GWR runs a direct train from Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth. It stops 19 times on the way and takes about 2h 20m, so it is a long ride, but there is no change to make.
The catch is frequency. On the weekday timetable we checked there were only eight direct departures: 08:03, 10:04, 12:04, 14:04, 16:04, 17:06, 18:04 and 20:50. Until mid-afternoon that is one every two hours, tightening to hourly for the 16:04, 17:06 and 18:04, with a later one at 20:50 that gets you in at about 23:13.
With gaps that size, the departure time decides your day. Pick the train first and plan the rest around it, rather than heading for Temple Meads and hoping one is about to leave.
Other routings exist, but none is quick. The most regular changed at Southampton Central, leaving Bristol hourly from 07:22 to 18:22 with a later one at 20:27, and took around 3h 45m. Several more went via Reading, with a second change at Southampton Airport Parkway, Brockenhurst or Basingstoke, and took around four hours.
So the Southampton route is a fallback for a missed or cancelled direct train, not a better plan. Starting early does not help either: the 07:22 via Southampton Central, on its typical time, would reach Weymouth after the 08:03 direct train.
By car the A37 route is 69 miles and takes about two hours, a little quicker than the train and much more flexible given how few direct services there are.
Weymouth station is about twelve minutes’ walk from St Mary Street, a distance of roughly 890 metres.
Journey times and changes below come from the rail and bus timetables for Tuesday 1 December 2026. Weekend and holiday timetables differ, so check the day you travel.
From Bristol Temple Meads on the weekday we checked: 08:03, 10:04, 12:04, 14:04, 16:04, 17:06, 18:04 and 20:50.
By road it is about 69 miles from Bristol to Weymouth, mostly via the A37 — roughly 2h with clear roads. Car parks in Weymouth are listed on the Getting Here page.