![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_BRI_PG_290925common_ground-64.jpg\")
Spanning more than 700 square metres, the vivid mural \u201cOur Common Ground\u201d by artist Oshii is now a striking feature of Bristol’s public realm(Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\nBristol was the only UK city to make the list, for one “exciting” reasonSpanning more than 700 square metres, the vivid mural \u201cOur Common Ground\u201d by artist Oshii is now a striking feature of Bristol’s public realm(Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\n
Bristol has been listed as one of Lonely Planet\u2019s must-visit destinations<\/a> for 2026, thanks to its thriving street art scene. The guide book behemoth has announced its worldwide Best In Travel list for next year, with Bristol the only UK city to make the grade.<\/p>\n \u201cBristol\u2019s street art scene makes for a fantastic inclusion in Best in Travel, Lonely Planet’s annual celebration of essential journeys and experiences for the coming year,\u201d Lonely Planet Vice President Tom Hall said.<\/p>\n \u201cAs well as showcasing the talents of local artists, we\u2019re delighted to shine a light on one of the UK\u2019s most exciting cities. Exploring the colourful, creative murals dotted around the city is the perfect first step in getting to the heart of Bristol.\u201d<\/p>\n There are reportedly more than 250 street artworks<\/a> painted on locations throughout the city. \u2018Our Common Ground\u2019, a huge new work covering part of the Centre, was unveiled<\/a> in September \u2013 albeit to a slightly mixed reception.<\/a><\/p>\n One of Bristol\u2019s favourite sons, Banksy<\/a>, is arguably the most famous street artist in the world. Kathryn Davis, chief executive of tourism body Visit West, said she was thrilled Bristol had made it into Lonely Planet\u2019s 2026 edition, and that the local arts scene provided the city and wider region with a major cash boost.<\/p>\n \u201cOur ever-evolving outdoor gallery draws thousands of visitors from around the world each year, contributing millions of pounds to the local visitor economy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cVisitors not only stay in hotels and join tours, but they also contribute significantly to the visitor economy at large\u2026 Crucially, this impact extends beyond the city centre, helping to drive economic benefits across the wider city.”<\/p>\n According to Visit West, tourism is worth \u00a32.6bn to the combined economy of Bristol, Bath<\/a> & North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire<\/a> and North Somerset<\/a>. Around 45,000 people work in the \u2018visitor economy\u2019 of the region.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are thrilled that Lonely Planet has named Bristol in its Best in Travel 2026 for our city\u2019s street art,\u201d Ms Davis added. \u201cWe look forward to welcoming many more visitors this next year and beyond, to discover the humorous, playful, political and subversive street art in and around the city.\u201d<\/p>\n An event to celebrate Bristol being named a top destination in Lonely Planet\u2019s Best in Travel 2026 will take place at The Canteen in Stokes Croft this morning (October 22). Leading local street artist Alex Lucas \u2013 known as Lucas Antics \u2013 will paint a brand new mural to mark the occasion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bristol was the only UK city to make the list, for one “exciting” reasonSpanning more than 700 square…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":519162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[15791,381,748,393,4884,956,145377,10299,183,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-519161","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-banksy","9":"tag-bristol","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-north-somerset","14":"tag-only-in-bristol","15":"tag-south-gloucestershire","16":"tag-travel","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115416883040196089","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/519162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}