City Guide: Bath
How to spend a day in Bath.
I went to Bath on a day-trip as a longer weekend trip away with my mother. Here is everything I would suggest for making your trip a great experience.
Bath is a beautiful city in Somerset in the South West of England. It is well-known as a sophisticated and aesthetic place to go, and was the main holiday destination in the Georgian era for people who either needed the healing waters found in the thermal springs that are underneath the city - as well as (anyone who’s read Persuasion will know this) for those who were a bit too strapped for cash to enjoy London.
I went during January and we ended up only paying for food. However we had been years ago and ticked off all the ‘touristy’ things so didn’t feel the need to redo them which of course helped to keep the budget down. This guide includes a few well-known as well as lots of off-the-beaten track things to see and do, no matter how long or short your trip is.
I’ve visited Bath a few times over the years but not to a point where I can say I know it, which made this trip even more enjoyable because there were little surprises around each corner.
No links in this piece are on commission
Getting To The City
Getting into the city centre is pretty simple no matter which direction you are coming in from and there are options. I came via car so took the main route in via the Bath Spa University campus which also gives you an amazing skyline view of the city. If you’re a nervous driver my advice would be to take the train as the Somerset version of a main road is a two-lane pass with one side next to a steep cliff drop. There are lots of car parks to choose from but we used Charlotte Street which is not only slap bang in the centre just off The Crescent, it’s also close to the exits for the A36.
Trains run regularly to the city from various lines, the last time I came to Bath I got the train in from Bournemouth and it was as fast and direct as the British train system can be. You can also get a National Express.
Doing In Bath
Bath is an ancient city dating back to when the Romans invaded England and brought us such delights as plumbing and sanitation. It is well known for the thermal waters that make up the ‘spa’ part of the city, it has been used for centuries by those with illnesses as a resting space and a place of healing. It’s very hilly and most of the streets are cobbled so not especially friendly for wheelchair users - however there is ramp access to the parks as well as wide lanes in the middle.
Whatever I have suggested below, my biggest suggestion would just be to follow your nose and enjoy the back streets of this city. There are wonderful surprises and gorgeous shop fronts around every corner.
The Crescent
Perhaps the most famous crescent of houses in all of the UK - this collection of private homes is free to walk around and admire with a beautiful green out the front perfect for a picnic or just enjoying the view. From here you can make your way to The Circus and down into the city or up into the Artisan Quarter.
Victoria Garden and The Botanical Gardens
I think it’s probably safe to say that Bath is a very green city. The Victoria Garden is a great one to do if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the buzz of the city and need a bit of tree time. It can be found on the road the runs parallel to The Crescent just at the bottom of the green that borders that very impressive arc of sandstone. It’s all free to go in and has a walk around the perimeter, benches in the middle that have a gorgeous view of the city skyline and - tucked away at the back - the Botanical Gardens.
These again are free to go in and feature a beautiful walkway among rockeries, a stream and orangery. Apparently you’re not supposed to feed the animals otherwise you’ll get fined so if you’re that sort of person with a bag of bird seed I’d suggest you either save it or learn to look very unsuspicious. I loved walking around the little paths and crossing the bridges, it was amazingly quiet and a perfect way to enjoy the weather. All of the paths are paved except the little nooky ones so you can go in any footwear and still enjoy it. The paths are also wide enough for wheelchair access.
The Circus
Another circle of beautiful private homes and hotels. The Circus is located just down the road from The Crescent and - while a little bit less impressive - is still a beautiful place with an incredibly view down the road to the main thoroughfare of the city.
And there’s the most beautiful circle of trees.
Parade Gardens
Looking over the Pulteney Bridge one way with it’s Weir and North Parade Bridge on the other - the Parade Gardens are another space where it is perfect for seeing the city from a different perspective and getting some green time. There was some wedding photography going on on the main steps so I didn’t manage to get a shot of them but as you can see from the pictures below it’s a beautiful space to spend an hour or so in the sun. There are also some houseboats moored up on the opposite bank which never fails to enchant me.
For anyone who’s so inclined there’s also the most adorable mini pet cemetery in the centre, I’m not usually so morbid but these stones had the sweetest messages on them.
And of course you have to walk around the bottom of the Grand Parade with its arches. The perfect place for a photoshoot or just gazing out at the bridges and opposite bank. It doesn’t cost anything to enter during the Winter.
Pulteney Bridge and Great Pulteney Street
Pulteney Bridge is one of only 4 other bridges lined with shops in the world. It was created by Robert Adam, an architect who began working on the project in 1770 after William Johnstone Pulteney who had married the heiress of the estate of Bathwick Frances Pulteney. He wanted to create a way for visitors who wished to get to Bath to easily traverse the River Avon without using the Ferry which had been in use for decades by that point. It was inspired by the Italian bridges Ponte Vecchio and Ponte di Rialto but it’s main source of light-bulb factor came from a design that was rejected for the Ponte di Rialto by Andrea Palladio.
