Bristol Airport is at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, about 8 miles south-west of Bristol city centre, on the A38. There is no railway station at the airport, so you either drive or take a bus or coach, often changing at Bristol Temple Meads. For drop-off charges, how early to arrive and which parking to choose, see our guide to flying from Bristol Airport.
By car: the postcode and the A38
For sat-nav, use BS48 3DY for the multi-storey and most of the airport's car parks. The Silver Zone car park uses BS48 3DW and the Short Stay car park BS48 3AQ. If you have booked parking off the airport, use the postcode in your booking confirmation instead.
Every route ends on the A38, which runs past the airport entrance. It is single carriageway and can be slow at peak times, especially through Barrow Gurney and on Bedminster Down, so allow extra time for a morning flight.
Routes from each direction
- From the south on the M5 (Exeter, Taunton, Bridgwater): leave at junction 22 and follow the A38 north to the airport. This route stays out of Bristol altogether.
- From the north on the M5 (Gloucester, Birmingham): leave at junction 18 and follow the signs for the A4 and A370, Bristol and Airport. The signs take you along the A4 Portway towards the city and out on the A370, and the South Bristol Link road runs from the A370 at Long Ashton to the A38.
- From the M4 (London, Swindon): at junction 20 join the M5 southbound, then leave at junction 18 and follow the same signs.
- From South Wales: cross the Severn on the M4, branch left at junction 22 onto the M49, signed South West, and take the A4, signed A4 and A370 Bristol and Airport.
- From Bath: follow the A4 towards Bristol, bear left onto the A4174 ring road and follow the airport signs.
- From Bristol city centre: head south through Bedminster on the A38, or take the A370 and the South Bristol Link road, which joins the A38 north of the airport.
Junction 19, for Portishead, is not on the airport's suggested route.
The Clean Air Zone
The routes from junction 18 and from South Wales pass through central Bristol, where the Clean Air Zone charges older vehicles that do not meet its emission standards, so check your registration before you go or come in via junction 22 and the A38; our guide to clean air zones on the way to the airport explains who pays.
For roadworks and closures, the airport points drivers to the live map on one.network.
By bus: the Airport Flyer
Buses and coaches use the Transport Interchange, a short walk from the terminal. The Airport Flyer is run by First Bus, and there are four routes.
- A1 Bristol: Bristol Bus Station, the city centre, Bristol Temple Meads, Bedminster and Parson Street to the airport. It runs 24 hours a day, up to every 8 minutes at the busiest times. From Temple Meads the timetable allows about 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the time of day.
- A2 Portishead: Portishead, Clevedon, Nailsea and Backwell to the airport, up to every hour, 24 hours a day.
- A3 Weston-super-Mare: Weston-super-Mare railway station, Worle, Congresbury and Cleeve to the airport, daily, up to every 30 minutes at peak times.
- A4 Bath: Bath, Saltford, Keynsham and south Bristol to the airport, hourly.
Buy Flyer tickets online, on the First Bus app or from the driver. The Flyer runs every day except Christmas Day.
WESTlink, the on-demand bus for the West of England, also serves the airport; book through its app or website.
By train, then bus
The nearest stations are Bristol Temple Meads, for the A1, and Weston-super-Mare and Worle, for the A3. Temple Meads has Great Western Railway and CrossCountry trains from across the country.
You can buy one combined ticket for the train and the Flyer. On GWR's website or app, choose Bristol Airport (A1 Bristol) or Bristol Airport (A3 Weston) as your station; on Trainline, choose Bristol Airport (Any) and it adds the quickest bus connection. Coming home, a ticket machine in the arrivals concourse sells train and Flyer tickets.
By coach
Several coach services stop at the airport's Transport Interchange:
- National Express 216: Cardiff Coach Station and Newport, up to six services a day.
- National Express 100: Birmingham, Cheltenham Arle Court Park & Ride and Gloucester, up to seven a day.
- South West Falcon: Plymouth, Exeter and Taunton, up to 20 a day, booked through Megabus.
- FlixBus: Swansea, Bridgend, Cardiff and Newport, up to 12 a day.
For other places, National Express and FlixBus coaches run to Bristol Bus Station on Marlborough Street, where you can change to the A1. National Express through tickets to the airport have to be collected before your day of travel, because there is nowhere to collect them at the airport.
By taxi
Zoom Cars is the airport's official taxi partner, with an office on the forecourt between the Transport Interchange and the terminal. Book online or walk up on arrival.
Once you are through the doors, our page on shops, food and drink at Bristol Airport lists what is before and after security. To compare parking for your dates, see Bristol Airport parking.
Sorted before you fly.
