Famous road · 11 mi off the route
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Road trip route · United Kingdom
Manchester to Bristol drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 3 hr 15 min
- Distance
- 168 mi
- Fuel (est.)
- £28
- Tolls (est.)
- None
The Manchester to Bristol drive
The drive from Manchester to Bristol covers 168 miles (270 km) and takes about 3 hr 15 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.
About 49% of it is on the M5, and most of the rest on the M6 and the A5103. On the way you go past Altrincham, Stoke-on-Trent and Worcester, and you'll be near Dudley roughly 1 h 38 min in.
Expect gentle hills rather than climbs. The high point is around 205 m near Dudley. The A466 Wye Valley (Chepstow to Monmouth) is 11 mi off the route if you have time for a detour.
Expect fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) to cost around £28 one-way with no significant motorway tolls on the way. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 168 miles this is longer than 38% of the 144 routes covered here.
The road, mile by mile
Towns within a few miles of the fastest route, with the time it takes to reach them without stopping.
- StartManchester
- 13 miAltrincham15 min in
- 45 miStoke-on-Trent52 min in
- 85 miDudley1 h 38 min in
- 108 miWorcester2 h 5 min ingood place to stop
- 134 miGloucester2 h 35 min in
- 168 miBristol
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- M581 mi · 49%
- M660 mi · 35%
- A510312 mi · 7%
Famous roads on or near the drive
From the 500-plus passes and driving roads drivers collect in the Plan Your Road Trips app. None are on the fastest route, but these are close enough for a detour.
Famous road · 13 mi off the route
A54 Congleton to Buxton
Famous road · 14 mi off the route
Cheddar Gorge Road (B3135)
Famous road · 15 mi off the route
Goyt Valley road, Peak District
Best stops between Manchester and Bristol
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Landmarks
Bibury
Charming Cotswolds village famously described by William Morris as the most beautiful village in England, home to the iconic Arlington Row.
Landmarks
Morgan Motor Company
The last family-owned British car maker in Malvern, offering factory tours where hand-crafted sports cars are built.
Landmarks
National Motorcycle Museum
The world's largest collection of British motorcycles with over 1,000 machines spanning a century of manufacturing near Solihull.
Racetracks
Oulton Park
A picturesque Cheshire circuit winding through parkland with dramatic elevation changes, a favourite of British club and national racing.
Racetracks
Castle Combe Circuit
A charming Wiltshire circuit in a picturesque Cotswolds village, one of England's oldest operational racing venues.
Famous Roads
Cat and Fiddle Road
A thrilling moorland road between Macclesfield and Buxton in the Peak District, one of the UK's most famous driving roads.
Scenic Viewpoints
Cat and Fiddle Viewpoint
A high-altitude viewpoint on the A537 between Macclesfield and Buxton, one of England's highest roads with expansive moorland vistas.
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.
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
Manchester to Bristol FAQs
How long is the drive from Manchester to Bristol?
Driving from Manchester to Bristol takes about 3 hr 15 min nonstop, covering 168 miles (270 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from Manchester to Bristol?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly £28 one-way. There are no significant motorway tolls on this route. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from Manchester to Bristol in one day?
Yes, at about 3 hr 15 min of driving, Manchester to Bristol is a comfortable one-day drive with a couple of breaks.
Which roads do you take from Manchester to Bristol?
The fastest route uses the M5 (about 81 mi), the M6 (about 60 mi), the A5103 (about 12 mi). It passes Altrincham, Stoke-on-Trent, Dudley, Worcester.
Where should I stop on the way from Manchester to Bristol?
If you stop every couple of hours, Worcester comes up about 2 h in. All are just off the main road.
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 Manchester and Bristol?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Bibury, Morgan Motor Company, National Motorcycle Museum: see the full list of 9 stops on this page.
More drives from Manchester & Bristol
Birmingham → BristolBristol → CardiffBristol → PlymouthBristol → St IvesLondon → BristolLondon → ManchesterManchester → BirminghamManchester → CardiffManchester → EdinburghManchester → Glasgow
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.