Bristol rewards a thin wallet: the city museum has been free since 1905, the best viewpoints sit on public hills, and Easton and Bedminster serve full meals for the price of a London pint. Three days here can cost under £25 in entry fees.
Bristol's civic museum on Queens Road has been free since 1905: Egyptian mummies, the Bristol Boxkite biplane hanging above the hall and Banksy's 'Paint Pot Angel' from 2009. Open daily 10:00-17:00, no ticket or booking needed.
North Street and the surrounding Bedminster lanes hold more than 400 murals painted during Upfest, Europe's largest street art festival. Walk from Ashton Gate down to East Street; the biggest walls are on the Tobacco Factory and the Co-op gable.
Brunel's 1864 span crosses the Avon Gorge 75 metres up and costs nothing to cross on foot, while cars pay £1. The free Visitor Centre on the Leigh Woods side opens 10:00-17:00 and explains the chain-link construction and the 1885 Sarah Ann Henley fall.
The bombed shell of St Peter's Church stands roofless in Castle Park as Bristol's Blitz memorial, surrounded by open lawns above the Floating Harbour. Access is unrestricted at all hours, and the physic herb garden and Norman vault remains are free to wander.
Every Sunday from 10:00 to 14:30 the Tobacco Factory yard fills with around 40 stalls selling Somerset cheese, sourdough, vegetables and hot street food plates in the £6-8 range. Entry is free and the covered arches keep it running in rain.
A Gujarati corner shop that grew into an Easton institution since 1978, now stocking around 12,000 lines from harissa to fresh jackfruit. The hot deli counter sells samosas, bhajis and pakoras for well under £2 each, eaten standing on St Mark's Road.
Claimed as Europe's longest unbroken run of independent shops, this two-mile stretch through Bishopston holds bakeries, zero-waste refill stores and cafes where a cooked breakfast stays under £8. Charity shops here are cheaper than anywhere in Clifton.
Britain's largest buffet restaurant sits on the harbour edge with 1,000 covers and live stations for Indian, Chinese, Italian and grill. Unlimited refills run roughly £13 at lunch and £19 at dinner, with children charged by age.
National Trust woodland on the Somerset side of the Avon Gorge, free and open dawn to dusk, containing the Iron Age ramparts of Stokeleigh Camp and cliff-edge views back to Clifton. Waymarked purple and red trails loop between 2km and 4km.
Built in 1897 to mark 400 years since John Cabot sailed for Newfoundland, this 32-metre red sandstone tower on Brandon Hill is free to climb. The spiral staircase opens 08:00 until dusk and gives a full 360-degree view across the harbour and Clifton.
850 acres of deer park and mansion grounds west of the river, free to enter on foot from 08:00 every day. Red and fallow deer graze the fenced enclosure, and the top meadow is the launch field used by the Bristol Balloon Fiesta each August.
A former copper and lead works hilltop east of the centre, now a heather and gorse reserve marked by one surviving brick chimney. Locals climb it for sunset over the whole city; entry is free and the summit is a ten-minute walk from Greendown.