of any western European city that I would consider unsafe. Even if Bristol were less safe than other British cities, it would still be far safer than any large city in the US.

I've lived in Bristol for 36 years, and in that time have been aware of various serious crimes and more than one riot. However, it would never occur to me that Bristol was other than perfectly safe for the vast majority of ordinary people doing ordinary things. Men and women are out and about at all hours of the day and night, without any obvious concern for their safety. Only occasionally does something go wrong.

The biggest concern for most Bristolians is the traffic congestion and the cost of public transport. They city has two large universities, so students form a large portion of the night-time population. They are harmless, even when in fancy dress. The streets at night are full of people walking. They are of all ages. The city centre has many restaurants, some of them quite expensive. The middle classes of the city are not concerned about visiting them in them in the evening, and the British dine later than most Americans.

Relax. There's lots to see and do, and the chance of anything bad happening is remote. The only real danger is of falling in the harbour, particularly if you are not steady on your feet for any reason.

Hello again,
Thank you for all the additional replies.

I was not implying that the UK is more or less safe than other countries. I've been to the UK many many times and have enjoyed my time there immensely. I did encounter gender-specific harassment there (in London), more than once. I've met some kind and unkind people there, also. People in London tend to be more aggressive than ones in Edinburgh (for example) IMO, and that's from personal experience. Some places require more caution and it's always good to know beforehand.

So that was the question, I guess.

Personally, I would consider Paris more "dangerous" as I have had unpleasant encounters in the metro station there for example.


Before I went to Lisbon, I read many reports of violence and crime there and I fount it to be one of the safest places I've been to.


Again, thank you all. I appreciate the replies.

I'm starting another thread for music venues recommendations in Bristol