Day trips from Bristol - Places to visit and excursions around Bristol

1. Before arriving in Bristol
2. How to get to Bristol - Getting to Bristol by train, plane, car or bus
3. Public transport in and around Bristol - Getting around Bristol and the UK
4. The cost of living in Bristol
5. Save money in Bristol - Tips for living on a student budget in Bristol
6. Accommodation for students in Bristol - Top tips and advice
7. Bristol neighborhoods - The most important districts of Bristol
8. Nightlife in Bristol - Nightclub guide and going out in Bristol
9. British cuisine - The gastronomy of Britain and traditional dishes
10. What to do in Bristol
11. Festivals in Bristol - Festivals and events in Bristol and the South West
12. Day trips from Bristol - Places to visit and excursions around Bristol
13. Bristol in 3 days - What to see and do in 3 days

Bristol city is known as the Cosmopolitan Capital of the South West of England and it is a great base for travelling to nearby places that are definitely worth a visit. With nearby caves and gorges, towns full of modern-day witches and wizards, and UNESCO world heritage cities, we have created below a list of day trips to do from Bristol.

Cities and Towns to visit for the day

Bath

Bath is renowned for its Roman baths and its Roman temple remains, as well as its gorgeous 18th-century Georgian Architecture. The City of Bath was founded by the Romans who used the baths as a thermal spa, hence the name, Bath! Located just 12 miles (19 km) from Bristol, enjoy a day out here exploring the old streets and the Baths, take a look into the shops they have on offer and eat out at an award-winning restaurant. You can take the bus or train from Bristol to Bath. You can purchase a day bus ticket for just £5.30 or a train for around £5.00 with a valid Young Person’s railcard. Take a look at our website to read more about Erasmus experiences in Bath and the best things to do during your excursion to Bath. Also, if you feel like splashing out a bit, you can visit the Bath Thermae Spa and enjoy a relaxing afternoon being pampered - beware though, it is fairly expensive and you may need to book in advance on the website. Here is how you could spend your day in Bath:

Morning

Whilst you are in Bristol you must take a trip to nearby Bath as it is so quaint and quite frankly a beautiful city.

This requires an early start. Take a bus or train at around 7.30am or 8am to ensure that you arrive at Bath in order to get in line for entrance to the Roman Baths. Take bus X39 from Redcliffe way and get off at Bath bus station - check times on the First Bus Journey planner. Alternatively, take a train from Bristol Temple Meads to Bath Spa, which takes just 10-15 minutes. The queue can be quite long at the Baths, in order to not waste any of your days, arrive at the doors 15 minutes before they open to ensure a prompt entrance into the Baths. Depending on which day it is the Baths will open at 9am or 9.30am so be sure to check the website for the current opening times. With a valid student ID card tickets currently cost £13.75, but again be sure to check the website as ticket prices are subject to change.

You will probably want a couple of hours here as this will give you enough time to take your time walking around the Baths and visit the museum that accompanies the Baths, filled with history and information to feed your mind with more interesting knowledge.

After your time in the Roman Baths, head right next door to the Bath Abbey which is beautiful. You can visit the Abbey for free and check the opening times on the Bath Abbey website. The Abbey towers over the city, so it is recommended to take a tour up the towers which happens every hour on the hour and will last around 45 - 50 minutes.

Bath is full of little hidden gems and beautiful old streets so why not wander around to find your idyllic lunch spot and take a peek in some of the stores and independent shops that are located throughout Bath.

Afternoon

Bath is an extremely British city and that is made evident by all the little cafe’s that host afternoon tea, so if you are not too full from lunch be sure to find a nice spot and grab a cup of tea and try an English scone!

Bath offers free walking tours around the city twice a day, which is a great opportunity to learn more about the history of the city and the Romans with a guide. This operates from the Bath Abbey, so head back in that direction and meet in the Abbey Churchyard where there will be a sign saying ‘free walking tours’, it begins at 2pm. The tours last approximately two hours and you will get to see some of the oldest and most important historical icons of the city. After the tour has ended, why not take a stroll down the beautiful River Avon, which runs throughout the city and offers some lovely views and a very pleasant walk.

Evening

After a long day of walking around the city and understanding some of its rich cultures, I am sure that you will be ready for some downtime. If you fancy, you could grab dinner in Bath before heading back to Bristol. Why not eat a delicious pie and drink a craft beer at The Raven of Bath or head to Mission Burrito for a big, cheap and delicious burrito! Catch your return bus or train back to Bristol and enjoy some well-earned rest ready for tomorrow, the final day!

Cardiff

Just a short train ride away (50 minutes to an hour), you can visit Wales and its capital, Cardiff, for the day. Cardiff is known as a port city and over the recent years, the waterfront has been replenished and is now home to the national opera, as well as the Wales Millennium centre. You can take a train from Bristol Temple Meads to Cardiff Central station and tickets cost around £11.00 for a return with a Young Person’s Railcard. Take a look at what you can do during your visit to our website here.

London

Being the capital of England, you have to visit London at least once during your visit to the UK. ‘At least once’ being the highlighted words here as there is so much to do in the Big Smoke! Although it is recommended to go for a whole weekend, it is still possible to go just for a day (if you get there early and come back late!). You can catch a train from Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington, which takes less than 2 hours and will cost around £40.00 with a valid Young Person’s Railcard. Visit the edgy Brick Lane and buy some new garms or visit Harry Potter World and release your inner Wizard. The list really is endless! For more ideas on what to do, take a look at other places Erasmus students have visited during their trip to London.

