All aboard for the BEST way to see the UK! The British railway system is a dream -- quick, comfy, and surprisingly affordable. Unlike in the U.S., trains connect almost every city and town, making travel effortless. We used it for our whole UK adventure and loved every mile. Whether you're off to work, sightseeing, or chasing castles, this is the way to go! read more

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Lovely architecture, but amenities could use some work. There is a free water refill station and the toilets are clean, functional, and spacious. That said, there isn't a lot of food shops. A listing: Good&Proper Starbucks The Pasty Shop AMT Coffee Proper Crust Hart's Bakery Pumpkin Cafe Bonaparte (pub?) This sounds like a lot but there are 15 platforms, and there's hardly any seating. Overall, the place is fairly clean and seems to be well-run. Bathrooms: clean, spacious, and functional. read more

Bristol Temple Meads - Station map - Train Stations Near Me - Bristol, BST

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This is a very nice train station. I think what I loved most were the fresh flowers wrapped in paper you could buy just outside the entrance. We arrived here from Paddington Station to take the Bristol Wallace & Gromit sculpture walking challenge around Bristol last year. Things I liked best about the station, it was large enough and nice enough to have pleasantries like the flower spot, and just within a stone's throw was a decent cozy restaurant cafe for simple eats. The spot is a good location for landing and setting off wherever you'd like to go. read more

Bristol Temple Meads - Flower stand at the station! - Train Stations Near Me - Bristol, BST

After the splendour of Brunel's architectural wonder which is Paddington station, arriving at Bristol Temple Meads is a bit of a shock to the system. Shoddy was the word that came to mind To be fair, there is a little building work going on but I don't think a phoenix will rise out of the ashes. There's not enough space at the main exit gates and the flow of passengers isn't well thought out or directed, resulting in a huge crush of passengers at choke points. I hate to think what would happen in an emergency - people would get trampled in the surge All the eating options are past the ticket barriers. I had walked past all of the usual chains, only to find there was only a WHSmith past the barriers inside the station. Fortunately, I found a cart outside selling freshly made crepes It just feels like a forgotten station at the end of the line with little pride given to its appearance, which is a shame read more

Bristol Temple Meads - Train Stations Near Me - Bristol, BST

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Located about a 30 minute walk from the centre, Temple Meads station is just on the fringes of Bristol. The building itself is very attractive. It opened in 1840 and is the oldest station in Bristol. It was designed by the celebrated Isambard Kingdom Brunel who consequently also designed the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge also in Bristol. There are a total of 15 platforms, with an underground walkway to connect them all. However not all platforms are used for public use, and platform 14 does not exist making it all a bit confusing at times! Within this walkway are 3 ATMs, a sushi restaurant, an AMT Coffee stand and a Pasty stand. On the main platform there is a WH Smiths and a Wetherspoons which does really cheap meals starting from £2.99 for a full English breakfast. On the other hand, the food stands are pretty expensive (just what you'd expect from a train station) so unless you have time for a sit down meal then it might be better to bring your own food for the journey. The toilets, unlike most in London are free to use. However they have installed the irritating metal hand washing devices which work by a press of the button and always leave your hands spelling of revolting soap and taking forever for the dryer to come on. The ticket collecting machines are always full, and expect to queue for a good 5-10minutes to collect a pre-paid ticket which is worth noting if you are in a bit of a hurry. In addition, the actual ticket offices are also always full. There is cycle storage located on platform 3 and the station car park (open 24/7) has 374 spaces. Additionally, there are 3 payphones located in the underground walkway and a post box. The station itself is stunning to look at, especially if you look up to the ceiling. Trains run every half hour to London Paddington and take 1 hour 45 minutes. They are very reliable, with rarely any delays or cancelations. In general, a pleasant station as far as train stations go, with plenty of facilities. read more

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During one particularly long wait for my delayed train at Bristol Temple Meads I tried to work out, over the years, how many hours I'd spent sitting, waiting, hoping in its waiting rooms. Ten hours? A day? A week? A month!? At any rate, I feel like I know the place pretty well and it truly is a love-hate relationship. Situated a good fifteen minute walk from the City Centre it is by far the biggest and best train station in Bristol (although the competition isn't too fierce). There's regular and quick connections to London, the Midlands and Scotland, an in-door waiting room on every platform and a place to get a tea or coffee within spitting distance, no matter where you stand. Unlike most stations in the UK the toilets are free to use, but sadly you get exactly what you pay for. If you're catching a cab to the station be prepared with cash as there isn't an cash-point until you get past the barriers. You might also want to leave plenty of time to buy a ticket as the machines are very temperamental, and the queues for the cashiers are looooong. There's a WHSmiths to buy a paper, but even though there are plenty of places to grab a (not-so-great and quite pricey) bite to eat you might be worth bringing your own snack for the journey. On the whole - a pretty good station by modern standards! read more

