Basic information about travelling to Bristol, UK
The information below is intended as a starting point and travellers should always confirm current guidelines with service providers and officials directly.
For more information about getting to Bristol go to the Visit Bristol information page .
You may need a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter the UK. The type of visa you need may depend on where you come from, your reason for entering the UK, the length of your visit, and your personal circumstances. Pay close attention to what type of a visa you need and remember that your application must be approved before you travel. Requirement for an ETA will apply on or after April 2, 2025.
To find out if you need a visa or ETA, see the Check if you need a UK visa page on GOV.UK.
Guide to getting to Bristol
For most travel options we recommend flying to Heathrow if a direct flight to Bristol isn’t available. You can then get a (prebooked) coach from Heathrow to Bristol or use the National Rail website to arrive at Bristol Temple Meads by train.
Flying into Bristol
- Located 8 miles from Bristol city centre
- Serves multiple European destinations. Flight options are more limited and can be more costly.
- Regular “airport flyer” coach shuttle direct to Bristol City Centre. This takes around 35 minutes and runs from outside the terminal building. Buses run almost 24 hours/day (approx. 5 buses per hour during the day). Single journey costs 9 GBP, a return (valid for 1 month) costs 15 GBP.
Flying direct to Bristol is the quickest way into the city but as an international airport it is quite small, it might be more convenient to fly to London Heathrow or Gatwick instead, especially if you are flying on a budget or prefer to fly direct.
First bus, the local bus company run an “airport flyer” that takes around 35 minutes total and costs £9 one way / £15 return. You can find more information about this, and the full schedule on the first bus website
If you would prefer to get a Taxi, Bristol Airport only let one company pick up & drop off on the terminal forecourt. This will cost from about £45 one way and take about the same amount of time. More information about this can be found on the Bristol Airport website .
Arriving into London
By Air
- Largest international gateway
- Extensive global connections
- Coaches from Heathrow direct to Bristol can be booked via Flixbus or via National Express . The journey takes around 2 hours.
- By train the journey is longer, around 2.5 hours and you will need to change trains in London. It also costs 2-3 times more than the coach. Search for trains via National Rail .
- Second-busiest UK airport
- Frequent international flights
- Coaches from Heathrow direct to Bristol can be booked via Flixbus or via National Express . The journey takes around 3.5 hours.
- By train the journey is around 3.5 to 4 hours and you will need to change trains in London. It is also much more expensive than the coach. Search for trains via National Rail.
By Train
- The Eurostar goes from Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam to London St. Pancras
- Transfer to Great Western Railway at London Paddington
- Total journey time- 4-5 hours
- Book through Eurostar and National Rail .
Most people come into the UK via London. Heathrow and Gatwick are the busier airports and the ones we’d advise flying into. If you are coming in from Europe you can also choose to travel using the Eurostar, this will bring you into Paddington, the central train station in London. From here you can catch a train directly to Bristol temple meads.
Transportation from London to Bristol
If you are flying into a London airport there are two main options for getting to Bristol, Train or Coach.
The advantages of the train are that they usually run more frequently, and your time in transit tends to be shorter with it taking about 2.5 hours on the train from London to Bristol. Although we’d advise you do book, you have the option to book an open ticket or book a ticket at the train station.
There are no direct trains to Bristol from the airports so you will need to navigate to London Central before getting to Bristol. Information on how to do this for each airport can be found on their website.
The advantages of getting a coach, or bus to Bristol are that of price and convenience, busses leave directly from outside the airports, in most cases individual terminals have their own bus depo outside. National express coaches are usually rated the best, but there are also carriers Mega bus and Flix bus too.
Train Options
Direct Route- London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
- Operated by Great Western Railway
- Journey time- Approximately 1 hour 40 minutes
- Frequent daily services
- Book via National Rail
Coach Services
- National Express coaches Modern coaches, usually with charging points for electronics
- Mega Bus
- FlixBus
- More budget-friendly option
- Direct services from airports
- Journey time- Approximately 2.5 hours
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