Explore Bristol's biggest public Air Raid Shelter by joining the city’s only subterranean walking tour! Join us for an adventure through 1000 years of Bristol’s history. Your local guide will take you on a unique journey from the height of Bristol's trading past to the 1940’s Blitz before passing the swinging 60s to emerge in the city's vibrant present!
Enjoy privileged access to subterranean passageways, WW2 air raid shelters and rooms which once rocked to the best bands in the world!
This 2hr walking tour is focused on the heart of the Old Town and crammed with humour and history. The first half of the 1.5-mile route is above ground and explores the heart of the old town, fascinating back streets and St. Nicholas Market.
For the second half of the tour you’ll head beneath the streets for Bristol’s only subterranean experience. You’ll enjoy privileged access to parts of the city not usually open to the public.
Your guide will get into character to take you back to WW2 as you discover the city's biggest public air raid shelter and hear about the building’s role in the 1960s as a popular music venue.
Once you've been fascinated and amazed, you'll be spoilt for choice with places to eat, drink, and pick up the best local gifts in the nation's no.1 covered market!
Please note your booking is only confirmed once the host has accepted it and the status is showing as 'confirmed'.
Minimum fitness level required.
Adult | £14 |
Child (under 16) | £7 |
Bought as a gift for my dad. He had a great time and would highly recommend!
This visit was given to us as a gift and whilst anticipating an interesting couple of hours the t...
For anyone who wants to know about the recent (WW2) and not so recent history of Bristol, this is...
A brilliant, absorbing, engrossing tour, sooo fascinating, Duncan the awesome guide oozed passio...
Bought as a gift for my dad. He had a great time and would highly recommend!
This visit was given to us as a gift and whilst anticipating an interesting couple of hours the trip exceeded our expectations in every way.
For anyone who wants to know about the recent (WW2) and not so recent history of Bristol, this is a no-brainer. I have lived in Bristol all my life and I had no idea about the preserved underground air-raid shelter in the centre of Bristol. Guide (Duncan) was excellent.
A brilliant, absorbing, engrossing tour, sooo fascinating, Duncan the awesome guide oozed passion and enthusiasm…..The outstanding reviews say it all….. I could GO on and on ..so just GO!!
An excellent tour for locals and visitors alike. The tour is very informative and eye-opening, and the Air Raid shelter is very thought provoking. Highly recommended.
A fascinating insight into the history of a building and area in Bristol I knew little about. Duncan was both enlightening and entertaining with an obvious passion for his subject
An excellent tour with a very knowledgeable guide. Thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to people interested in Bristol, the blitz and the war
Very informative - a fascinating hidden world and a real glimpse back into the everyday experience of people in World War 2. An engaging and well-informed guide who worked well with all on the tour.
Wonderful experience of historic Bristol
Knowledgeable and friendly host with a good delivery, balancing facts with humour. Very enjoyable and informative whether you are familiar with Bristol or not.
An excellent and entertaining tour taking us to locations that we wouldn’t have otherwise have access to.
Duncan was fab. Amusing and knowledgeable. And the tour was fascinating and something that should become a better known attraction.
A great guide who talks about various points of history. Great even if you've lived in Bristol for many years
Duncan was a Brillient tour guide very friendly and interesting the your was amazing that I’m buying tickets for members of my family
I found it all interesting. Duncan knows all about St Nicks. I will be recommending 👍
This was a really interesting tour. We live in Bristol but didn’t know about the air raid shelters or a lot of the history about the area. Duncan was a great tour guide and I have recommended friends to book a tour!
I bought this as a Christmas present for my dad and as a Bristolian and a history buff he loved it. I found the tour really interesting and thought that the host Duncan was fantastic. He was funny and really engaging. I would highly recommend this tour.
A very special tour
A great tour - interesting, fun and thought-provoking. Duncan is an excellent guide - passionate about his subject.
Loved it, anyone who likes history will love this
Absolutely amazing! Not too short, not too long! Diverse information about the history of Bristol as well as the unique attraction of the air raid shelters! Will absolutely be promoting the great work that Duncan does! This tour was absolutely amazing!
