Getting in, out and around Bristol

You’ve arrived at your halls, and you’ve got the whole city to explore. So where to start? Hop on a train, bus or bike and you’ll soon get your bearings.

Planes
Bristol Airport can be reached from the city centre and Temple Meads by the Bristol Airport Flyer bus service. Planes fly from Bristol to over 100 locations across the world, and airlines that use the airport include British Airways, Easyjet and Thomas Cook.

Trains
Regular rail services connect Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway to most parts of the UK, with Great Western Railway providing routes to and from London, Cardiff, Taunton and Plymouth, easy access to south Wales from Parkway station and CrossCountry trains travelling as far north as Aberdeen. There’s also a local service that makes getting to Clifton, Montpelier, Easton and Lawrence Hill a walk in the park.

Boats
A cruise around the Floating Harbour is perfect on a sunny day and a great way to beat the traffic. Number Seven Boat Trips and Bristol Ferry offer regular services with stops around the harbour including the city centre, SS Great Britain and Hotwells.

Boats of all shapes and sizes can be hired out for parties and special occasions, and special summer routes will take you to riverside tearooms and out to the Bristol Channel.

Photo by Minnie Leaver

Buses
The majority of Bristol’s bus services, including the UoB Unibus, are run by First, while Metrobus has just opened a new route serving UWE.

Bristol’s Bus Station caters for services further afield, where National Express departs from to travel to London and other major cities. Megabus also offers cheap travel, conveniently stopping right outside UWE’s Frenchay campus and providing direct routes to cities and airports around the uk. Try Sn-ap for bargain tickets.

Photo by Minnie Leaver

Cars
Parking in Bristol is nothing short of a nightmare. So if you only need a car occasionally, subscription services like Co-Wheels let you hire out cars at an hourly or daily rate. There is no shortage of taxis and Ubers, particularly around the city centre and Temple Meads, if your loan stretches that far.

Bikes
Regardless of Bristol’s many, many hills, cycling is immensely popular. As the UK’s first Cycling City and home to sustainable transport charity Sustrans, Bristol is the gateway to several of Britain’s national cycle routes and has cycle lanes on almost all of its major roads. There are also over 300 cycle parking spaces and even free-to-use bike pumps around the city. Hiring a bike is also an option, with YoBike offering an hour’s ride for just £1, while Cycle the City offer tours that can be a great introduction to some of the city’s best routes, on bikes made by local firm Temple Cycles.

Walks
Bristol and its surrounding countryside are beautiful places for a leisurely stroll or a lengthier trek. The central area including the Harbourside and Bristol Shopping Quarter is well signposted for visitors on foot, while crossing the Clifton Suspension Bridge takes you to Ashton Court Estate, Leigh Woods and true countryside beyond.