On 7 September 2026 the University of Bristol opened a second campus beside Temple Meads station. Its original Clifton campus is the precinct around Tyndall Avenue and Woodland Road, on the hill north-west of the centre, and the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus is on the east side of the centre, 35 to 40 minutes away on foot. UWE Bristol’s main campus is at Frenchay on the northern edge of the city, with smaller sites at Glenside in Stapleton, at Bower Ashton and on the harbourside. Bristol has no tram or metro and a lot of steep hills, so find out which campus your course is taught at before you look at rooms.
Where do students live in Bristol?
University of Bristol undergraduates mostly live in Clifton, Redland, Cotham, Kingsdown and Stokes Croft, within a walk or a cycle of the Clifton campus, and many first years take a university room at Stoke Bishop. UWE students split between the Frenchay side of the city, around Filton, Stoke Gifford and Fishponds, and rooms in the centre with a metrobus commute. Students from both universities live in the centre, along Gloucester Road and around the harbour.
You can compare rooms by price and area on the student accommodation in Bristol page, and the University of Bristol and UWE Bristol pages list the properties closest to each.
Most of the purpose-built rooms listed on Mystudenthalls.com are in the centre, around the harbour and in the Temple Quarter, with one building at Brabazon on the Frenchay side. In September 2026 there were 15 Bristol properties, with rooms from £158 to £365 a week and an average starting price of about £256. En-suite rooms in shared flats are at the lower end of that range and self-contained studios at the top, and most are advertised with bills included. The prices below were checked at the same time and change as rooms are taken.
Typical times from each area to each campus are in the table.
| Area | University of Bristol: Clifton campus | University of Bristol: Temple Quarter | UWE Frenchay | UWE Bower Ashton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City centre and Old City | 15 to 25 min walk | 15 to 25 min walk | 20 to 35 min bus and walk | 20 to 35 min bus and walk |
| Harbourside | 15 to 30 min walk | 15 to 30 min walk | 25 to 40 min bus and walk | 25 to 40 min walk |
| Hotwells | 20 to 35 min walk | 35 to 50 min walk | 35 to 50 min bus and walk | 20 to 35 min walk |
| Redcliffe and Temple Quarter | 20 to 30 min bus, or 30 to 45 min walk | 5 to 20 min walk | 30 to 50 min bus and walk | 30 to 45 min bus and walk |
| Stokes Croft and King Square | 15 to 25 min walk | 25 to 35 min walk | 25 to 40 min bus and walk | 30 to 45 min bus and walk |
| Clifton and Clifton Village | 10 to 25 min walk | 20 to 40 min bus and walk | 35 to 55 min bus and walk | 30 to 45 min bus and walk |
| Redland, Cotham and Kingsdown | 10 to 30 min walk | 20 to 35 min train and walk (Redland or Montpelier) | 35 to 50 min bus and walk | 35 to 55 min bus and walk |
| Gloucester Road and Bishopston | 25 to 40 min bus and walk | 30 to 50 min bus and walk, or 25 to 35 min via Ashley Down (hourly train) | 25 to 45 min bus and walk | 40 to 60 min bus and walk |
| Frenchay, Stoke Gifford and Filton | 40 to 65 min bus and walk | 25 to 35 min train and walk from Parkway or Abbey Wood, 40 to 60 by bus from Frenchay | 10 to 35 min walk | 45 to 70 min bus and walk |
| Brabazon | 50 to 70 min bus and walk | 55 to 75 min bus and walk | 15 to 25 min bus or cycle | 60 to 80 min bus and walk |
| Southville and Bedminster | 30 to 45 min walk | 20 to 40 min walk | 35 to 55 min bus and walk | 20 to 40 min walk |
Times are approximate weekday daytime estimates from a central point in each area. Bus times include an allowance for walking to and from stops but exclude waiting time, and some involve a change. Train times are given where a station is close; the Ashley Down service is hourly. Your address, teaching building and traffic will all affect the time, so check the route from any property you are considering before booking. UWE’s Arnolfini and Spike Island sites are on the harbourside, so the Harbourside row applies to them. Fishponds and UWE Glenside are covered in the Fishponds section rather than in the table. Bristol Brabazon station is expected to open in autumn 2026 with trains to Temple Meads in about 20 minutes, which will bring the Brabazon to Temple Quarter time down to around 25 to 35 minutes.
