Getting around Bristol - buses, ferries, on foot
Getting around Bristol: the Insight Bus circuit, the harbour ferry, the city buses, what to walk and what to ride, the hills, accessibility notes, and no taxis.
Bristol is compact. Central is about 2km across. But it is also built into a set of hills, and the bit tourists care about - the harbourside and Clifton - has a 70-metre vertical gain between the water and Clifton Village. Here is what we use, and when.
The Insight Bus circuit
The hop-on-hop-off circuit is documented fully here. Best used for orientation on your first half-day in the city, or for any stop involving a climb (Clifton Village, Cabot Circus). A day ticket is good value if you will use it more than twice.
The harbour ferry
Runs between Temple Meads, Castle Park, the city centre, the Arnolfini, Wapping Wharf, the ss Great Britain, Hotwells and the Cumberland Basin. Single fare around £3, day pass £5. On a sunny day it is the single best way to move around the city and it beats the bus hands down for the harbourside stops.
City buses
Run by First Bus. The frequent central routes are the 8/9 (to Clifton), the 72 (to Stokes Croft and the top of the city), the 73 (to Horfield), and the 505 Metrobus (to Southmead and Cribbs Causeway). Contactless payment on board. Tap on, tap off, or buy a single.
On foot
Central Bristol is genuinely walkable. The harbourside loop is 3km. Temple Meads to Broad Quay is a 15-minute flat walk. Clifton Village from the water is 15-20 minutes uphill.
The hills worth taking the bus for
- Constitution Hill - Hotwell Road to Clifton Village. 70 metres up in 300 metres of pavement. Steps near the top.
- Park Street - College Green to Queens Road. 50 metres up in 500 metres. Plenty of shops to pause at on the way.
- St Michael’s Hill - the city to Kingsdown. Short, steep, residential.
What not to bother with
Taxis. Fine, not cheap, and in the central area often slower than the bus in traffic. The exception is getting to Temple Meads late at night, when they are worth it.
Bikes
Bristol is hilly and the drivers are impatient. The electric e-bikes (Voi, Lime) take the sting out of the gradients but are expensive over more than an hour. For casual pottering the hire bikes at the Harbourside office are a nicer option.
Accessibility note
Bristol’s old hills are hard on wheelchair users and some residential cobbled sections (Clifton, Kingsdown, Redcliffe) are uneven. The central flat areas are mostly step-free. The Insight Bus is low-floor and fully accessible.
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.