Bristol Temple Meads - Train Stations Near Me - Bristol, BST

I've had so many last minutes dashes here. Thanks to its central location, Bristol Temple Meads (Bristol's main train station) always seems a bit closer in my head than it is in real life. It's easy enough to get to. I usually just forget that when you get there you've got ticket barriers to contend with, and the fact that there are about a dozen platforms, some of which are a good five minutes walk away from the entrance. Never missed a train (well maybe one or two) though. It's a regional hub, with connections all over the country. You can get up to London hourly, which is always nice when Bristol becomes just a little bit too yokelish. The building, built by Isembard Kingdom Brunel (your going to have to learn who this man is you visit Bristol), is a bit of palace for trains. A similar design to Paddington, it has gigantic arched roofs that make the tannoy echo and give a home to many pigeons. Temple Meads makes a train ride feel like a little bit of an event (at least until the train itself is late..). read more

Bristol Temple Meads - Train Stations Near Me - Bristol, BST

As someone who has done a fair bit of commuting, this place holds some bad memories (even getting to Bath can be a chore and isn't exactly cheap). I suppose I shouldn't fault Brunel's impressive structure for the shortcomings of the rail companies, but surely the two are synonymous. The facilities aren't great either. The bar's small and depressing, the food's a rip off and the staff are less than helpful. On the positive side, I have seen some cracking celebrities here over the years - Tom Hollander getting in an Aardman car, Anthony Worral-Thompson eating brekkie in the sushi place, and the fat one from Bread on platform one. Also, it was immortalised when the Young Ones trashed the place on the way to University Challenge. As far as train stations go, it's not bad, but in this country, the oppositions not exactly up to much. read more

Bristol Temple Meads - Train Stations Near Me - Bristol, BST

I use Bristol Temple Meads several times a year for work and I find it pretty decent. I like its traditional style and it has great links to Bristol Airport as the airport bus drops off and collects just outside the station - when booking train tickets if using the airport then book an inclusive ticket that includes the airport bus too. Bus tickets are £10 return if purchased on the bus and are open, I think, for about a month. The only issue is the lack of anything open in the station around 8.30pm during the winter so it feels a bit isolated whilst waiting for a train due to its lack of sheltered waiting areas that other stations have - brrr. I had been on the mainline platforms until my last visit but have now discovered it is actually a bit like a rabbit warren with many local trains arriving on platforms connected by underground access so just keep following the signs if a bit uncertain. Bristol Temple Meads is served by regular mainline trains (Virgin) as well as local services and they appear to be timetabled regularly so I've never waited anymore than around 30 minutes for a train. read more

Temple Meads is a fine looking station. There's nothing more disappointing than arriving someplace new and then entering a grotty little station. I highly recommend buying tickets and sending them to yourselves in advance. I never ever leave enough time to pick up my tickets as there is always a queue at the pre-paid ticket machines and then have to make a mad dash to platform 13 or 15 to get on a train to Paddington. I hate starting my journey hot and bothered. I bought a ticket from megatrain going to London once and all you need to do is show them the confirmation number, you do not to pick up a ticket. Upstairs there is a WH Smith by the ticket gates. Downstairs there is an AMT Coffee, Cornish Pasty shop and Dashi sushi bar. There is also a cash point. There is a lift which is convenience if you have heavy luggage. There's nothing very exciting around here if you are stuck waiting for your train for a while but its conveniently located close to town. The airport bus also stops by here. read more

Having travelled around on trains for most of my life to get from here to there I have seen loads of different stations around the country, and in my opinion Bristol Temple Meads is one of the most impressive. The station itself is really quite large, and I'd probably advise getting here a bit early before your train because you might find you have quite a walk - especially if you're on platform 15. The building is very grand from both the inside and the out, and the walkway up to the station is also pretty long - there's also a big clock tower so you can easily see that you're on time! Also if you're interested in popping along to Bath from Bristol for a bit of a change of scenery, then you can hop on a train from Temple Meads and the ride is only ten minutes and you will find yourself in the beautiful city of Bath! read more

Bloody awaful customer service and the trains are never (seemingly) on time. I was advised wrongly by the customer service team from FGW that I could travel on a London train as my first connecting train was delayed and my ticket was invalid through no fault of my own. Cost me an additional £57... National Express are much better. But its far better by car.... Food and shops are naff too. read more

A fine old station. Large. Comfortable. Decent food options (though I'm not sure about the "yoga food" one, but, then, that's Bristol I suppose). Fairly rubbish connections into the city, but the city isn't that big. read more