City centre and the Old City
The Old City around Corn Street and Broad Street is the medieval core of the centre, Broadmead and Cabot Circus are where the shops are, and the waterfront bars are a few minutes away on foot. The Clifton campus is about 15 minutes on foot, the last part of it up Park Street, which is steep enough to slow you down. The Temple Quarter campus is about 15 minutes in the other direction. Few other areas are a short walk from both University of Bristol sites. UWE Frenchay is around half an hour away on the m1, m3 or m4 metrobus, all of which run through the centre.
Stonebridge House is on Colston Avenue by the Centre, The Quarter House and iQ Bristol are on Marlborough Street near the bus station, and St Lawrence House is a converted tower on Broad Street in the Old City. Rooms in these four start between £205 and £299 a week.
Harbourside and Hotwells
The Floating Harbour runs through the middle of the city, with Millennium Square on one bank, the M Shed museum and the restaurants of Wapping Wharf on the other, and the SS Great Britain moored further west. Beyond it is Hotwells, a quieter run of Georgian terraces below Clifton at the mouth of the Avon Gorge. From Millennium Square the Clifton campus is about 20 minutes on foot, and from Hotwells it is uphill all the way. The walk from the harbourside to the Temple Quarter campus is around 15 minutes. UWE’s City Campus is split across this area. The Arnolfini and Spike Island sites are on the harbour itself, and Bower Ashton is on the far side of the river, 20 to 35 minutes on foot from Hotwells and a little more from Millennium Square.
Harbour Court is by Millennium Square and Hotwells House is on the water in Hotwells, with rooms from £239 and £212 a week. The area suits UWE students on creative courses and University of Bristol students who prefer the harbourside to the busier city centre.
Redcliffe and the Temple Quarter
The University of Bristol opened the Sloane Robinson Building, the main building of its Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, on Cattle Market Road on 7 September 2026, along with a new eastern entrance to Temple Meads station. The university says the building has space for around 4,500 students, with teaching in business, digital engineering, artificial intelligence, cyber security and related subjects. Not everyone on those courses is taught there from the start. The university’s course guidance says Business School undergraduates spend most of their first and second years on the Clifton campus and move to Temple Quarter from their third. Check where your own units are timetabled before you choose a room. The Dental School has been on nearby Avon Street since 2023.
Redcliffe, across the water around St Mary Redcliffe church, and the streets behind the station are the closest places to live. Waterside is on Avon Street, opposite the new campus and a few minutes from the station. iQ Water Lane House is on Water Lane in Redcliffe, and Timber Yard is on Silverthorne Lane by the Feeder Canal, a short walk east of the campus. Rooms in the three start between £209 and £345 a week. The No. 8 bus stops beside the new campus and runs roughly every 10 minutes to the Clifton campus, a 20 to 30 minute ride, and cycling between the two takes 15 to 20 minutes. Temple Meads is also Bristol’s main station, with direct trains to Bath, Cardiff and London.
Stokes Croft, King Square and the edge of St Pauls
Stokes Croft runs north from the Bearpit roundabout towards Cheltenham Road and is known for its murals, music venues, late-opening cafes and independent shops, with the Georgian King Square on one side and St Pauls on the other. It is about 15 minutes on foot to both the centre and the Clifton campus, about 25 to Temple Quarter, and around 25 minutes to UWE Frenchay by bus.
King Square Studios is on King Square, Croft Court is on Stokes Croft itself, and Canvas Bristol is a few streets east on Wilder Street. Rooms in the three start between £210 and £265 a week. Expect venues and late food close by, and some noise at weekends.
Clifton and Clifton Village
Clifton is on the hill west of the campus, between the Suspension Bridge and the Downs, with Georgian terraces and the small independent shops of Clifton Village at its western end. Whiteladies Road runs down its eastern side with cafes, bars and supermarkets, and Clifton Down station on the Severn Beach line has trains to Temple Meads. The Clifton campus is a 10 to 20 minute walk depending on where you start. The route along Queens Road from Clifton Village is fairly level; the steep climbs are from Hotwells and the centre. Temple Quarter is 20 to 30 minutes on the No. 8 bus, and UWE Frenchay around 35.
