Getting from Bristol to Birmingham
· Updated · BootsnAll
Bristol is in the south west, is among the warmest and sunniest cities in England, and has a harbourside, Brunel's SS Great Britain and a street art scene that produced Banksy. Birmingham is 90 miles north east and is the bigger city by some distance.
The two are linked by one of the more useful railway lines in the country, the one that runs from the south west up through the middle of England towards the north.
Trains from Bristol to Birmingham
Around an hour and a half between Bristol Temple Meads and Birmingham New Street, with trains roughly every half hour through the day. Many of them carry on north towards Manchester, Leeds or Scotland, so this leg is often part of a longer run.
Bristol has two stations. Temple Meads is the main one and the one you want; Bristol Parkway is out to the north of the city and is useful mainly if you are driving to it.
The fare rules are the standard British ones and they matter more than the operator. Advance tickets appear about twelve weeks ahead, lock you to a train and cost a fraction of the alternative. Off-Peak is flexible within certain hours, Anytime is flexible and expensive. A railcard takes a third off and pays for itself fast. Split ticketing often beats the through fare.
Look times up on National Rail Enquiries, buy from the operator rather than a reseller, and do not be surprised if the operator's name changes: Britain's railway is being taken into public ownership under Great British Railways through 2026 and 2027.
Coaches
National Express and Megabus both run it, in around two to two and a half hours, for less than the train. Bristol's coach station is at Marlborough Street and Birmingham's is Digbeth, both walkable from the centre.
Driving
About an hour and a half up the M5, and this is one route where a car is genuinely worth considering, because of what is on the way. Cheltenham, Gloucester and the southern Cotswolds are all within a short detour, and the Malvern Hills are just off the road. None of them are convenient by train.
If you are going city centre to city centre, though, the train wins on time and on parking costs.
Flying
Bristol Airport is a busy low-cost hub and Birmingham Airport is bigger still, but there is no flight between them and there should not be. Bristol Airport, it is worth knowing, has no railway station: you get in and out by bus, which takes about half an hour to the city centre.