Bath

Home to some of the nation's grandest Georgian architecture – not to mention one of the world's best-preserved Roman bathhouses – this chic city, founded on top of natural hot springs, has been a tourist draw for nigh on 2000 years. Bath's heyday really began during the 18th century, when local entrepreneur Ralph Allen and his team of father-and-son architects, John Wood the Elder and Younger, turned this sleepy backwater into the toast of Georgian society, and constructed fabulous landmarks such as the Circus and Royal Crescent.

Two Days in Bath

Start by touring the Roman Baths, then sip some spring water and sample afternoon tea in the Pump Room, before a stylish supper at Acorn. On day two, Bath's glorious architecture awaits: first the Royal Crescent – ducking inside No 1 – then the Circus, stopping at the Circus restaurant for lunch. Next up, shopping, then dinner at local favourite Chequers.

Four Days in Bath

On day three, clamber up Bath Abbey's tower, then discover the Jane Austen Centre. Take in a barmy comedy walk before dropping by live-music pub, the Bell Inn. After starting day four with a lazy cruise down the Avon, continue chilling out at Thermae Bath Spa; saving the roof-top swim until dusk. End with still more indulgence at Menu Gordon Jones.

Arriving in Bath

Bus National Express coaches run to London (£33, 3½ hours, eight daily). Two-hourly services also go to London Heathrow (£27, three hours).

Car Bath is 120 miles (2¼ hours) from London and 34 miles (one hour) from Stonehenge.

Train Direct services include London Paddington (£38, 1½ hours, half-hourly) and Salisbury (for Stonehenge; £18, one hour, hourly).

Where to Stay

Bath has a wide range of hotels and B&Bs, and gets extremely busy in the height of summer, when prices peak. Be aware, prices also rise by anything from £10 to £50 a room at weekends year-round. Few hotels have on-site parking, although some offer discounted rates at municipal car parks.

The King's Bath, Roman Baths | ARIADNA DE RAADT / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

TOP EXPERIENCE

Roman Baths

In typically ostentatious style, Romans built a bathhouse complex above Bath's hot springs. Set alongside a temple to a goddess with healing powers, they now form one of the best-preserved Roman-era spas in the world.

Great For…

vbA

yDon't Miss

Sampling a free glass of Bath's disconcertingly warm spring waters in the on-site restaurant.

8Need to Know

Roman Baths ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-477785; www.romanbaths.co.uk; Abbey Churchyard; adult/child £15.50/9.80; h9.30am-6pm Sep-Jun, 9am-10pm Jul & Aug)

5Take a Break

The bath's Georgian Pump Room Restaurant is an elegant spot for light bites and afternoon tea.

oTop Tip

Saver tickets covering the Roman Baths and the Fashion Museum cost £21/11 per adult/child.

You could say Bath the city originated with these Roman baths – legend has it that King Bladud, a Trojan refugee and father of King Lear, founded Bath some 2800 years ago when his pigs were cured of leprosy by a dip in the muddy swamps. The Romans established the town of Aquae Sulis in AD 44, building the extensive baths complex and a temple to the goddess Sulis-Minerva.

The Great Bath

The heart of the complex is the Great Bath, a lead-lined pool filled with steaming, geothermally heated water to a depth of 1.6m. It emerges at a toasty 46°C (115°F) from the so-called 'Sacred Spring'. Though now open-air, the bath would originally have been covered by a 45m-high, barrel-vaulted roof.

The Great Bath | VICTOR MASCHEK / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

The Pools

More bathing pools and changing rooms are situated to the east and west, with excavated sections revealing the hypocaust system that heated the bathing rooms. After luxuriating in the baths, Romans would have reinvigorated themselves with a dip in the circular cold-water pool, which now has life-size films of bathers projected on to the walls.

The King's Bath

The King's Bath was added sometime during the 12th century around the site of the original Sacred Spring. Every day, 1.5 million litres of hot water still pour into the pool. Beneath the Pump Room are the remains of the Temple of Sulis-Minerva.

The Museum

Look out for the famous gilded bronze head of Minerva and a striking carved Gorgon's Head, as well as some of the 12,000-odd Roman coins thrown into the spring as votive offerings to the goddess.

The Wider Complex

The complex of buildings around the baths were built in stages during the 18th and 19th centuries. The two John Woods designed the buildings around the Sacred Spring, while the famous Pump Room was built by their contemporaries, Thomas Baldwin and John Palmer, in neoclassical style, complete with soaring Ionic and Corinthian columns.

Tours

Admission to the Roman Baths includes an eight-language audioguide. Free hourly guided tours start at the Great Bath.

Sculpture above the Great Bath | BRUNO_IL_SEGRETARIO / GETTY IMAGES ©

TOP EXPERIENCE

Bath's Best Architecture

Most cities would count themselves blessed to have a site as special as the Roman Baths, but Bath boasts beautiful, 18th-century buildings dotted all around the compact centre.