Tamarillo House is on Whiteladies Road, with studios from £215 a week. Charlotte Rise is in Georgian townhouses on Charlotte Street, just off Park Street and a few minutes below the campus, from £365.
Redland, Cotham and Kingsdown
Kingsdown, Cotham and Redland are the residential streets on the hill north of the campus, mostly Victorian and Georgian houses, and many University of Bristol students move here in their second and third years. Kingsdown, above St Michael’s Hill and the Bristol Royal Infirmary, is the closest and the steepest. The cafes and shops are on Cotham Hill, and Redland and Montpelier stations are on the Severn Beach line, around 15 minutes from Temple Meads, where the new station entrance opens onto the Temple Quarter campus. The Clifton campus is a 10 to 20 minute walk. Redland is known for its large Victorian student houses more than for purpose-built buildings. Students who want an all-inclusive room tend to look at Clifton, Stokes Croft or the centre, all close by.
Gloucester Road, Bishopston and Horfield
Gloucester Road runs north from Stokes Croft through Bishopston to Horfield, lined with greengrocers, bakeries, bike shops, cafes and pubs. American Express and GlobalData ranked it third in the UK for independent shops in November 2024. It is mostly a second and third-year area. There is no direct bus to the Clifton campus, so allow 25 to 40 minutes by bus to the centre and then on foot, and 30 to 50 minutes to Temple Quarter by bus. Ashley Down station, which reopened in September 2024 beside the Concorde Way cycle path, has an hourly train to Temple Meads in about 12 minutes and to Filton Abbey Wood the other way. Buses also run north from here to UWE Frenchay in about 25 minutes, which is useful if you are at one university and your flatmates are at the other. There is little purpose-built accommodation along the road itself.
Frenchay, Stoke Gifford and Filton
UWE’s Frenchay campus is on Coldharbour Lane on the northern edge of the city, with Stoke Gifford, Filton and the village of Frenchay around it. If you live on this side, the campus is a 10 to 35 minute walk depending on which of the three you are in, or a few stops on the bus, instead of half an hour or more from the centre. Bristol Parkway and Filton Abbey Wood stations are both close, with trains to Temple Meads in 10 to 15 minutes, and the m1, m3 and m4 metrobus services run to the campus up to every 10 minutes on weekday daytimes. A night out in town means a bus or a train home.
Brabazon
Brabazon is the new district being built on the former Filton Airfield, west of the campus beyond Filton. The Propeller Quarter opened there for the 2026/27 academic year, with rooms from £158 a week. It is 1.9 miles from UWE Frenchay, about 15 minutes by bus or bike, and the same to Bristol Parkway. The centre is around 40 minutes away by metrobus. Network Rail expects the new Bristol Brabazon station to open in autumn 2026 with trains to Temple Meads in about 20 minutes. It had not opened when this was written. Check before you count on it. For UWE students who want purpose-built accommodation on the Frenchay side of the city rather than in the centre, it is currently the main option listed on Mystudenthalls.com.
Fishponds and Stapleton
UWE’s Glenside campus, where nursing, midwifery and allied health courses are taught, is on Blackberry Hill in Stapleton. Fishponds, next door, has its own high street and frequent buses into the centre, and the Bristol and Bath Railway Path is a traffic-free cycle route from here to the Temple Quarter campus. There are no purpose-built student buildings here at present, so most Glenside students rent privately nearby or commute from the centre.
Southville and Bedminster
Southville and Bedminster are south of the river. North Street has independent shops, cafes, bars and the Tobacco Factory theatre, and East Street is the older high street. UWE’s Bower Ashton campus is to the west, 20 to 40 minutes on foot depending on which end of North Street you are at, and the Temple Quarter campus is a similar walk over the river. The Clifton campus is 30 to 45 minutes on foot, or a bus into the centre and a walk up the hill. The housing is mostly Victorian terraces in the private rented sector. For UWE students based at Bower Ashton it is one of the closest places to live, and it has its own high street with the centre a short bus ride away.
Stoke Bishop and university residences
Stoke Bishop, north-west of the Downs, is where the University of Bristol’s North Village residences are, among them Wills Hall and Hiatt Baker Hall. Many first years who take a university room are placed here or in the university’s residences in the centre. Stoke Bishop is about 15 minutes from the Clifton campus by bus or bike. It is around two miles, and most students take the bus or cycle.
