Racetracks
Castle Combe Circuit
A charming Wiltshire circuit in a picturesque Cotswolds village, one of England's oldest operational racing venues.
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Road trip route · United Kingdom
Bristol to Cardiff drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 58 min
- Distance
- 43 mi
- Fuel (est.)
- £7
- Tolls (est.)
- None
The Bristol to Cardiff drive
The drive from Bristol to Cardiff covers 43 miles (69 km) and takes about 58 min without stops. That makes it a comfortable one-day drive. Leave in the morning and you'll arrive with the day ahead of you.
Expect fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) to cost around £7 one-way with no significant motorway tolls on the way. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 43 miles this is longer than 1% of the 144 routes covered here, short enough to fold into a bigger itinerary without losing a day.
Best stops between Bristol and Cardiff
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Cathedrals & Temples
Wells Cathedral
Exquisite Early English Gothic cathedral with a magnificent sculpted west front displaying nearly 300 medieval figures.
Scenic Viewpoints
Symonds Yat Rock
A famous viewpoint 504 feet above the River Wye, where peregrine falcons nest and the river performs a dramatic horseshoe bend.
Scenic Viewpoints
Devil's Pulpit
A narrow limestone pinnacle perched above the Wye Valley near Tintern Abbey, offering a dizzying view down through the forest canopy.
Landmarks
Castle Combe
A film-set medieval village of honey cottages with no visible modern intrusions, often called England's prettiest village.
Filming Locations
Castle Combe (Doctor Dolittle, War Horse, Stardust)
Often called England's prettiest village; it was the seaside town of Puddleby in the 1967 Doctor Dolittle and appears in War Horse and Stardust.
Filming Locations
Puzzlewood, Forest of Dean (Star Wars, Merlin, Doctor Who)
The moss-covered rock maze in the Forest of Dean appears in The Force Awakens, Merlin and Doctor Who.
Famous Roads
A466 Wye Valley (Chepstow to Monmouth)
A wooded riverside road through a designated AONB past Tintern Abbey, gentle and beautiful rather than challenging.
Scenic Viewpoints
Sugar Loaf (Y Fal)
A 596m conical hill above Abergavenny with a 360-degree view over the Usk valley and the Black Mountains; easy from the car park.
What you need for this drive
Rules for each country on the route, in the order you meet them.
United Kingdom
- Motorway
- 112 km/h · 48 in town
- Tolls
- Individual tolled crossings (Dart Charge, M6 Toll)
- Drives on
- the left
Low-emission zones: London ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone).
Checked against national road authorities and the ECB reference rates. Rules change — confirm before you travel.
Famous drives in United Kingdom
Legendary routes you could bolt onto this trip, with real distances and stop counts.
Snake Pass + Peak District
Cobblestone villages, Bronte-novel moors, and the moodiest 14 miles of road in England
104 km · 2h driving · 7 stops · 3 days
Atlantic Highway A39: North Cornwall
Cornish surf beaches, smuggler's coves, and the Westcountry pasty trail
139 km · 2.5h driving · 7 stops · 4 days
Causeway Coastal Route
Belfast to Derry along Northern Ireland's cliff-edge coast, via Game of Thrones country
200 km · 3.3h driving · 7 stops · 3 days
NC500: North Coast 500
Scotland's answer to Route 66: 516 miles of mountains, single-track roads, and empty beaches
755 km · 11.4h driving · 9 stops · 7 days
Bristol to Cardiff FAQs
How long is the drive from Bristol to Cardiff?
Driving from Bristol to Cardiff takes about 58 min nonstop, covering 43 miles (69 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from Bristol to Cardiff?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly £7 one-way. There are no significant motorway tolls on this route. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from Bristol to Cardiff in one day?
Yes, at about 58 min of driving, Bristol to Cardiff is a comfortable one-day drive with a couple of breaks.
What other drives can I plan on Plan Your Road Trips?
We publish drive times, distances and fuel estimates for 144 routes across Europe and beyond, including 57 other drives in the same country. Browse them all on the routes index.
What are the best stops between Bristol and Cardiff?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Castle Combe Circuit, Wells Cathedral, Symonds Yat Rock: see the full list of 9 stops on this page.
More drives from Bristol & Cardiff
Birmingham → BristolBirmingham → CardiffBristol → PlymouthBristol → St IvesLiverpool → CardiffLondon → BristolLondon → CardiffManchester → BristolManchester → Cardiff
Planning a bigger trip? Try the free United Kingdom road trip planner, browse every destination we cover, take it with you on the road, or read the driving in United Kingdom guide.