Top things to do in bath england

The Sally Lunn’s House is the oldest building of Bath dating back to the 13th century. Located on the North Parade Passage, it is an archaic restaurant serving the Bath bun, an age-old delight of the region. The exclusive Bath bun or Sally Lunn is a big, fluffy and light savoury that is a mixture of a muffin, bread and cake made with flour, cream and eggs, relished with warm or burnt butter. The Sally Lunn’s House also has a room dedicated to Jane Austen, who held the Sally Lunn buns as one of her favourites. Today, visitors and Jane Austen fans can pay a visit and dine at the same place their idol took delight in the Bath Bun.

Bath may be small, but it packs a lot into its steep, hilly streets. It’s celebrated for its Georgian architecture, of course, and that’s undoubtedly a highlight — you could while away days exploring its stately streets and landscaped parks. But the city has plenty more to offer, too: excellent museums and galleries, boating on the River Avon, cycling the Kennet & Avon Canal, a spectacular Roman bathhouse — and its modern equivalent, the swanky Thermae Bath Spa. Whether it’s a weekend getaway or a trip to the markets at Christmas, here’s our pick of things to do in Bath.

Main photo: The Roman Baths (Visit Bath)

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1. Stroll the city’s grandest street

The Royal Crescent is the city’s most prestigious address: a perfectly symmetrical crescent of princely Palladian townhouses overlooking Royal Victoria Park, built by John Wood the Younger from 1767 to 1774. Constructed from honey-hued Bath stone and framed by neoclassical columns, the entire crescent is grade I listed. Most of the houses are privately owned, but it’s possible to get a peep inside at No 1 Royal Crescent. Originally owned by the wealthy landowner Mr Henry Sandford, and now the headquarters of the Bath Preservation Trust, the house has been painstakingly restored using only 18th-century materials, including period paints, furniture and wallpapers. You’ll get a fascinating insight into what life would have been like for Bath’s fashionable elite. Highlights include the grand drawing room and the vast basement kitchen: costumed guides are on hand to tell stories about the house’s past.

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2. Marvel at the Roman Baths

Say what you like about the Romans, but they knew how to take a bath. The Roman Baths are the city’s top visitor attraction, and comprise one of the largest and best-preserved Roman bath complexes anywhere in Europe. Built on top of natural geothermal springs that provide a never-ending hot water supply — perfectly heated to a balmy 46C — the complex is centred around the Great Bath and King’s Bath, surrounded by 18th-century buildings. Several other pools and rooms can also be visited, and you can see the hypocaust system that allowed steam to travel around the bathhouse. There’s even a museum that explores the site’s history, including its pre-Roman origins as a sacred Celtic spring dedicated to the goddess Sulis, more than 2,000 years ago.

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3. Climb Bath Abbey’s tower

You can’t miss Bath Abbey: its hulking medieval façade and central tower dominate the city centre. There’s been a site of worship here since at least the 7th century, but the present cathedral largely dates from the 14th and 16th centuries. Highlights include the dramatic stained-glass windows, the fabulous fan-vaulted ceiling and the ornate façade (on the west front, look out for angels climbing up and down ladders, which appeared in a dream of the abbey’s builder, Bishop Oliver King). It’s worth slogging up the 212 steps to the top of the tower for panoramic city views: you’ll learn about the history of the abbey’s clock and its famous bells along the way. During December, the Abbey is next to the site of Bath’s famous Christmas markets, meaning you can tick two things off your city visit list at once.

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4. Take a bath in Bath

If you want to take a dip in Bath’s geothermal waters, the only place to do it these days is the Thermae Bath Spa, a strikingly modern — and highly controversial — steel-and-glass addition to the city’s 18th-century centre. It offers several floors of pools, steam baths, saunas and treatment rooms, but the pièce de résistance is the postcard-worthy rooftop pool, where you can do laps while looking out over the Bath skyline. Needless to say, it’s a very popular thing for couples to do in Bath, so book well ahead — twilight swims are particularly impressive.

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5. See the Assembly Rooms

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the heart of Bath’s social scene was the Assembly Rooms. Here, dandies, revellers and aristocrats gathered to socialise, gamble, play cards, dance and listen to chamber music. It’s another John Wood the Younger masterpiece, built in 1771, but reduced to a roofless shell by bombing raids during the Second World War and has since been impeccably restored. In the basement, the Fashion Museum houses a quirky collection of clothes and accessories.

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6. Walk across Pulteney Bridge

Designed by Robert Adam, and built in 1774, this supremely graceful Palladian bridge spans the River Avon, and is one of only four bridges in the world that has shops lining both sides. It’s a thing of sublime beauty and that it’s still not been pedestrianised, as has been mooted for many years.

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7. Visit the Jane Austen Centre

Few cities are as indelibly linked with Jane Austen as Bath. The city provides the setting for several tales, including Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, and many adaptations of her novels have been filmed here — although Austen actually only lived in Bath for six years, from 1801 to 1806. A great activity in Bath for families, this small museum explores her connections with the city and guides are on hand to bring the era to life and there’s also a popular shop for souvenirs, and a quaint tearoom.

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8. Get arty at the Holburne Museum

Throughout the 19th century, Bath’s most prominent and keen-eyed art collector was Sir Thomas William Holburne, who amassed an amazing collection of sculptures, ceramics, silver, porcelain, objets d’art and old masters — including works by luminaries such as George Stubbs and Thomas Gainsborough. After Holburne’s death, his sister bequeathed the collection to the city, and it’s now displayed inside this imposing Georgian building (originally the Sydney Hotel) at the eastern end of Great Pulteney St, surrounded by the trimmed lawns and trees of Sydney Gardens.

