Montpelier and St Werburghs sit just north-east of Stokes Croft, a five-minute train ride or a steep 20-minute walk from Bristol Temple Meads, and they're the pick for travellers who want Bristol's independent, bohemian side without the crowds of Gloucester Road. The area's best-known free attraction, St Werburgh's City Farm, is open every day of the year bar the Christmas week.
Getting there
Montpelier has its own railway station, on the Severn Beach Line, with direct Great Western Railway trains to Bristol Temple Meads (a few minutes away) in one direction and Redland, Clifton Down, Sea Mills, Shirehampton, Avonmouth and Severn Beach in the other. It's a genuinely useful way to reach the area if you're staying near the centre and don't fancy the walk up from Stokes Croft. St Werburghs itself doesn't have its own station; the easiest walking route from the centre goes through the old railway tunnel on Mina Road, or along the footpaths by the allotments and Narroways nature reserve.
St Werburgh's City Farm
The City Farm is free to enter, though a £5 donation is encouraged every visit - there's a donation bin and a tap-to-donate point by the gates, and staff are clear that nobody should stay away because they can't afford it. It's open to the public seven days a week, 9am to 5pm in summer and 9am to 4pm in winter, with closures over Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The on-site cafe keeps shorter hours: Thursday to Monday, 9.30am to 3.30pm, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Expect a working smallholding with livestock, an adventure playground, gardens and a genuinely local feel - it's run as a community farm rather than a polished visitor attraction, which is part of the appeal if you've already done Bristol's bigger sights.
What the area is known for
St Werburghs is known for its allotments running alongside the old railway cutting, its murals, and a slower pace than neighbouring Stokes Croft - see our Stokes Croft street art guide if murals are what you're after specifically. Montpelier is a mix of Georgian terraces and independent shopfronts, popular with students and young professionals thanks to its proximity to both the city centre and Gloucester Road's cafes and restaurants, covered in our Gloucester Road guide. Neither neighbourhood is set up around a single high street the way Gloucester Road or Clifton are, so it rewards wandering rather than a checklist of stops.
Narroways Hill
Narroways Hill Local Nature Reserve sits on the ridge between Montpelier and St Werburghs, reached from the footpaths that also lead to the City Farm. It's an unmanicured, informally managed green space rather than a landscaped park, with rough grassland and scrub, but it earns its reputation for one thing: a genuinely wide skyline view over Bristol, taking in the Clifton Suspension Bridge in the distance on a clear day. It's free, always open, and rarely crowded, which makes it a good stop if you've already covered our best viewpoints in Bristol guide and want somewhere quieter.
Where it fits in a Bristol trip
Montpelier and St Werburghs work best as a half-day add-on rather than the centrepiece of a visit, paired naturally with Stokes Croft or Gloucester Road since all three areas are within easy walking distance of each other. A reasonable route is to walk up from the centre through Stokes Croft, cut through to Montpelier, cross to St Werburghs via the Mina Road tunnel, spend an hour at the City Farm, then loop back past Narroways Hill for the view before heading down to Gloucester Road for food. For the full picture of Bristol's neighbourhoods, including Clifton, Bedminster and Redland, see our Bristol neighbourhoods guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is St Werburgh's City Farm free?
Yes, entry is free, though a £5 donation per visit is encouraged to help fund the farm's community work. Nobody is turned away for not donating.
What are the City Farm's opening hours?
Open seven days a week: 9am to 5pm during summer and 9am to 4pm during winter. It closes over the Christmas and New Year period (Christmas Eve through New Year's Day).
How do I get to Montpelier from the city centre?
Take a train from Bristol Temple Meads to Montpelier station on the Severn Beach Line, a journey of just a few minutes, or walk up through Stokes Croft, which takes around 20 to 25 minutes.
Is Montpelier walkable to St Werburghs?
Yes, they're adjoining neighbourhoods and easily combined on foot, connected by the old railway tunnel on Mina Road and footpaths past the allotments and Narroways nature reserve.
What's the difference between Montpelier and Stokes Croft?
Stokes Croft is Bristol's most concentrated street art hub with a busier, more urban feel, while Montpelier and St Werburghs are quieter, more residential, and centred on allotments, independent shopfronts and the City Farm rather than a single main strip.
What is Narroways Hill?
A free, informally managed nature reserve on the ridge between Montpelier and St Werburghs, known for wide skyline views over Bristol including the Clifton Suspension Bridge on a clear day.