Another of Brunels masterpieces, Bristol Temple Meads is the Southwest regional/national hub for rail transportation. The station offers services to London, Birmingham, the north and Scotland, aswell as services to Southampton, Taunton, Plymouth and Penzance. It's a really nice and traditional station in the style of London Paddington, offering hassle free interconnections between your train and other services etc. Its also a short walk from central Bristol City Centre. The station has all the usual cafes etc, with obvious steep prices for that kind of location. read more

Bristol Temple Meads - Train Stations Near Me - Bristol, BST

Thanks to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who also designed Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol Temple Meads is an architecturally impressive building. Located just outside the centre, it takes about 20 minutes to walk from the heart of Bristol to the station, so it's not as convenient as it might be - but there are good transport links if you want to catch a bus. Just inside the entrance are the ticket booths and information centre, with WH Smiths to one side for magazines and snacks. Once you're through the turnstiles there's a licensed bar (a Wetherspoons pub) a little way down the first platform to your left, or an Upper Crust booth for snacks to your right. To reach all the other platforms you have to head downstairs, and they're all linked by an underground walkway. This underground area is also home to toilets, ATMs if you need to withdraw some cash, plus additional food outlets including a coffee and snack bar, a pasty shop, and a sushi bar. There are also indoor snack bars up on the platforms, as well as vending machines for chocolate bars and crisps. My biggest criticism of Temple Meads is the same for most British stations I've visited: the toilets leave a LOT to be desired. They smell grim, are never very clean, and have rubbish hand-dryers that throw out cold air most of the time. Other than that, Temple Meads is one of the more pleasant stations I've visited - and having spent a couple of years commuting to and fro between Cardiff and Bristol, I got to know it pretty well! read more

I dont pride myself on my experience of train stations- but this one is pretty impressive, thank you very much Mr Brunel. The train station is more like a castle, it is enormous, it has a grandeur that only buildings like this possess. The station like the suspension bridge, is a tribute to the pioneering of industry. It is a monument, if you will, to the success of a nation at the height of it's success. even if you aren't going anywhere i would recommend going to have a look at the building itself read more

Temple Meads is truly beautiful station; some people think London Paddington is the most impressive piece of engineering work that can be seen at a train station. But thanks to all of Brunel's work on the Great Western Railway, for me, Temple Meads is the most stunning. It's a tourist attraction in its own right. Unfortunately tickets to London are a bit pricey, although the first great western trains are the best (comfy, clean and usually with clean toilets) in the country; tickets to Cardiff and Bath are really good value. Check out the weekend deals they have for large groups travelling by train; perfect if you're on holiday in the area and both of these cities really are worth a visit. It's a shame Temple Meads isn't more central to the city though. Walking there in the summer is doable, even though it will take you about half an hour it is a very scenic journey. Otherwise it's a slightly over priced taxi or the number 8 or 9 bus to take you to the centre. read more

Calling this 'Bristol's premier train station' sounds a bit silly but its basically just another way of saying it is really quite big. I've come here many a time to travel to visit friends and family, pick up friends who have come to stay and on regular trips to London. While there is little one can do about late trains and extortionate fees, at Temple Meads you can at least ensure you have a comfortable place to wait and grab a snack before boarding your train. There is a small WH Smith here and several small cafes and food stalls inside the station, including a delicious smelling waffle stand that I'm normally to busy rushing past to stop and buy anything! All the concourse staff are generally polite and helpful, though during rush hours they can get a little tense. If you can buy your ticket beforehand then do so - the queues do mount up here, though are slightly shorter for those using self service machines. read more

Bristol Temple Meads is the city centre's main train station. It's located at Temple Quay, at the edge of the city, and is about 20 minutes from the main shopping/drinking area, on foot. It's nearer a lot of the big office buildings, however, so is ideal for commuters into Bristol. The train station itself is about 300 metres inside the actual entrance, but some buses and taxis will drive right up to the main doors to the building. The inside courtyard area is used as a car park. On entering the train station via this entrance, there's a foyer. Straight in front of the doors there's the counters in which to purchase tickets. There are around 6 of these, and I've never seen large queues - possibly due to self-service ticket machines, passes and pre-booking on the internet. There are 3 self-service ticket machines for those that are collecting pre-paid tickets, or for purchasing them. Towards the left is a payphone, a cash machine and a further entrance/exit to the back of the train station. Towards the right is a small WHSmith store, and the barriers for entering the main station. Through the barriers, the train station is very large, with around 14 platforms. Platfoms 1-3 are around this area, but for the others you must go downstairs. Downstairs, there's public toilets (which are free) and a couple of coffee/snack shops. Then as with other train stations, you follow signs to whichever platform you need. The actual inside of the train station is pretty similar to any other - brightly lit, ceramic floors, glass and iron ceiling, no-smoking signs. I think there are a good variety of coffee/snack places, and these are mainly located at the entrance to the station or underground, so most people are passing them. read more

