Bath is one of my absolutely favourite places to visit in England. If you’ve never been before, you are bound to fall in love. Located in the England’s county of Somerset, Bath is famous for and named after its Roman built baths. But the baths are not all it is known for, Bath is home to Jane Austen centre and even holds the secrets of the ton, Bridgerton that is! The Netflix drama films heavily in the area. See if you can spot some of the locations on your meanders through the city.
It’s also a super walkable place to visit and incredibly easy to get to by train or by coach if you’re choosing to visit as a stop a bus day trip from London.
I’ve visited at all times of the year and have yet to find a time where it isn’t the loveliest spot. With so much to do and see, it’s hard to narrow down where exactly you need to go… so luckily, I’ve done it for you!
15 amazing things to do in Bath
1. 🛁 Visit the Roman Spas at sunset
First on my list! You must add The Roman Baths to the top of your sightseeing list. It’s what the city is named after and known for after all. For those who don’t know, the Roman Baths are a thermae, which were large imperial bath complexes that were facilities for bathing. It’s quite an incredible structure and soaked (sorry for the puns!) in history. Weekday tickets for adults are £25.50, the weekend tickers are a little more! You can book this in advance on their website. I’d recommend going either first thing in the morning or at sunset. You’ll be treated to absolutely incredible views and it’s so much fun exploring.
2. 🥂 Afternoon tea at the Pump Room
Attached to the Roman Baths is a restaurant called The Pump Room, which is equally famous for its afternoon tea. Book in for a fancy afternoon with cakes and champagne. The food is truly incredible.
3. 💤 Stay at the gorgeous Hotel Indigo Bath
If you’re looking for a place to stay in the city, I highly recommend Hotel Indigo Bath. It’s super central and is the perfect spot to base yourself during your time in the city. Just a few minutes walk from the city centre, you’ll find the beautiful golden stone Georgian Terrace building. We stayed in a spacious King Premium Room but they also have their newly opened Luxury Vault rooms to choose from as well, the perfect spot for either keeping cool during the warmer months or alternatively, even snuggling up in the winter time.
PS don’t miss out on breakfast, it’s a serious feast! And the food was delicious. During our stay the staff were also wonderfully accommodating to each and every guest that came through. Don’t forget on beautiful sunny days, you can also sit outside enjoying a rosé or two at their restaurant, Elder.
4. 🍱 Eat dinner at Robun
If you’re looking for the ideal dinner spot, I have to say booking a table at Robun is an excellent decision. We tried a little bit of everything on the menu and you simply cannot go wrong. I’d love to go back to indulge more in their sushi selection. It was so good!
5. 💦 Wake up early and swim on the rooftop at Thermae Bath Spa
Come with me for a dip in the ancient Bath springs! This is the ONLY place in the country where you can experience anything like this. Bath is named and known for their Roman baths. So it’s incredible to visit the Thermal Bath Spa which incorporates the old Bath rituals in a safe, modern and hygienic way. The water contains over 42 minerals and does in fact come from the three Bath springs – the King’s Spring, the Cross Bath and the Hetling Spring. Once they reaches the surface, the spring waters are on average 45 ºC /113 ºF. This is a bit TOO hot so the waters then cool down to around 34 ºC/93 ºF which is perfect.
My favourite part is dipping in the water but you can also venture through their steam rooms, saunas, ice room and even a very celestial constellation room. Treatments are also available to book.
6. 🧺 Have a picnic out at the Royal Crescent
The Royal Crescent is a row of 30 terraced houses that were built in a crescent shape on top of a hill in the city of Bath. It’s a famous landmark that you absolutely need to visit!
7. 📖 Step back in time at the Jane Austen Centre
Visiting the Jane Austen Centre is one of the things all book lovers have to do on their visits to Bath. The guides of the centre are dressed in costumes from Austen’s time period. You’ll get to explore the house, dress up yourself if you like (I WOULD 10/10 YES) and get a feeling of what life was like when Austen was alive. You can find tickets here.
8. 🛍 Shop at the Guildhall Market
Wander through the Guildhall Market to pick up a few things. They have plenty of treats to munch on. And a really unique selection of shops, I personally love the secondhand bookstore!
9. 🍽 Lunch at The Provenist
We stumbled upon The Provenist for lunch one afternoon and truly so happy that we did. Sadly they weren’t serving from their menu at that time but we got big helpings of their homemade fresh salads and organic lemonades. So so good!
10. 🍰 Pop in for cake and tea at The Bath Bun
Or grab a table outside in the courtyard, it’s so scenic!
11. 🌮 Order tacos and Tequila at Dos Dedos
So far this might be one of my new-found BEST Mexican food spots in the United Kingdom… it’s hard to find really good ones! Get a few tacos for the table and nachos, of course. And naturally, margaritas! If they have frozen ones on offer, definitely give it a try, we loved them!
12. 🏛 Wander over to Holburne Museum – ps they filmed Bridgerton here!
It’s Lady Danbury’s home in Bridgerton and can you imagine having a home quite like this one? Well in real life, it’s actually the Holbourne Museum. It was the first public art gallery in the city. The museum also houses plenty of temporary exhibitions, musical performances, workshops and more. There’s even a bookshop and a café that opens spilling out onto the Sydney Gardens.
13. 🔔 Go into Bath Abbey & it’s free to go in
It’s absolutely worth a visit into Bath Abbey as the entrance is free (though donations are encouraged). You can also book one of their Tower Tour which is a 212 step climb to the top of Bath Abbey’s Tower, tickets are £10 per person.
14. 🌉 Visit the iconic Pulteney Bridge and go on a scenic river walk
Need I say more? Bath is such a walkable city, a walk around the city is the perfect way to see it all.
15. 💐 Drive 15 minutes out of the city to explore Iford Manor Gardens
This is a bit of a bonus activity! If you’re driving to Bath, I highly recommend visiting Iford Manor Gardens. Based on Italian gardens, this estate is a feast for your eyes. There are flowers and greenery absolutely everywhere. I can’t recommend this enough. Tickets are £7.50 per adult for entry.