Bath

About Bath

Bath has been a destination for two thousand years — first as the Roman Aquae Sulis, then as the Georgian spa city celebrated by Jane Austen. The honey-coloured Bath stone is the same oolitic limestone as the Cotswolds; arriving here from Tetbury or Castle Combe feels like a continuation of the same landscape on a grander scale.

It is one of only two whole-city UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom (the other is Edinburgh's New Town). The Roman Baths, the Royal Crescent and the Circus are the headline sights, but the smaller pleasures are the bookshops, Sally Lunn's tea-cake, and the long view across the city from the Royal Crescent lawn.

The Cotswold Guide Top Tips

Buy a combined Roman Baths + Bath Abbey ticket and start at the Roman Baths first thing — it is at its quietest at opening.
The 6-mile Bath Skyline Walk (National Trust) is best in late afternoon for views back over the rooftops as the light goes warm.

Attractions in Bath

Where to eat & drink

Sally Lunn's Eating House
1482 building, claims to be the oldest house in Bath. The eponymous Sally Lunn bun is part of the experience.
The Pump Room
Drink the spa water, take afternoon tea — overlooking the Roman Bath itself.
The Olive Tree
Bath's only Michelin-starred restaurant, in the Queensberry Hotel just off the Circus.
Henry's
Modern British in a 17th-century building tucked off the main streets.

Getting there

By train
1h30 from London Paddington direct; cross-country to Bristol, Birmingham and the North.
By car
M4 J18, then A46 south. The historic centre is pedestrian; use park-and-ride from Lansdown or Newbridge.

Best time to visit

April through October is comfortably warm. The Christmas Market, mid-November to mid-December, fills the streets around the Abbey with chalets and lights — beautifully done. Avoid summer Saturdays unless you enjoy crowds.