If you’d like to learn more about the history click this link.
If you walk around from the Parade Gardens on the Great Parade you’ll reach the beginning of Pulteney Bridge. You can walk across the centre with its line of beautiful shops to drool over. If you enter via the city centre stay to the right hand side as you walk along, keeping an eye out for a staircase going down and then through the wall. Follow it - even though it only advertises a Thai restaurant rather than the amazing view - to a viewing platform that looks out to the Weir. Unfortunately this is not accessible for wheelchair users or those with mobility issues.
Out the other end of the bridge you’ll find Laura Place Fountain which leads onto Great Pulteney Street which - at the end of - you’ll find The Holbourne Museum. I would strongly suggest that you go all the way down to crossroads at the perimeter of The Holbourne Museum, even if you don’t go in. Just to look back and see the beautiful town houses of Great Pulteney Street. We actually walked all the way down on the right hand side then all the way back up on the left to take it all in properly.
Henrietta Park
Henrietta Park backs onto Great Pulteney Street. It also borders the River Avon in a more secluded area than the Parade Gardens. To find it simply walk down Great Pulteney Street to Sunderland Street and go down the walkway to the park. You’ll find locals walking their dogs or drinking their coffee and uni students chatting by the river. It’s a relaxing, much less touristy park to go to and you can also quite happily nose at the backs of the town houses on Great Pulteney Street. Something which - if you’re anywhere near as curious as I am - is too tempting to not take advantage of.
An Austen City
Now, at least one of you reading this will have watched one of the adaptations of Persuasion, (not the 2022 version, that one does NOT count and I’m trying not to vomit just remembering how badly they butchered the story or that they even had the audacity to do it at all). Or you’ll at least have heard of the book, even if you haven’t read it, (read it - please - with a glass of wine, in the bath, a bar of chocolate on the side and kleenexes within reaching distance).
Anyway. In Persuasion from about the second half, you will possibly remember that Anne goes to Bath to stay with her snob of a father who’s having to spend time there to rebalance his financial affairs. In other words, he’s stoney broke and has to ‘retrench’ to stay on this side of the respectability. So Anne goes to Bath after Lousia Musgrove’s accident in Lyme, having spent some time in Apple Cross with her hypochondriac sister Mary and crossing paths with the man she loved but was persuaded to refuse eight years before: Captain Frederick Wentworth, (sigh). Now, in the two versions of Persuasion which we will be accepting as versions that we can all agree on together as following the true intentions of the book, (the 1995 version and the 2007 version) the bits in Bath that are featured are not only intensely gorgeous but also ACTUALLY THERE. For you to play the soundtracks in your lil earphones and frolick from one sandstone column to another.
So, without further ado, (this list is as well as The Jane Austen Museum, which I was too socially anxious to enter) please make sure to visit:
The Pump Rooms
Bath Assembly Rooms (when I passed you could do a conservation course on chandeliers)
Bath Street
The Crescent
For the full Persuasion experience make sure to visit during the Jane Austen Festival.
Miscellaneous Aesthetic Streets
If you’re looking for some aesthetic streets to add to your itinerary, I got you:
Trim Street
Queen Street
Bath Street
Cut-through under The Paragon Townhouse on Paragon Street to Walcot Street
Saville Row
Margaret’s Buildings
Food In Bath
Food and coffee options throughout the city cater to a range of needs. Whether you want a quick snack, a leisurely five-course luxury meal with Insta-perfect lighting, a pub lunch or something a bit more off the beaten track there’s something for every palette.
The Courtyard
This is a completely delightful spot you have to eat in - no matter the season! Don’t worry there are heaters under that umbrella. Make sure you get a table outside and order the breakfast pancakes with Greek yoghurt and berries - they are gorgeous. The coffee is also amazing and they do a range of smoothies that make you feel you can take on those massive hills again.
It’s also sandwiched between some incredible historic buildings so there’s no lack of aesthetic snaps available.
Good for an average budget, bit too much for a small one.
Shopping In Bath
Coming to Bath I was very focused on visiting independents. As well as having a professional interest in how brands have got onto the high street, I also personally now have a huge motivation to buy into other small businesses knowing how much of a difference every sale makes. So here is my list:
Meticulous Ink (workshops available on calligraphy and letterpress)
Bath Aqua Glass Blowers (find their open workshop on Walcot Street and try a workshop)
Icarus Jewellery
Pulteney Bridge Flowers
Topping & Co