If you are weighing a university room against a private one, compare the room type, the contract length and the commute as well as the weekly price. A university room is usually offered to first years and puts you among students from your own institution. A private room can be booked by students in any year at either university, subject to each provider’s eligibility rules.
Getting around Bristol
Buses and local trains do most of the work, while Bristol’s hills can make a walk or a cycle take longer than it looks on a map. First Bus runs most services, including the metrobus routes. In the Bristol zone it charges one flat fare however far you travel. From January 2026 the adult single is £2.60, a day ticket £6.80 and a week £28, according to Travelwest, and students of any age in full-time education pay £2.34, £6.10 and £25.20 when they buy through the First Bus app and carry photo student ID. Metrobus tickets have to be bought before you board, or you can tap on and off with a contactless card at the adult fare.
Bristol Temple Meads is the main station for Bath, Cardiff and London. The Severn Beach line crosses the north and west of the city with stops at Clifton Down, Redland, Montpelier and Stapleton Road. Clifton Down is the nearest station to the Clifton campus, a 10 to 15 minute walk away. Dott runs the region’s hire e-scooters and e-bikes under a trial that has been extended to May 2028. You must be 18 and hold a provisional or full driving licence to ride the scooters, and 16 to ride the bikes.
If you are thinking of bringing a car, Bristol’s Clean Air Zone covers the centre and the harbourside, and Bristol City Council charges private cars that do not meet its emissions standard £9 a day to enter. Most central streets are also in residents’ parking zones. The Temple Quarter campus has no general parking at all. A car is more likely to be useful if you live on the Frenchay side and have placements away from campus.
Rent, bills and council tax
Student housing in Bristol is expensive by UK standards. CBRE research published in July 2024, now two years old, found Bristol had the most expensive purpose-built student accommodation outside London, at £335 to £382 a week for a bed space. For comparison, Save the Student’s National Student Accommodation Survey 2026 put the average UK student rent, across every type of housing, at £575 a month, which is about £133 a week. Rooms on Mystudenthalls.com start from £158 a week. Sorting the Bristol page by price shows the lowest-priced rooms currently available. Our report on what students pay for accommodation across the UK compares rents by city and room type.
Most Bristol rooms listed are advertised with bills included, and each listing says what that covers. A household made up entirely of full-time students is exempt from council tax. If you live with someone who is not a full-time student the household may still get a bill, with a discount available, and our guide to council tax for students explains how to claim. A TV Licence, if you need one, is separate. You need one to watch or record live television or to use BBC iPlayer.
Sources
- Mystudenthalls.com, student accommodation in Bristol (property count, weekly prices, average starting price and the addresses and journey times given on the individual listings, all as displayed in September 2026)
- University of Bristol, Major new chapter for University of Bristol as Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus opens (opening on 7 September 2026, the Sloane Robinson Building, the new Temple Meads entrance, around 4,500 students, subjects taught, Dental School on Avon Street since 2023)
- University of Bristol, Getting to Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus (No. 8 bus extended to a stop beside the campus at an increased frequency, 15 minute walk to the centre and harbourside, no general parking)
- University of Bristol, Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus blog (No. 8 frequency of every 10 to 12 minutes, about a 35 minute walk or 20 minute cycle to Clifton, Bristol and Bath Railway Path)
- University of Bristol, Getting around Bristol (around 40 minutes on foot between the Clifton campus and Temple Quarter, Clifton Down as the nearest station to the Clifton campus)
- University of Bristol, How to get here (No. 8 from Temple Meads to the Clifton campus in about 20 to 30 minutes, cycling between the campuses 15 to 20 minutes, Clifton Down station a 10 to 15 minute walk from the Clifton campus)
- University of Bristol, Courses and programmes at Temple Quarter (Business School undergraduates taught mostly at Clifton in years one and two, at Temple Quarter from year three)
- University of Bristol, North Village residences (Stoke Bishop about 15 minutes from the Clifton campus by bus or bike)
