Compare Bristol car hire

Bristol Airport is about 13km (8 miles) from the city centre, and the drive takes around 25 minutes. If you're flying in, hiring a car from the airport is a good option – there are a number of rental companies located on site, including popular brands such as Europcar, Budget, Enterprise and Avis.

The airport has just one terminal, and most of its national hire car branches are located just outside the arrivals hall. Others are a little further away, including Enterprise, whose office is a five-minute walk along North Side Road, and local company Green Motion Car Rental, which provides a free shuttle service to its pick-up point.

Car rental companies operating at Bristol Airport in 2020 include:

• Enterprise (Tel: 01275 474400)
• Hertz (Tel: 0843 309 3011)
• Avis (Tel: 0344 544 6007)
• Sixt (Tel: 0844 499 3399)
• Alamo (Tel: 01275 474400)
• Europcar (Tel: 0371 384 3403)
• Budget (Tel: 0344 544 4667)
• National (Tel: 01275 474400)
• Green Motion (Tel: 0117 959 5700)

You're probably not planning to do much driving in the city centre, but if you do need (or even want) to, you'll find it a mixed bag. Bristol isn't big, but its core has an old, winding street network broken up by canals, rivers, parks and pedestrianised areas. It can all get a bit confusing away from the major roads, so bring along a satnav if you can.

The good news is that the major roads are easier to navigate, so if you're heading out of the city you'll have less trouble – once you're on the A420, for instance, it's a clear run east to the Cotswolds. Bear in mind that traffic gets bad on the motorways and A-roads at peak times. It's always worth allowing extra time for journeys during the morning or afternoon rush hour, particularly if you're headed to the airport – the route can be heavily affected by commuter traffic.

As you'd expect in a city centre, Bristol's car parks can be expensive and fill up quickly, especially on weekends. Trinity Centre car park, offers good rates for longer stays; it’s also possible to find on-street parking, but spaces in central areas usually have a two-hour maximum stay. For day trips into the city, try one of the three park and ride services, located in Long Ashton, Portway Road and Bath Road.

Cheddar Gorge

Driving time: 45 minutes

If you were impressed by Avon Gorge back in Bristol, Cheddar will bowl you over. It goes both high and deep, with viewpoints atop soaring limestone cliffs and show caves packed with striking rock formations. Find out about Britain’s oldest fully intact skeleton, discovered here in 1903 and thought to be over 9000 years old, or brave some of the adventure activities – caving, climbing and free-falls can all be booked in advance. No cheese jokes, by the way; if we resisted it, so can you.

Bath

Driving time: 50 minutes

Elegant, historic Bath is a perfect counterpoint to Bristol's edgier pleasures, either as a day trip or the second part of a twin-centre city break. Few places can beat it for Georgian architecture – just look at the honey-coloured townhouses along the Royal Crescent – and there's some great independent shopping right in the centre of town, particularly around Walcot Street. To relax, stroll along the pretty Avon Canal or hit the historic thermal spa.

The Cotswolds

Driving time: One hour 15 minutes

Probably the single best reason to hire a car when you visit Bristol. Even a quick drive around the Cotswolds will have you stumbling across picture-perfect villages filled with stone cottages and traditional pubs. Highlights include the Prince of Wales’s Highgrove Estate (which you can tour if you're up for an organised attraction) and Bourton-on-the-Water, where the gentle River Windrush acts as a natural centrepiece to a cluster of antique shops, delis and tearooms.