Such an interesting tour, lived in Bristol my whole life and didn’t know any of the facts told so was really amazing to learn. The bunker was super cool and not what I was expecting, Duncan was so funny and kept me entertained throughout but he knew his facts and could tell he loves what he does! Couldn’t recommend it more!!
A great couple of hours great fun and well worth the money, I have told friends who have already booked for a couple of weeks time
Great experience and lovely tour guide. Bring a brolly if it rains as first hour is outside. Shelter was fascinating and a unique adventure
new things to learn although have lived in Bristol for 50+years
Duncan is a great tour guide. The basement air raid shelter is something else!
Loved this tour of my home town. So interesting to hear the history and see what has been there all along unseen by most Bristolians. Your guide was great and really engaging. Would highly recommend
Excellent knowledge form the guide and fascinating history
A great tour with an excellent & knowledgeable guide
Duncan and Ross were fantastic, very informative throughout and helped me and my partner to discover things about an area of Bristol we regularly commute through! Would recommend to anyone
Excellent & unique tour. Have lived in Bristol for over 70 years but learnt many new facts about Bristol whilst on the tour. A great new attraction for the city made even better by the excellent guide Duncan. Have already recommended this tour to our friends.
Learnt so much history on this tour. A great solo activity!
Wonderful tour guide…very knowledgeable, interesting… he could not have been better!
My friend fancied the tour guide. Congratulations!
This was a great tour, knowledgeable guide with boundless enthusiasm for the subject. We saw lots of things that were interesting and I didn't know about. Thoroughly recommend and finished off with lunch in the market.
This tour very interesting, the host engaged and engaging. I learnt lots of interesting things about Bristol that I’d never previously known despite living here for over 40 years. I’d highly recommend this tour.
I thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
The first half was around the market, looking up and listening to lots of interesting facts about things I’ve never noticed before. Then we went down into the basement and the air raid shelter. Fascinating to see.
A very interesting tour led by a very knowledgeable guide. Excellent!
Great experience, have learned things about Bristol even though I am a Bristolian
We weren’t sure what to expect, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening experience ! And look forward to paying another visit in the fullness of time when it becomes a museum ! Great experience
Fantastic tour, the host was brilliant. Really interesting subject matter, taught me many things about Bristol that I didn't previously know. Very good value for money too. Would recommend.
This was a great tour. Genuinely enlightening and entertaining and the 2 hours flew by.
We loved this walk. Duncan is a great host, knowledgeable and well delivered. We don't live in Bristol but know the city reasonably well from uni years and learnt so much about both visible history at street level and the amazing air raid shelter. Felt it was really good value for money, have recommended to friends and family and I know one is about to book already!
A privilege to be able to go 'behind the scenes' and into the depths (and heights!) of the Corn Exchange building. Very interesting and fun to see unknown territory.
Excellent and fun afternoon
Wholesome & fun day out. Me and my friend went together but this would be perfect for a date, family outing or solo trip! Duncan was a very kind guide and kept the energy going throughout which we were very impressed with! Interesting insights throughout so now I have loads of facts to tell my friends who visit Bristol :) the shelter was a highlight! So fascinating it's like a massive time capsule!!
Enjoyed it
Really enjoyed our trip
A great experience!
Excellent! Highly recommend. Tour guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. Fascinating getting to see parts of St Nics that aren’t usually accessible.
Really enjoyed the experience. Duncan was a great host. Funny and informative.
Guide very knowledgeable, informative and good interaction with group.
The tour was excellent. Our guide Duncan was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic with a lovely sense of humour. The tour was very interesting especially the air raid shelter. I have already recommended the tour to friends. It was amazing
The tour was informative and fun
Duncan is a fantastic host and we learnt a huge amount in two hours whilst having a great time. Despite living in Bristol for my whole life I definitely found out new facts and stories. The subterranean experience is amazing and very atmospheric, the tour of the exterior and roof is equally fascinating. This tour takes you from Anglo Saxon times all the way to the present day. A lovely way to spend a couple of hours if you’re new to the city, just visiting or a lifelong Bristolian. Thanks Duncan
I really enjoyed the tour on Saturday. Duncan was fantastic, overall I found it to be a very engaging session and as a result I still remember all the things explained on the day! I loved to know more about Bristol and learned a lot of stuff that I did not know was taking place in Bristol before WWII and back in time during the slave trade. Duncan really showed some amazing perks of St Nicks Market! I would really recommend to anyone to go and take the tour themselves as it's a great experience.