This is the original Bristol train station at the end of Brunel's rail link from Paddington to the docks in Bristol. It is a massive station with lots of platforms, all of which are accessed by an underground sub-way system. There are lifts for anyone with mobility issues. The station has a few small shops (newsagent, coffee shop, snack place), but nothing to write home about. Automatic ticket barriers have been installed, so make sure you get a ticket if you're travelling to the station! The main problem for anyone travelling to the city for shopping, is the distance it is from the main shopping areas. You can walk, but it is over a mile away, and it's not flat, so get a cab/bus - especially if it's raining. read more

I am as old as the hills. Well almost. However, I defy anyone to find any pasty maker in the country to find another pasty as delicious as those produced by "THE PASTY SHOP". travelling in Bristol about four years ago, I bought a pasty for my son and I at Bristol Temple Meads. We were both knocked out by the unbelievably deliciousness of them. Without any doubt whatsoever the best in the country. David Fordham read more

Busy train station but an ideal locatin for bristol city centre. Not much car parking

When I first visited Bristol as an outsider, I thought the train station was about 50 million miles away from the centre. Now I'm a little more geographically aware of the city it's still a fair ten minutes walk from Bristol Bridge. The architecture is stunning, Brunel does the city proud yet again, but the services are very poor. Ticketing machines are often on the blink, although the queues go down quickly you will need to give yourself a good 20 minutes to make sure you have enough time to get a ticket. You also need quite a hike to the platform - the London train goes from right the other end. There is no cash machine before the barriers but two afterwards, which is a pain. I think the nearest cash machine is by the Fleece.... There has started to be a few stands outside selling snacks and teas which is a relief, but once inside I recommend the coffee stand outside platforms 9 down the stairs rather than the first one you get to and apparently the underground sushi bar is the best in the city. Random. read more

Leave plenty of time if you need to buy tickets especially at peak times v long queues on Friday eve and Saturdays.

Bristol Temple Meads has a whopping 13 platforms. I remember when I first got the train up here from Bournemouth, which is a one in one out jobby. Two platforms and a bridge. That's it. Well, boy was Temple Meads overwhelming. But I soon got used to it and soon got to like it. Now, 10 years on, I've gone full circle and really don't like it. That is mainly due to the extortionate prices of trains nowadays and the complete inability of staff to think outside the box. While they have four self-service machines and regularly have four or five people at the desks selling tickets, be warned the queues for tickets can be absolutely horrendous. I once turned up 20 minutes before my train was due to leave and missed it because the queue was so long. Of course the jobsworth on the gate wouldn't let me through without a ticket. Grrr! On the plus side, the AMT coffee place in the undertrack walkway between platforms is amazing. There's nothing on the menu I don't like, also the Cornish pasty place does amazing potato wedges and you must swing by the guy selling fruit, snacks and water by the main entrance. So much cheaper than buying food and drink once you're in the station or god forbid, on the train itself! read more

Every weekend when I was studying for my post-grad in Cardiff I would get the train over to Bristol to visit my then boyfriend who is now my husband. And before that I would train it down from London to meet him at this stunning landmark so it will always hold a special place in my heart. I miss getting the train everywhere now because it is an avid reader's ideal form of transport. And there is nowhere more exciting to begin your journey than Temple Meads. It makes travelling by train seem grand and wonderfully old-fashioned. The station building is just visible from the main thoroughfare and is one of Brunel's finest achievements. I love hurrying up the cobbles checking my watch against the huge clock. You then dive into the ticket office, grab a few newspapers and cheesey mags and high-tail it down to the under-platform passage. There used to be an amazing waffle shop here and sweet odours of maple syrup and waffles used to float up the stairs. Now there's just a great little coffee bar which actually does pretty good coffees. The station staff are your usual old grumps but overall Temple Meads is pretty atmospheric and well-organised, with ticket barriers and a big destinations and arrivals board. read more

This is a large and sometimes faintly confusing railway station. To access most of the platforms you have to go into an underpass with lots of stairs leading off it, and numbers painted on the walls. There is a large WHSmiths by the main entrance, and several baguette stands, pasty shops and cafes, so at least you won't die from starvation or boredom on your train journey, but the prices are predictably high, so try to bring your own books and food if you can. Architecturally speaking, the station is absolutely gorgeous, having been designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel at the height of the Victorian railway boom. Just don't spend too much time staring at the buildings, because people are always in a hurry here, and they will walk into you. Trains can generally be relied upon to leave on time, and tickets are as expensive here as they are anywhere else. Make sure you have any cash you need before you arrive, however, as the cash machines are in the underpass, and you can't get to them without a ticket. read more