- Travelwest, First Bus fares (Bristol zone adult and student single, day and week fares from January 2026, flat fare, metrobus buy before you board)
- First Bus, UWE services (m1, m3 and m4 metrobus to UWE Frenchay up to every 10 minutes on weekday daytimes)
- First Bus, Young person and student tickets (up to 10% off for students of any age in full-time education, app only, photo student ID on every journey)
- Travelwest, E-scooter and e-bike hire (Dott as operator, trial extended to May 2028, 18 and a provisional or full driving licence for e-scooters, 16 for e-bikes)
- Network Rail, A new station at Ashley Down in Bristol (opened September 2024, about 12 minutes to Temple Meads)
- Travelwest, Ashley Down station (hourly service between Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood, entrance on Concorde Way)
- Network Rail, Bristol Brabazon station (station expected to open in autumn 2026 on the Henbury line)
- Bristol City Council, Pay the Bristol Clean Air Zone daily charge (£9 daily charge for non-compliant private cars)
- Bristol City Council, JSNA Health and Wellbeing Profile 2026/27: Crime (antisocial behaviour incidents by ward from Avon and Somerset Police data, fear of crime by ward from the council’s Quality of Life survey)
- Bristol24/7, Bristol road named among best in UK for independent shopping (Gloucester Road ranked third, reporting American Express and GlobalData research, November 2024)
- Property Reporter, Bristol revealed as the most expensive city for student accommodation outside of London (£335 to £382 a week, reporting CBRE research, July 2024)
- Save the Student, National Student Accommodation Survey 2026 (average UK student rent of £575 a month)
Figures come from the named sources and from Mystudenthalls.com listings checked in September 2026, and can change.
FAQs
Which area is best for my university and campus?
Clifton campus: Clifton, Redland, Cotham, Kingsdown, Stokes Croft or the centre. Temple Quarter campus: Redcliffe, the streets around Temple Meads, the harbourside or the centre. UWE Frenchay: Frenchay, Stoke Gifford, Filton or Brabazon, or a room in the centre and the m1, m3 or m4. UWE Glenside: Fishponds. Bower Ashton and UWE’s harbour sites: the harbourside, Hotwells, Southville or Bedminster.
How much is rent in different parts of Bristol?
Starting prices on Mystudenthalls.com run from £158 a week at Brabazon to £365 off Park Street, with most buildings in the centre, around the harbour and at Stokes Croft starting between £205 and £300. Studios cost more than en-suite rooms in the same building. Prices change as rooms are taken. The listings show current figures.
Should I live in the city centre or Clifton?
The centre has more purpose-built rooms, the shops and the nightlife, and is within a walk of both University of Bristol campuses. Clifton is quieter and closer to the Clifton campus and the Downs, with a longer trip to Temple Quarter and to UWE.
Is it better to live near UWE Frenchay or commute from the centre?
Living near the campus saves about an hour a day on the bus. Living in the centre puts you closer to the shops, venues and the station, with a metrobus every 10 minutes or so on weekday daytimes. Add a week’s bus fare to the rent before you compare the two.
Is Bristol safe for students?
Bristol City Council’s 2026/27 crime profile shows considerable differences between areas. Recorded incidents also reflect footfall and nightlife, so a lower count does not by itself mean a safer street. Central ward, which contains much of the city centre, harbourside and late-night economy, recorded about a fifth of Bristol’s antisocial behaviour incidents, while Redland and Bishopston & Ashley Down recorded among the fewest. The same profile found fear of crime, which measures how residents feel and not what was recorded, lowest in Clifton (5.3% of residents) and the Clifton Down ward (7.3%). Check police.uk for the street you are considering, plan how you will get home after a night out, and look at the security features on each listing, such as fob entry, CCTV and staffing hours.
What does bills included cover?
Usually electricity, gas, water, heating and wifi, paid as part of the weekly rent. Some buildings add contents insurance. The exact list is on each listing, and it varies by provider.
Do the hills really matter?
Yes. Park Street, St Michael’s Hill and the climbs from Hotwells and the centre up to Clifton and Cotham add time and effort to a walk or a cycle, mostly on the way home.
Should I bring a car?
Most students in the centre, Clifton or the Temple Quarter do without one. The Clean Air Zone charge, permit parking and the lack of student parking at Temple Quarter make it more of a cost than a help unless you have placements away from campus.