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9. Climb Beckford’s Tower

This impressive Italianate folly is the brainchild of William Beckford, a wealthy author, collector, travel writer, politician and plantation owner. Built in 1827 adjoining Lansdown Cemetery, it once contained a library, drawing room and a top-floor belvedere from which Beckford liked to survey the city. It’s now in the hands of the Bath Preservation Trust and contains displays on Beckford’s life and times — including his controversial past as a slave owner — but the main draw is the chance to climb to the top to see the views.

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10. Hike the Skyline Trail

Looping for six miles around the edge of the city, this circular walk takes in Bath’s green spaces, including ancient woodland, fields and meadows, The National Trust has a downloadable trail map and walk guide on their website. It’s mainly easy-going — suitable for kids and adults — and ends with a stunning view from Bathwick Fields.

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11. Go boating on the Avon

Is there anything more tranquil than a paddle down the River Avon? You decide. Pack a picnic and choose from a wooden skiff, punt or canoe — all can be hired from the charming Bath Boating Station on the southeast side of the city. If you prefer to let someone else work up a sweat, Pulteney Cruisers also offers open-top motorboat trips to the nearby village of Bathampton.

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12. Take high tea at the Pump Room

Afternoon teas don’t get fancier than those served at the Pump Room, the upmarket tearoom attached to the Roman Baths. There’s a choice of sweet or savoury, and the formal setting — crisp tablecloths, bone china crockery, smartly dressed waiting staff — makes for a very English experience. You can also sample mineral water from the underground spring, believed by some Bathonians to have curative properties.

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13. Learn about Bath’s architectural history

Head to this little museum to hear the tale of how Bath was transformed into one of England’s most exclusive spa towns during the late 18th and early 19th centuries by entrepreneur Ralph Allen and architects John Wood the Elder and Younger. Architects’ drawings, maps, videos and vintage tools provide background, and there’s a 1:500 scale model of Bath that gives an interesting god’s eye view.

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14. Shop Walcot Street

Bath’s main retail area is SouthGate, but it’s mainly the big chains there. Swap them out for a quirkier shopping experience by heading to Walcot Street. This is the spot to rummage in antiques shops, try samples at the artisan cheesemonger, meet the local a glass-blower and find your next upcycling project at the reclamation yard.

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15. Wander round Prior Park

This princely Palladian house belonged to Ralph Allen, a man who arguably did more than anyone to create Bath. He made a fortune providing postal services (a forerunner of the Royal Mail), but also owned quarries: these provided the amber stone from which so much of Bath was built. Prior Park was built as a kind of architectural shopfront to demonstrate what could be achieved with the stone. The house is off-limits (it’s now a private school), but you can explore the landscaped grounds, which are now owned by the National Trust. Look out for the famous Palladian bridge, built in 1755: it’s one of only four such structures around the world.

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16. Browse the stalls at Green Park

Head to this former railway station and you’ll find a host of intriguing independent traders and food stalls, as well as regular markets (choose between food on Saturday, a flea market on Sunday and pop-up markets during the week). It’s an atmospheric location and the stalls are all housed under an arched glass roof.

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17. Go on a guided walk

One of the best things to do in Bath is to get under the city’s skin and learn more about its history with a walking tour provided via the Mayor of Bath Honorary Guides. You’ll leave from outside the Roman Baths and cover around two miles of walking in Bath city centre; best of all, they’re completely free. Several other walking tours are offered by private guides — including ghost tours, Jane Austen tours, Bridgerton locations and plenty more. Ask at Bath’s tourist office for details.

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18. Cycle Bath’s canals

Despite its many hills, Bath is a fun city for cycling, especially if you follow the peaceful towpaths of the Kennet & Avon Canal. Based on Sydney Wharf, Bath Bike Hire has bikes for hire and offers advice on routes. The most popular is to the 13-mile Bristol and Bath Railway Path. You can also head south towards Bradford-on-Avon and Bathampton: en route, you’ll pass historic canal structures including the Claverton Pumping Station and Dundas Aqueduct.

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19. Ponder the skies at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy

William Herschel (assisted by his equally brilliant sister, Caroline Lucretia) was one of the great citizen astronomers of the 18th century. He’s best known for discovering Uranus in 1781, using a self-built telescope which he constructed at in his back garden on New King St. His house is now a museum exploring the astronomer’s life, and you can get up close to his most interesting possessions: telescopes, globes, planetaria and even a mirror-grinding machine he invented to polish his telescope lenses.

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20. Bake with a master

Richard Bertinet may be French, but he’s well known as one of Britain’s best bakers. He’s been based in Bath for years, and runs a buzzing bakery in the city centre, as well as a cooking school that offers courses in everything from sourdough to saucery. The five-day bread masterclass is the one to go for if you’re serious about crafting the perfect loaf.

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21. Step into America’s past

Here’s a Bath curiosity: the only museum of Americana this side of the Atlantic. More than 12,000 pieces of American ephemera are on show: Native American artefacts, Renaissance maps and vintage shop signs will all catch your eye — and there are several rooms decorated in period style. Founded in 1961, the museum is worth visiting for its location alone: it’s lavishly housed inside the 18th-century Claverton Manor, and surrounded by sprawling Italianate Gardens overlooking the Limpley Stoke Valley.

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Take me there

Inspired to visit Bath but yet to book your trip? Here are the best Cottages.com* and Booking.com* breaks to the coast. And if you’re still unsure of where you want to go or what type of holiday to book, get in touch with the Designer Travel experts here and one of the team will be in contact to help you arrange your perfect tailor-made break.

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