Bristol’s old streets are thick with stories. Phantom monks tread crooked steps, pirates drink centuries after their deaths, and pubs serve pints where the ghosts are colder than the beer.
This self-guided Bristol Ghost tour keeps every stop within a five-minute walk. It blends haunted inns, ancient landmarks, and eerie history, with plenty of time for a drink where spirits of every kind are said to linger.
Start: The Hatchet Inn
Address: 27 Frogmore Street, Bristol BS1 5NA
Begin your ghostly adventure at Bristol’s oldest pub, The Hatchett Inn. Dating back to 1606, its wooden door is rumoured to be clad in human skin. Drinkers have felt unseen fingers on their shoulders, heard footsteps in the attic, and seen a grieving woman in black vanish into the walls.
Staff admit they avoid the upper floors at night, spooked by icy draughts and whispers in the dark.
Walk: Four minutes down Frogmore Street toward King Street. Pass the O2 Academy, where stagehands once swore they heard phantom applause long after the music had stopped.
Llandoger Trow
Address: King Street, Bristol BS1 4ER
This 1664 Tudor inn is said to be one of Bristol’s most haunted pubs. The Llandoger Trow’s leaning timbered walls have sheltered smugglers, sailors, and reportedly 15 ghosts. Chief among them is Pierre, a limping boy whose metal brace still clatters along the upper floors.
Glasses are known to fly from shelves, and diners sometimes feel a cold hand tug at their sleeves.
Walk: Two minutes further down King Street, past crooked merchant houses. Watch the gables—locals whisper of faces at the windows that vanish if you stare too long.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre
Address: King Street, Bristol BS1 4ED
Built in 1766, the Bristol Old Vic is steeped in ghostly lore. Actors have glimpsed the spirit of Sarah Siddons, the famed Georgian actress, drifting across the stage in a swirl of lavender scent.
Stagehands dread the trap room beneath the stage, where tools vanish, ropes swing, and the sound of clapping echoes from nowhere.
Walk: Cross King Street to All Saints Lane, just two minutes away. The slanting buildings overhead seem to close in, as though the street itself is listening.
The Crown (Tap Cellar)
Address: 10 All Saints Lane, Bristol BS1 1JH
This medieval pub is home to “The Trap”, a vaulted cellar haunted by a shadowy gentleman in 17th-century dress. He is said to appear only to women, standing silently before melting into the walls.
Patrons shiver at sudden chills, and one barman quit after a night alone. He swore he heard heavy footsteps pacing the bar above.
Walk: Three minutes up Corn Street. Pause by the old Exchange and its bronze “nails”, where merchants sealed deals with a slap of coin. Some claim to hear that metallic ring in the quiet hours.
St Nicholas Market Vaults
Address: Corn Street, Bristol BS1 1HT
Beneath the market lies a honeycomb of vaults that hum with the past. Tobacco smoke curls through empty air, and unseen traders mutter in the dark.
Guards tell of doors slamming where no doors exist, and a hooded figure drifting into a wall that once led to the old river docks.
Walk: Climb Small Street for three minutes toward Christmas Steps. As you pass All Saints Church, glance through the glass – locals swear a hooded monk kneels there, though the church has long been locked.
Christmas Steps
Address: Christmas Steps, Bristol BS1 5BS
These crooked stairs have carried more than shoppers. They once led condemned prisoners toward the gallows.
Listen closely, and you might hear their boots striking the stone. Some see the faint outline of a hanged man swaying in the lamplight, while others report a phantom monk gliding silently upward.
Walk: Four minutes down Colston Street toward The Gryphon. The narrow lanes still smell faintly of woodsmoke, as if the medieval craftsmen never truly left.
The Gryphon
Address: 41 Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5AP
Built beside the old Roman wall, this pub is a favourite for ghost hunters. Patrons have reported spectral hands brushing their backs and dark figures flitting across the windows.
The snug, candlelit interior feels like a place where the living and the dead might drink together in uneasy peace.
Walk: Four minutes down Broad Street to St John’s Gate. Pass under the ancient arch, and imagine the clank of armour from guards who never left their post.
White Lion & St John’s Gate
Address: Broad Street, Bristol BS1 2EZ
The White Lion, tucked beside the medieval gate, has a ghostly reputation. Cellar barrels roll across the floor unaided, and footsteps echo up the stairs when no one is there.
Outside, a spectral watchman with a swinging lantern has been seen pacing his eternal patrol.
Walk: From here, cut through to High Street in three minutes and turn toward The Rummer. The smell of roasted coffee sometimes mingles with something older—tobacco smoke, long after the pipes went out.
The Rummer
Address: All Saints Lane, Bristol BS1 1JH
The Rummer stands on a site that has been serving drinks since the 13th century. In its candlelit bar, patrons have glimpsed a shadowy figure in a long coat.
Staff speak of sudden drops in temperature, and one former manager swore a full pint slid across the counter by itself. Some say the vaulted cellars below still echo with the clinking of ghostly glasses.
Walk: Just four minutes away, follow Victoria Street toward The Seven Stars. As you pass the old river docks, remember this was once a haunt of sailors who brought their ghosts with them.
The Seven Stars
Address: 1 Thomas Lane, Bristol BS1 6JG
This modest 17th-century pub hides an unholy history. Abolitionist Thomas Clarkson once gathered evidence against Bristol’s slave trade here, but its ghostly patron is far less noble.
A sailor in tattered clothes has been seen slumped in a corner seat, only to vanish if approached. Late at night, the sound of sea shanties drifts from the empty bar, as if a phantom crew is still drinking below deck.
End of the Bristol Ghost Tour
From the haunted cellars of The Crown to the phantom sailors of The Seven Stars, this tour blends eerie legends with the best pints in Bristol. Every stop is within easy reach, so you can raise a glass to the city’s restless spirits without ever losing the courage to keep walking.
Spooky Bristol Ghost Tour: At A Glance
- The Hatchet Inn, 27 Frogmore Street, BS1 5NA
- Llandoger Trow, King Street, BS1 4ER
- Bristol Old Vic Theatre, King Street, BS1 4ED
- The Crown (Tap Cellar), 10 All Saints Lane, BS1 1JH
- St Nicholas Market Vaults, Corn Street, BS1 1HT
- Christmas Steps, Christmas Steps, BS1 5BS
- The Gryphon, 41 Colston Street, BS1 5AP
- White Lion & St John’s Gate, Broad Street, BS1 2EZ
- The Rummer, All Saints Lane, BS1 1JH
- The Seven Stars,– 1 Thomas Lane, BS1 6JG
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