A day trip to Bristol from London
Bristol as a day trip from London Paddington: 90 minutes by GWR each way, seven hours in the city, a full plan covering Clifton, harbour and ss Great Britain.
Bristol is comfortably doable as a day trip from London: 90 minutes each way by train, seven hours in the city. Here is what we recommend in that window.
Getting there
GWR from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads. Fastest trains 90 minutes; most 1 hr 40 min. Book in advance for any weekday trip - walk-up off-peak is around £85 return, advance can be £30-40. Avoid the 17:00 peak-fare trap on the way back by either catching the 15:30 (off-peak return permitted) or the 19:30 onwards.
10:30 arrival at Temple Meads
Walk 15 minutes north-west into the city centre, or catch the Insight Bus from the station. An Insight Bus day pass is good value if you will use it more than twice.
11:00 to 13:00 - the harbour
Start at Broad Quay. Walk the harbour west, along the north bank past the Watershed and the Arnolfini. Cross Pero’s Bridge to the south bank and continue to Wapping Wharf.
13:00 to 14:00 - lunch
Wapping Wharf container village - food stalls with outdoor seating, roughly £15 a head. See our harbourside food guide.
14:00 to 17:00 - the ship and Clifton
The ss Great Britain is a five-minute walk from Wapping Wharf. Allow two to two and a half hours (an abbreviated visit; the full visit needs three to four). From there, bus up to Clifton Village and walk to the Suspension Bridge for the view.
17:00 to 18:30 - a pint and dinner
Two options: a quick pint at the Coronation Tap on Sion Place in Clifton (small, quirky, cidery), or a proper dinner at Riverstation or Severnshed on the south bank of the harbour. If you choose dinner, budget 90 minutes.
18:30 - back to Temple Meads
Taxi from Clifton back to Temple Meads (about £10, 15 minutes) or the number 8 bus (20 minutes). Catch the 19:30 train to Paddington.
If you have less time
Six hours is enough for the harbour, lunch and the ss Great Britain. Skip Clifton; save it for a second visit.
If it rains
Swap the Clifton walk for We The Curious or the City Museum. Both are indoor, both are within walking distance of Wapping Wharf.
Henry Ashworth
Contributing writer
Henry Ashworth is a contributing writer at Bristol Insight. He spent a decade as features editor at a Bristol weekly before going freelance, and still knows more about the city's bus timetables than anyone strictly should.
He writes the practical half of the guide: routes, timetables, trains, ships and the occasional piece on a beloved pub. Based in Bedminster.