A taxi from Bristol Airport to Gloucester covers around 50 miles and takes about 60 to 75 minutes, with an indicative fare of £110 to £150. A cheaper alternative is the direct National Express coach, which typically costs somewhere around £18 to £19 one way and takes anywhere from about 1 hour 20 minutes to close to 2 hours depending on the service. Checked 2026.
Distance, route and your main options
Gloucester sits roughly 50 miles north of Bristol Airport, mostly a run up the M5. There is no railway station at the airport itself, so every public transport route starts with a coach of some kind. In practice you have three realistic ways to travel: a taxi door to door, a direct coach into Gloucester, or the Airport Flyer to Bristol Temple Meads followed by a train.
Taxi from Bristol Airport to Gloucester
A taxi is the only option that takes you from the terminal straight to your door in Gloucester or a Cotswolds village without a change. Our own routes data puts the journey at roughly 60 to 75 minutes in normal traffic, with an indicative fare of £110 to £150 for a standard saloon. That figure is indicative rather than fixed for a route this length, so always get a quote or fixed price confirmed with your operator before you travel. Executive or larger vehicles will cost more. For groups of three or four with luggage, a taxi often works out close to the coach fare per head once everyone's ticket is added up, with none of the changing at Bristol or waiting for a connecting bus.
Direct coach: National Express
National Express runs a direct coach service linking Bristol Airport with Gloucester, part of the network it expanded in December 2024 to also cover Birmingham, Cheltenham's Arle Court park and ride, and Weston-super-Mare, with over 100 journeys a week and introductory fares from £5.70 one way. On the Gloucester route specifically, typical fares run higher than that opening price, averaging around £19 with tickets available from about £18 when booked ahead. Journey times vary by service: the fastest direct coaches cover the roughly 40 mile road route in about 1 hour 20 minutes, while the average scheduled journey is closer to 2 hours, since some departures call at other stops along the way. It's worth checking the current timetable against your flight time, since this isn't a service that runs continuously through the day or night.
Train: Airport Flyer plus a Gloucester train
If you'd rather travel by rail, the practical route is the 24-hour A1 Airport Flyer coach from the terminal to Bristol Temple Meads, which starts from £9.50 and takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes, followed by a direct train onward to Gloucester. Trains between Temple Meads and Gloucester run frequently on the GWR and CrossCountry network, with direct journeys typically taking around 35 to 55 minutes and advance fares starting from about £6. Add the connection and typical waiting time and the whole journey usually comes in somewhere around 1 hour 15 minutes to just under 2 hours, with a combined cost from roughly £15 if you book the rail leg ahead. The Flyer's 24-hour timetable makes this combination a reasonable option for an early or late flight, when coach frequency to Gloucester itself thins out.
Comparing your options
| Option | Cost | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxi | indicative £110 to £150 | 60 to 75 min | Door-to-door, luggage, groups, odd hours |
| Direct coach (National Express) | typically £18 to £19, from £5.70 on some fares | ~1h20 to just under 2h | Budget travel, no changes |
| Flyer + train | from £9.50 coach + rail fare from ~£6 | ~1h15 to just under 2h | Rail travellers, frequent Flyer departures |
Getting to Cirencester, Stroud and the wider Cotswolds
Gloucester is the natural gateway if you're heading into the western and central Cotswolds, but the smaller market towns themselves aren't served directly from the airport. Stroud has its own railway station reached by a short onward train from Gloucester on the Golden Valley line, and Cirencester's nearest station is Kemble, also a short hop from Gloucester by rail, with Stagecoach West and other local bus operators covering routes around the county. For most travellers heading to Cirencester, Stroud, or a village beyond, the simplest plan is a taxi or transfer booked for the whole journey from the airport, rather than trying to piece together a coach, a train and a local bus with luggage in tow. If Cheltenham is part of your trip too, see our dedicated guide to Bristol Airport to Cheltenham taxi and coach options, since Cheltenham has its own direct coach link and taxi pricing that differs slightly from Gloucester's.
Is it cheaper to combine with a Cheltenham trip?
Gloucester and Cheltenham sit close together, about 9 to 10 miles apart, a drive of roughly 20 to 25 minutes, with frequent trains and buses running between the two. If your itinerary includes both, it can make sense to book your airport transfer to whichever of the two is nearer your first night's accommodation, then cover the short Gloucester-Cheltenham hop separately by train, bus or a local taxi, rather than paying for two full-length airport transfers. Whether that actually saves money depends on group size and the fares on the day, so it's worth pricing both routes before you commit.
Booking ahead and luggage
Coach fares on both the direct Gloucester service and the Flyer-plus-train route are generally cheaper the further ahead you book, and booking guarantees a seat on a service that doesn't run every few minutes. A pre-booked taxi or transfer, by contrast, lets you fix the price in advance and have the driver waiting regardless of how the flight lands, which matters more the further you're travelling. Luggage allowances on National Express coaches are limited compared with a taxi boot, so if you're travelling with golf clubs, several large cases or bulky sports equipment, factor that into which option you choose, not just the price on the ticket.
FAQs
Is there a direct train from Bristol Airport to Gloucester?
No. Bristol Airport has no railway station at all, so any rail journey starts with the A1 Airport Flyer coach to Bristol Temple Meads, followed by a direct train onward to Gloucester.
What's the cheapest way to get from Bristol Airport to Gloucester?
The direct National Express coach is usually the cheapest single ticket, typically £18 to £19, though the Flyer-plus-train combination can come close depending on the rail fare booked on the day.
How long does the journey take by taxi?
Around 60 to 75 minutes for the roughly 50 mile drive in normal traffic, mostly via the M5.
Should I book the coach in advance?
Yes. Booking ahead online generally secures a lower fare and a guaranteed seat, since the direct Gloucester coach doesn't run continuously throughout the day.
Is a taxi fare to Gloucester fixed or metered?
Ask for a fixed price agreed before you travel. For a journey of this length, a meter can vary more with traffic than it would on a short city-centre run, so a pre-agreed fare removes that uncertainty.
Is it worth combining a Gloucester and Cheltenham trip in one transfer?
Only if your route naturally passes through both. The two towns are about 9 to 10 miles apart with a short drive, train or bus between them, so it's often simpler to book the airport transfer to whichever is closer to where you're staying first.