Fantastic tour, great access to hidden parts of the city and a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide
We absolutely loved this tour!! Having lived in Bristol for over 10 years I thought I knew a fair bit about the market and the area - but I was very wrong! Learnt so much on this tour and the energy and enthusiasm of the host was infectious! Would highly recommend to anyone, you will not be disappointed!
Learnt a lot about Bristol's history - great to be able to see the air raid shelter which otherwise wouldn't have been accessible
Fab experience learning about the history of the corn market & the unknown air raid shelter - recommended
Very interesting tour with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable host. We were privileged to look round the air raid shelter beneath the corn exchange that is not normally opened to the public. It would make a fascinating museum. Overall I learned a lot and would highly recommend the experience
Very informative and great to see the air raid shelter. Duncan brought history to life.
Such an interesting tour with an excellent guide. Have lived in Bristol for 30 years yet learnt so much about this familiar area. The guide really bought history to life.
This was a great tour, so interesting and Duncan the host was cool, funny and very informative. Altogether fantastic.
Initially I thought the group was too big to be comfortable but Duncan had a good loud and clear voice and made the whole experience very enjoyable. I would certainly recommend his tour.
Brilliant tour guide. Very knowledgeable, interesting & fun. Thoroughly enjoyed it . Learnt loads
Our host had done research to make the tour informative. I used to work in the area but had never looked up it was good to hear the history of the buildings and see the decorative facades. It was interesting to see the air raid shelter and learn the history of the corn exchange.
Highly knowledgeable guide, taking us to areas normally closed to the public. Highly recommended for Bristol residents and tourists alike!
A very enjoyable Tour with a very good host.
A very interesting insight into a part of Bristol I did not know existed.
Has inspired me to look up more and appreciate the architecture around us
this was brilliant - so informative and great fun - exploring part of the city which can go overlooked and to be able to access the air raid shelter was fabulous - would highly recomend
The St Nicholas Market and Air Raid Shelter Tour was a most informative yet entertaining history lesson of Bristol from Saxon times to present day. We finished the tour feeling well grounded in how the city developed and the activities and customs of the city forefathers, many which still impact our lives today. Well worth the ticket price. Thank you!
It was fun and packed with historic facts. I recommend it to everybody who wants to know a bit more about Bristol. Duncan is an excellent host.
Excellent tour. Very knowledgable host. Would recommend and even go myself again.
Great tour by Duncan
Duncan was very knowledgeable and had a sense of humour. I would definitely recommend👍👍👍👍👍👍
Extremely interesting.
Brilliant. Duncan was great and really engaged my war mad 11 year old. I’ve lived in Bristol for 14 years and learnt loads of stuff I didn’t know.
If you don’t know Bristol, this is a great place to start, & if you think you do, you’ll find out some things you didn’t. Highlights are access to the usually closed air raid shelter in the basement and the glories to be seen from the roof of the Corn Exchange, but there’s a lot more that you may have noticed before but didn’t know the stories behind. Duncan is a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide – recommended!
The Tour coincided with my (Senior) birthday and was a very appropriate event for me, as I used to frequent this part of Bristol in my younger days, but now live in N.Ireland. Our guide (Duncan), was excellent and provided both a witty and lively commentary of all the interesting features to be seen . I am a retired Military Sea-Captain, so there was a special interest for me here.
Thank you and Highly recommend the tour.
Really good tour. Duncan, the tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and engaging which made the whole tour very enjoyable, we learnt so much about the area and would highly recommend the tour to anyone else.
Duncan was an excellent tour guide
We will be complying with all current COVID-19 requirements.
Local Street Artist and historian Duncan Mckellar will show you hidden parts of the Old Town which are only available on this tour!
He'll take you through the history of Bristol's biggest public air raid shelter, explore the historic Old Town and experience the nation's No. 1 covered market.
Experience Bristol’s only subterranean tour for a journey from beneath the streets to above the rooftops. This unique tour will introduce you to 1000 years of Bristol’s history, including WW2, the swinging 60's, and the vibrant city of today!
Ask your question directly to St. Nicholas Market and Air Raid Shelter Walking Tour.