This weekend, as part of the 17th annual Doors Open Day, many of Bristol's more interesting buildings and intriguing places will be open to the public.

As in previous years, access to most of the venues, which is free, will be on Saturday between 10am and 4pm. There's an awful lot to see in just a few hours and if you are new to the city, or to Doors Open Day, then you will have to choose your venues carefully.

If you like churches then you can't really go wrong with a good choice from medieval through to Georgian.

Who could resist looking around St Mary Redcliffe, a church so fine that it won the admiration of Queen Elizabeth I?

And don't overlook the oldest Methodist chapel in the world – John Wesley's, in the heart of busy Broadmead.

St Paul's, the "Wedding Cake Church" in Portland Square, will surprise visitors – beautifully refurbished it's now the HQ for Circomedia, a circus training school.

If you've got kids with you then they will love going down into the spooky crypts of St Nicholas and St John's on the Wall.

Other attractions suitable for kids include exploring the ever popular Redcliffe Caves (bring a torch), butter-making demonstrations at Blaise Castle Dairy and glass blowing at Bristol Blue Glass in Brislington.

Apart from the city's churches, venues in 2010 are as varied as ever, from Cumberland Basin's Underfall Yard to the 1930s Redland Eco House.

Talking of houses, there's something to please everyone – from a fine Georgian mansion to a humble dock-worker's cottage.

If you have only got a limited amount of time and want venues close at hand, then a clutch of buildings in the heart of the city will surely fit the bill.

Attractions here include The Exchange in Corn Street, designed by John Wood in the 1740s as somewhere for Bristol merchants to meet, and Armada House, built in 1903 as an HQ for Bristol Water Company.

But please note that the Old Council House in Corn Street, now Bristol's Register Office, will only be open on Sunday, 10am to 4pm.

Round in College Green the new Council House is, perhaps surprisingly, well worth spending some time in, as is the cathedral with its wonderful medieval chapter house and hidden treasures.

And up on Park Row is the delightful Red Lodge, packed with history and a reminder of the city's more graceful past. The 16th-century domestic interior includes oak panelling, ornate plaster work, an elaborate stone fireplace and some wonderful Tudor furniture. It's a gem, and well worth visiting again.

While Clifton way, take the opportunity to visit the Mansion House, the Lord Mayor's official residence and a new attraction for 2010.

Clifton Rocks Railway (no children under 14, I'm afraid) will be open on Sunday (10am to 4pm) as well as Saturday, as will Kings Weston House. In Redland there's a chance to see how the modern world of eco -renovation is catching up with both Victorian and 1930s housing.

If you like that sort of thing then there is also a 1934 "Modern Bauhaus Movement" concrete house, complete with original fixtures and fittings, to see in Westbury-on-Trym.

Down at the Floating Harbour I'm sorry to have to say that the tours around Aardman Animation's new, award-winning offices in Gas Ferry Road are now fully booked.

Also booked out, I'm afraid, are the tours around the inner workings of Temple Meads Train Station.

By contrast the Cumberland Basin's brand new harbour lock control buildings – another new attraction for 2010 – should draw quite a crowd, and you don't have to book either.

While down on Harbourside why not take the opportunity to look around the quaint 1830s Dock Cottages on the Cumberland Basin, now put to new maritime uses.

A short but exciting trip on a steam train, or a specially laid-on bus, will take you to and from the Create Centre, a 100-year-old former tobacco warehouse now packed with ideas for creating a greener city.

As last year, there will be a guided tours around Arnos Vale cemetery with its now fully restored lodges and chapels.

But if you want to try something completely different this year then how about a look around the fascinating Glenside Hospital Museum at Blackberry Hill in Stapleton?

You won't be disappointed.

I hope that, wherever you decide to go, you enjoy Open Doors Day 2010.

But take a tip from me. Don't rush around trying to tick off as many attractions as possible – you'll just end up forgetting where you've been and what you've seen. Use this guide (or an official one) to decide on a handful of places you really want to visit and then stick to it.

And remember – if you can't find the time to do everything you want this year, there's always Open Doors 2011. Bus times and harbour ferry arrangements for the day can be found in the official Doors Open Day guide, which is available from libraries, the Tourist Information Centre on the quayside (Phone: 0333 321 0101, email: ticharbourside@destinationbristol.co.uk) and many other public places.

For more information and up to date news visit the website: www.bristoldoorsopenday.org.