Day Trips from Bristol

If you're lucky enough to be in Bristol for a few days, it's worth exploring the beautiful countryside and noteworthy places nearby. Make Bristol your base for exploring the best that the South West has to offer!

Bristol is lucky to be situated within easy reach of many areas of outstanding natural beauty, as well as the coast and numerous historic locations, so you can make your city break that extra bit more interesting.

Under an hour from Bristol

If you want to combine heritage with a stroll around picturesque gardens, there are numerous National Trust properties just a short distance from the city, including Tyntesfield to the south or Newark Park and Dyrham Park to the north. Westonbirt Arboretum is also close by and is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon exploring at any time of year.

History lovers will enjoy a trip to Berkeley Castle, while thrill-seekers and families will enjoy the myriad of attractions on offer at Wookey Hole in Somerset and The Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare. A little further south is the family resort of Brean, with its Theme Park, Splash Waterpark and the largest indoor play centre in the region.

The jaw-dropping Cheddar Gorge is just over twenty miles from Bristol and as well as stunning views and sheer cliffs, you can also explore caves and a museum of pre-history.

Further afield

Roughly an hour south-east of Bristol is the Longleat estate with its Elizabethan house, grounds and famous safari park.

See a range of wildlife close up at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre, or explore the beautiful house, gardens and adventure playgrounds at Bowood House.

Foodies can take a tour of some of our brilliant local producers, including Thatchers Cider, Jekka’s and Yeo Valley.

If you want to see some of the filming locations for Downtown Abbey, Harry Potter and more, you can take a trip to National Trust Village of Lacock.

Minibus tours and excursions

If you want to take the hassle out of planning your journey, book an excursion with local tour guides such as Mad Max Tours or Rabbie’s Tours, who will drive you to locations such as the Cotswolds, Stonehenge, Glastonbury and Oxford in comfort.

GOOD Stories in Food offer guided excursions out to local food businesses and vineyards across the region.

Day trips by public transport

Explore the World Heritage city of Bath with its stunning Georgian architecture and Roman Baths - just over ten minutes away by trains which run every 15 – 30 minutes from Bristol Temple Meads.

Cardiff is just under an hour away by train: combine with a visit to The Royal Mint Experience or the beautiful Wye Valley.

You can also take a direct train to discover the Magna Carta at Salisbury Cathedral in neighbouring Wiltshire and board the shuttle bus to Stonehenge.

The 376 Mendip Explorer bus will take you to an array of regional towns and sights, including Glastonbury – where you can visit the ruins of the medieval abbey and climb Glastonbury Tor for unrivalled views of the Somerset Levels - and Wells, home to the beautiful Bishops Palace, Wells Cathedral and various filming locations for the film Hot Fuzz!

The historic cities of Gloucester and Cheltenham are both under an hour away by direct train and are also worthwhile destinations to spend a few hours.

You can learn more about travel in Bristol and the surrounding region on Travelwest, or plan your journey by bus with First Bus or by train with GWR.