How do I get from Bristol Airport to Cardiff?

Bristol Airport serves half of South Wales, the flights are often cheaper than Cardiff Airport's, and the distance is only 45 miles. So thousands of Cardiff-bound passengers land at Bristol every week assuming there'll be a train. There isn't: the airport has no station. There are direct coaches, National Express 216 up to 6 times a day and Flixbus up to 12, but they run to a timetable and stop in Cardiff rather than at your door, and the rail route is bus, then train, then whatever gets you from Cardiff Central to your door. Fine at 2pm. Miserable at 11pm with kids, and no use once the last coach and the last train have gone.

Coach services from Bristol Airport, by bus and coach. Checked October 2026; check the operator for times and fares.

The airport has no railway station of its own. The rail and coach routes from Cardiff, Newport and Swansea are set out on Is there a train station at Bristol Airport?

Four people sharing is where it becomes clear: £27 each in one car against roughly the same by Flyer and train, with two changes and two hours longer. For one or two people public transport is cheaper; what the taxi buys back is about an hour and a half and the changes with your bags. The direct coaches, National Express 216 and Flixbus, avoid the changes; check the operator for their times and fares.

On Tick Taxi's price list the saloon is the cheapest way to make this trip by car: £109 fixed for the whole car, up to 4 passengers. Every vehicle class has its own fixed fare:

Shared, the saloon is £54.50 each for two, about £36 each for three and £27.25 each for four. The rail route, the A1 Flyer and a train from Temple Meads, is around £20 to £30 each (July 2026), so for one or two people it is cheaper, and by four people sharing the taxi costs about the same, door to door in about 55 minutes rather than around 2 and a half hours. We haven't priced other firms' Cardiff runs, so compare like with like: a fixed total for the whole car, in writing, before you travel. Every fare is also on the Bristol to Cardiff route page.

Book with your flight number. We track the flight, the driver collects you from the Drop Off & Pick Up car park with 45 minutes free from landing, and you're on the M49 while the Flyer crowd is still queueing at the bus stop. Same deal in reverse: Cardiff and Swansea pickups to Bristol Airport are fixed price with the pickup timed to your check-in, and the Cardiff to Bristol Airport page has that direction's detail.