Upon arriving in London, we decided to hop on the train to Bristol instead of renting a car -- and…read morewe're so glad we did! The train stations were a breeze to navigate, tickets were very affordable, and the ride itself was smooth and scenic. Staff and locals couldn't have been kinder, always ready to point us in the right direction with a smile. If you're traveling in the UK, skip the stress of driving and take the train -- it's an absolute win!

Used in the TV show Boy Meads World, for all of those train travelers who treat their bodies like a…read moreTemple. This is a large station that services Bristol (but not literally), and is the hub of the entire Southwest UK when it comes trains. It's a haunting old station and one which we've been to on many occasions. Functionally, it's been modernized a lot in recent years during the resurgence of Bristol, but it's as grand as ever. It's actually the oldest station in the country and also the largest. Literally, in the UK. It started serving trains on the last day of August in 1840 and it connects to London Paddington. It was designed by Brunel. Who then did a lot of other railway things. But this was his first mission and he did it well.

Barbie likes when I ride the tracks down to her southern railway, but this isn't related to that…read more The Southern Railway deals with the South part of UK and they do a good job. They have a lot of trains coming through Bristol and Bath and also all over the Southwest. It's definitely one of the better train services and I generally ride on them whenever I can and come down here a lot, and use them when I do.

I prefer Clifton Up, but what goes Clifton Up must come Clifton Down…read more Clifton Down is an urban built-up station in the heart of burby neighbourhoods of Bristol that has two platforms and serves quite a lot of people. It's almost exactly 4 miles from Temple Meads and is on the line to Avonmouth. The Clifton suspension bridge is amazing and the Clifton railway station will get you fairly near there. It's a lovely little part of Bristol and has a lovely little station. There are lots of gorges and what not around these parts and I definitely enjoy visiting all the stations - this one is one of my favourites.

Slightly bigger and grander than it's brothers on the Severn Beach line (with the obvious exception…read moreof Temple Meads), this is a main station on that line. It's mostly a pick up point for commuters into the centre of Bristol, as well as the odd lazy student. Worth noting that there's no ticket office or electronic ticket machine, you'll have to buy on board. The station takes its names from the nearby large park, and there's a tunnel underneath this park that the line emerges out from before coming to Clifton Down station. Having such a long tunnel for what is hardly the busiest of stations probably costs something extortionate, but it means you can get a train across hilly East Bristol. The Victorian buildings attached to the station are listed and its worth a visit just to have a look at them. Their listed status hasn't stopped them turning one of the buildings into an Australian pub, which is a bit of a crime in my opinion. But then I suppose it means you can have a quick pint before getting on the train. A bit too big for the quiet little line it serves Clifton Down Station is worth a visit for a nose around, as well as a means of getting to Temple Meads.

Not to be confused with Montperrier, which is where they drink fizzy expensive water on a mountain…read more Montpelier is a little suburb of Bristol and it has a nice little railway station that fits into the suburbs perfectly. I visited most of the stations in the Bristol area and surrounding countryside when I was doing my extensive traveling here and because I love visiting Rail stations. It's a cute example of a little British station with an amazing urban flair. This tiny little station is especially amazing because of its little Station House on the only platform which is covered in murals and graffiti and that makes it extremely unusual and notable and honestly gives it so much flavour that it's probably one of my favourites in the country.

This is such a fun dinky little train station to use. It's not that easy to find and, once there,…read moreit feels very unlikely that a train will ever arrive! It's usually very quiet, and there's no ticket machine or information booth, or anything to help you at all, bar a small notice advertising potential changes to the timetable - but not the current timetable! It's all very surreal: just one track serving both directions. Make sure you aim for a specific train when using this line; check on the First Great Western website for the Temple Meads-Severn Beach line. With two trains an hour in each direction, it really is a very bad idea to turn up and hope for the best! And be warned: there is no service at all on Sundays! You pay the fare (£2 single for the whole line) once you're on the train. When it's really busy, it's unlikely the conductor will get round everyone with the ancient little ticket machine, so, though I hate to say it so baldly, you can often ride this train for nothing. At rush hour times, morning and evening, quite a few people use this line for commuting around Bristol and I would recommend leaving it to them at those times of day.

I dropped all my colouring pencils. I'm still missing one. Where did the Redland?…read more The town of Redland is an entertaining little station for a tiny little part of Bristol. When I was traveling extensively around England when I came down to the Southwest in the Bristol area this is one of the stations which I visited a few times. Just 3 miles from Bristol Temple Meads is this lovely little station with a lovely little old building in a nice little Suburban neighborhood. It's really cute for sure.

