Travel from Heathrow to Bristol

National Express you can book now, the sooner you book the cheaper they are.

On a short run like Heathrow to Bristol it doesn't matter but the big issue with Flixbus is the lack of comfort stops. You have to use the bathroom on the bus.

Many reviewers see Flixbus seats as less comfortable (not uncomfortable, just less so) than Nat Ex- but they use buses as new as Nat Ex. Nat Ex have consistently good leg room, Flixbus are by all accounts a bit more variable, but never tight. For the price I think Flixbus are very good value, and I did use them before I got my NatEx Coachcard 18 months ago.

If I didn't have a Nat Ex Coachcard giving me 1/3 off I would certainly use Flix Bus if they had suitable routes- in fact am thinking of doing so in mid July on a route where there is a huge fare discrepancy NatEx to Flixbus.

Bearing in mind that Nat Ex drop you at Bristol Bus Station and Flixbus at Cabot Circus (both in the City Centre) I personally think the time penalty is worth it against the train arriving at Temple Meads on the edge of the city centre, and the 1 or 2 transfers, then a taxi to Brooks GH.

For my liking NatEx seats are far superior to GWR train seats.

But that is just me. Other's MMV.

Bristol on NE is a much better frequency than Bath, so that does not come into play as much as it does for Bath.

With NE I am still unsure about the Flex option, now that Heathrow has no ticket counter to amend your tickets. It now seems to depend on you calling Nat Ex, or the discretion of the drivers. That is the only proviso I would make about the bus option.

Hopefully that is a balanced review.

Stuart, thank you very much for filling in all the details and giving me much to think about. I am tempted to go with the Flixbus option as it is less than half the price of the National Exxpress coach for the date/time I want. It seems that if our flight is delayed we just have to pay the difference in fares and can get on the next coach - is that correct? One thing to consider - National Express has a coach every hour while Flixbus every 2 hours.

My understanding is that you can only change Flixbus tickets until the booked departure time, not afterwards. Thus if you had booked for say 12.30, but your flight was 2 hours late so you missed the bus it would be a new ticket.
This morning that would be £20.99. You would need data on your 'phone to do that as I don't think they sell on the bus.

Whereas NatEx have ticket machines at Heathrow Central Bus Station (the booking fee on the machines is £2). This morning the walk up price on NatEx is £21.90 on every bus bar one.

Looking ahead on NatEx it looks as if the usual book ahead policy doesn't actually work from Heathrow- seems to be £21.90 on any date-which is interesting and unusual.

Whereas from London Victoria the book ahead fare is as low as £3.90, and even this morning is only £8.90 on most buses- the NatEx service is every 30 minutes from Victoria,

So you are paying an airport premium. Being silly and a cheapskate it is actually cheaper to take the tube into Victoria then NatEx bus back out to Bristol!!

I would agree that the coach is the best option to get from Heathrow to Bristol. The train involves changes and when you’re tired with luggage it’s more hassle than it’s worth.

If you want to get a taxi to your final destination it will be easier to get one at the bus station, which means using National Express.

Being a cheapskate, I would like to route through Victoria Station (filing this for future reference; thanks for the idea!), but since my husband is traveling with me this time, I will have to book something which is as comfortable and with as few changes as possible. So I think I will stick with a coach from the airport, but still cannot decide between National Express and Flixbus.

I will have data as I have Google Fi.

Helen, is it possible to walk from the bus station to Brooks GH? We will not have much luggage and it seems like an option to stretch our legs and perhaps fortify ourselves at the Bank Tavern on the way....taxi will be Plan B though, in case we are really tired or it's raining.

Yes it’s not a long walk at all. The Bank is quite tucked away and is well loved in Bristol. A good choice.

On the Nat Ex/Flixbus issue that is ultimately your choice. To me it is an impossible question. You weigh up that Flixbus is half the cost now + you know, like me, that Transatlantic flights get blown over the ocean. So if you leave anything like right time, you should normally be on time or early into the UK.

Balance that with it being two of you, probably with jet lag, you just want to get to Bristol (do Brooks GH have early check in, or would the Bank Tavern be your waiting room/lunch stop?) I'm thinking of if you landed an hour early maybe, got through LHR like greased lighting and were at the bus station early so made an earlier bus.

The key issues to me are NatEx greater frequency and that a Flixbus ticket can't apparently be used after the booked departure so that would be a new ticket (if you were late) at essentially the same price as Nat Ex would have cost originally.

And at Bristol the bus station is a nice place to while away time (well nice as Bus Stations go), Cabot Circus/North Bond Street is just a random stop on the side of a street.

But if you knew you were leaving SFO say 3 hours late you could change the Flixbus ticket on Data/WiFi at SFO.

If I absolutely had to choose it would be a 55%:45% vote in favour of Nat Ex.

It goes way against the grain of views on this forum, but I think (if this was me) that I wouldn't pre purchase a ticket on either company's bus. But just buy one on arrival at Heathrow on whichever bus is first out. The real time departure screens at Central Bus Station will tell you that. In September I struggle to believe the buses would be full. I really, really appreciate that is not the modus operandi of most people here.

I discussed this with my husband and decided that we would go for National Express since it has a few things that are a little better than Flixbus (comfort, flex and mainly frequency) and they all add up to a much better experience after a transatlantic flight.

If we wait until we get to Heathrow to buy tickets, will the price not be higher? I am still inclined towards prebooking the tickets, just to be able to get seats towards the front of the bus - I do have trouble with motion sickness sometimes when I am very tired, and my back will also be much happier.

Helen - thank you for the information about the walk and the Bank Tavern.

Stuart - I'm not sure if Brooks will let us check-in early, but they definitely allow us to drop off our luggage early. Usually when I arrive in the UK, I like to go out and walk around....and the Bank Tavern is definitely very enticing to my husband!

The price is that bit higher bought on site due to the booking fee.

But the actual on the day fare is the same on line as on the machines- just the booking fee.

When pre purchasing on line create a free account first, which waives the £1.50 on line booking fee.

1C and 1D are the seats behind the driver on Nat Ex. 2A is the best seat on the bus as it has unlimited leg room and nothing in front of you. 2B has the disabled seat (1B) in front.

In theory the empty space of 1A (in front of 2A) could be used by a wheelchair but I have never seen that happen, nor has anyone else I have ever heard of.

Done!! We got the seats you recommended, Stuart. Huge thanks to both you and Helen for your input.