Weston-Super-Mare

Albeit not the prettiest place in the world, it is the seaside nonetheless. You can visit the Grand Pier of Weston, take a stroll along the beach and even ride a donkey! Located just 20 miles south of Bristol, you can enjoy a sunny day here by taking the bus or train to this little seaside town. The bus takes around an hour and 20 minutes. From Bristol bus station take bus X2 or X1 and get off at Regent Street (West Bound) in Weston-Super-Mare. Alternatively, take the train from Bristol Temple Meads to Weston-Super-Mare, which will take about half an hour and will cost around £7.00 for a return ticket with a Young Person’s Railcard.

Glastonbury

We have already taken a look at the magical festival that is Glastonbury but the town is definitely worth a visit too! This town is the epitome of weird and wonderful. You can visit crystal shops and have your palm read by a fortune teller, you may even come across a witch or fairy in your endeavours. You can climb Glastonbury's icon, the Glastonbury Tor, which is a sacred place for druids who live there as it is known as the veil between our world and another. Be sure to visit one of the many cafes on the high street, which are full of delicious salads, foods and local drinks - most of them are completely vegetarian or have an abundance of vegetarian options for all those non-meat eaters - and climb the Tor for a breathtaking view over the green pastures that are Somerset. You can take bus number 376 from Bristol bus station and get off at Glastonbury High Street, which takes around an hour and a half and will cost £5.30 for a day ticket with a student card.

Wells

Wells is classified as the smallest city in the UK. With a population of around 11,000, it is classed as a city due to its very impressive cathedral and it is located just one hour away from Bristol by bus. You can visit the cathedral and have a guided tour, walk around the moat and see the infamous swans, you can even walk through the town and visit the pub where the film ‘Hot Fuzz’ was filmed. There are lots of things to do here and the majority of them are free! You may wish to combine this with your trip to Glastonbury as they are just 20 minutes apart by bus. Take bus number 376 from Bristol bus station and get off at Wells bus station.

Salisbury

Just over an hour away from Bristol by train, Salisbury is the home to Salisbury Cathedral, which holds one of the four remaining copies of the Magna Carta, and this one has been the best preserved out of the four! Take a trip here to be part of the interactive Magna Carta exhibition, followed by a journey into the city to explore its history and enjoy lunch in a cute cafe, and then on to Stonehenge (see next section for more info on Stonehenge), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The train from Bristol Temple Meads to Salisbury takes around an hour and ten minutes and will cost around £17.00 for a return with a Young person’s railcard.

Oxford

Another one for Harry Potter fans! Here, you can walk the film settings of the early Harry Potter movies or discover the places and things that inspired British author, Lewis Carroll, to write the wonders of Alice in Wonderland. There are lots of things to do in Oxford, take a look at some Erasmus experiences in Oxford. It is a beautiful old English city and is definitely worth the one hour and twenty-minute journey from Bristol for the day. You can take a train from Bristol Temple Meads to Oxford station for around £16.00 for a return with a Young Person’s railcard.

Other places to visit for a day

Cheddar Gorge and Caves

The birthplace of Cheddar cheese, located just half an hour away from Bristol, make a day out to Cheddar Gorge and walk up to the top of the 450m cliffs to see the truly spectacular view across the Mendips and have a guided tour around some of the caves to learn some of the history regarding the area. Take a look at their website for more information about costs and the tours available. Getting to Cheddar from Bristol requires a bit of planning, so make sure you check the First Bus website for more information on how to get there.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge receives over a million visitors a year and fascinates the public of today as well as archaeologists in general. You can visit the Stones and walk around them with an audio tour and observe them (from a distance) to learn more history about how and why they came to be there! Many people believe they were dragged upon the backs of men all the way from Wales thousands of years ago, is that a myth though? Go and find out for yourself. On Summer Solstice (21st June) and Winter Solstice (21st December) you are allowed to partake in a spiritual celebration and are permitted to go right up to stones, you can join in yoga sessions or dance with druids...its an awesome experience! Especially if you make it to the sunrise and there is a clear sky! The easiest way to get to Stonehenge is to take a train from Bristol to Salisbury train station and then hop on The Stonehenge Tour bus, which will take you to the site. The entrance is £14.90 with a valid Student ID card. You won’t need a whole day here, so it is best to combine a trip here with your visit to Salisbury city and its Cathedral.

Cotswolds

If you are looking to experience some proper job (as Bristolians would say) British countryside, The Cotswolds is the perfect place to dive into nature and explore the stunning little limestone villages and learn of all the historical stories that the Cotswolds has to tell. You can take a train from Bristol to the Cotswolds, which takes about an hour and a half.

Devon

Oh wonderful Devon! The home to cream tea and fish and chips. Devon is located on the southern British coast and makes up a beautiful seaside county. You can grab a traditional Fish and Chips whilst at the seaside or enjoy Devon’s congenial capital, Exeter, which has lots of shops to explore and history to unfold. As Devon is a large place, I recommend doing some research before you travel and decide where exactly you would like to go. Exeter is the easiest place to get to from Bristol as you can take a train that takes roughly an hour and will cost around £20.00 with a Young Person’s Railcard. From Exeter you can explore Devon further by hopping on a half an hour train to somewhere like Exmouth to discover the beach or enjoy a delicious seafood dinner.

• Continue to Bristol in 3 days - What to see and do in 3 days
• Return to Festivals in Bristol - Festivals and events in Bristol and the South West

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