Small and quaint, this serves just one track, with trains coming in from Montpelier and Clifton…read moreDown. With no attendants, it feels like a little village station in the middle of nowhere. The lack of travellers contributes to the feeling too, with school kids seeming to make the up the majority of the footfall. A lot of the time all you've got is the birds for company. It's on the Severn Beach line, and you can get connections to the rest of the network at Temple Meads which is only a ten minutes away if you take the train from here. Unfortunately this line has annoyingly infrequent trains (twice an hour, if that). However, it is very pretty, with views of Avonmouth and various historic parts of the Bristol along the way. As I said, it's unstaffed and amenities are pretty thin on the ground. There is no ticket office, so you'll have to buy on the train (and can do so without the worry of a penalty fare). There isn't anything really, in fact, apart from a timetables board and some cycle racks. It would be a bit much to ask anything more of such a small station anyway.

I remember when taking the Megabus was just a big no-no - they had such a bad reputation for being…read morecompletely 100% late, usually by an hour up to an hour and a half. For this reason, I only ever took it once and never again for a few years. However I had to get to London a week ago for an impromptu trip, and trains were just mighty expensive, so I decided to pay £7.50 for a megabus ride. Not looking forward to it at all, I went to the bus stop and waited.. and was pleasantly surprised that the bus was actually 10 minutes early! Also surprising was the chirpy, friendly driver and the bus itself, which seemed much cleaner than what I had remembered. Prices are usually cheaper than the £7.50 I paid if you book earlier than I did. If you do it at the right time, you can get them for a pound, which you won't get anywhere else! The ride to London was 2.5 hours, an hour more than the train. Another surprise, was that we got there on time! My bus trip was either a fluke, or Megabus has really upped their game and are providing a more reliable service these days. Pretty good value, if you ask me!

I know this is a bit of a standing joke, but if you tell your inner snob to shut up for a moment,…read moreit can't be denied that the Megabus is an absolute bargain. Now that the Megatrain is sadly no longer with us, from Bristol this just services south Wales (which I haven't tried) and London. I'm not sure if the bargain prices are still as easy obtain as they once were, but if you book early enough this is a great way to get to the capital (my wife and I once got there for a total price of £4.50 - £1 single each way plus a 50p booking charge!). I've used it about twice and both times it was on time both ways and in fact turned up well within the three hour it claims it will take (it actually takes around 2hrs 20 which isn't far off the train time). The buses go from outside the Colston Hall, though I'm sure I heard recently that they no longer pick up in Easton so you may need to check this. One other thing, National Express have started doing 'fun fares' in response, which can be just as cheap, so be sure to double-check their prices too before you book.

If you like to mince things up while in bed (such as Barbie, with boys, don't ask), then you're a…read moreBedmincer. This is not that. The little suburb of Bedminster is a tiny little station that serves its purpose well. When I was traveling extensively around Southwest England I would visit all the little towns and their Cathedrals and churches and of course their stations because I was kind of obsessed with travel and geography. This is one of my faves from inner city Bristol. It is open and cute and serves the West suburbs of town and is on the line to Weston-super-Mare. It gets extra points for having amazing murals like many Bristol stations do!

Bedminster is just about as forlorn as a station could be. Located in the south west suburbs of…read moreBristol and surrounded by Victorian terraces, and close to the hilly but attractive Victoria Park, this once substantial suburban station is now but a halt, with two basic waiting shelters on each island platform. Opened in 1884, it was rebuilt with four tracks and the two current island platforms in 1932. In 1938 it boasted some 15 staff, but became an unstaffed halt in 1968, with the buildings rationalised shortly afterwards. I remember travelling through this station (and the adjacent Parson Street) regularly on my way to Bristol since the late 1960s, and feeling sorry for its users, even then: however, one big improvement is the increase in train frequency: in the 1970s the station had only a handful of rush-hour trains a day, whereas now it benefits from a half-hourly service on weekdays. Passenger numbers have nearly doubled in the last 4 years as a result, to over 40,000 a year. The facilities are still basic: it is unstaffed, although it has a payphone, CCTV coverage and platform indicators: these are essential, as trains can operate in both directions on the tracks, so occasionally late trains will be replatformed at short notice! There is level access to each island platform, although the ramps are steeper then the recommended 1:12 slope. A nice addition is a series of murals, painted on the walls of the subways (to replace the inevitable graffiti), showing scenes of local interest and history. That said, it is still a rather uninviting prospect late at night in the dark.

All aboard for the BEST way to see the UK! The British railway system is a dream -- quick, comfy,…read moreand 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!

Lovely architecture, but amenities could use some work. There is a free water refill station and…read morethe 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.

Very professional, efficient and pleasant taxi service in the Bristol area…read more The drivers are curteous, very helpful and really nice. They worry more than you do about getting you to your destination on time.

From the owner: We specialise in safely and economically moving people around to and from homes and offices to…read moreairports, train stations, coach stations and cruise terminals. All in a quality taxi, which turns up promptly and with a friendly and happy driver !