Great For…

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The view of the other side of the famous Circus terrace from the restored Georgian Garden.

8Need to Know

Visit the Tourist Office for information about Bath's architecture.

5Take a Break

Book a lunch or dinner table at the swish Circus bistro for stylish British cuisine.

oTop Tip

Save money with a joint ticket for No 1 Royal Crescent and the Museum of Bath Architecture.

In the early 18th century Ralph Allen and the celebrated dandy Richard 'Beau' Nash made Bath the centre of fashionable society. Allen developed the quarries at nearby Coombe Down and employed the two John Woods (father and son) to create Bath's signature buildings.

During WWII, Bath was hit by the Luftwaffe during the so-called Baedeker raids, which targeted historic cities in an effort to sap British morale. It didn't work, and in 1987 Bath became the only city in Britain to be declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in its entirety.

Royal Crescent

Bath's glorious Georgian architecture doesn't get any grander than this semicircular terrace ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Royal Cres) of majestic town houses overlooking the green sweep of Royal Victoria Park. Designed by John Wood the Younger (1728–82) and built between 1767 and 1775, the houses appear perfectly symmetrical from the outside, but the owners were allowed to tweak the interiors, so no two houses are quite the same.

Royal Crescent | CHRISDORNEY / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

No 1 Royal Crescent

For a revealing glimpse into the splendour and razzle-dazzle of Georgian life, head inside the beautifully restored house at No 1 Royal Crescent ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-428126; www.no1royalcrescent.org.uk; 1 Royal Cres; adult/child/family £10/4/22; hnoon-5.30pm Mon, 10.30am-5.30pm Tue-Sun Feb–early Dec), given to the city by the shipping magnate Major Bernard Cayzer, and since restored using only 18th-century materials. Among the rooms on display are the drawing room, several bedrooms and the huge kitchen. Costumed guides add to the heritage atmosphere.

The Circus

The Circus ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; The Circus) is a Georgian masterpiece. Built to John Wood the Elder's design and completed in 1768, it's said to have been inspired by the Colosseum. Arranged over three equal terraces, the 33 mansions overlook a garden populated by plane trees. Famous residents have included Thomas Gainsborough, Clive of India, David Livingstone and the American actor Nicholas Cage.

The Georgian Garden

These tiny, walled gardens ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; off Royal Ave; h9am-5pm) feature period plants and gravel walkways. They've been carefully restored and provide an intriguing insight into what would have sat behind the Circus' grand facades.

Bath

1Sights

1Bath AbbeyD4

2Fashion MuseumC2

3Georgian GardenB3

4Jane Austen CentreC3

5Museum of Bath ArchitectureC2

6No 1 Royal CrescentB2

7Roman BathsC4

8Royal CrescentA2

9The CircusB2

2Activities, Courses & Tours

Bath Abbey Tower ToursD4

10Bizarre Bath Comedy WalkD4

11Mayor's Guide ToursC4

12Pulteney CruisersD4

13Thermae Bath SpaC4

7Shopping

14SouthGateD5

5Eating

15AcornD4

16Bertinet BakeryC3

17Café RetroD4

18ChequersB2

19CircusB2

20Pump Room RestaurantC4

6Drinking & Nightlife

21Bell InnD2

22Colonna & SmallsB4

23Star InnC2

3Entertainment

24KomediaC4

25Little Theatre CinemaC4

26Theatre RoyalC4

Transport

Bath Bike Hire

1Sights

Bath AbbeyChurch

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.bathabbey.org; Abbey Churchyard; by donation adult/student £4/2; h9.30am-5.30pm Mon, 9am-5.30pm Tue-Fri, to 6pm Sat, 1-2.30pm & 4.30-6pm Sun)

Looming above the city centre, Bath's huge abbey church was built between 1499 and 1616, making it the last great medieval church raised in England. Its most striking feature is the west facade, where angels climb up and down stone ladders, commemorating a dream of the founder, Bishop Oliver King.

Tower tours ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.bathabbey.org; adult/child £6/3; h11am-4pm Mon-Sat Nov-Mar, 10am-5pm Apr-Aug, 10am-4pm Sep & Oct) leave on the hour from Monday to Friday, and every half hour on Saturday. It's 212 steps to the top, but the view is superb.

Sculptures, Bath Abbey | VALDIS SKUDRE / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Jane Austen CentreMuseum

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-443000; www.janeausten.co.uk; 40 Gay St; adult/child £11/5.50; h9.45am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Nov-Mar)

Bath is known to many as a location in Jane Austen's novels, including Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. Although Austen lived in Bath for only five years she remained a regular visitor and a keen student of the city's social scene. Here, guides in Regency costumes regale you with Austen-esque tales amid memorabilia relating to the writer's life in Bath.

Museum of Bath ArchitectureMuseum

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-333895; www.museumofbatharchitecture.org.uk; The Vineyards, The Paragon; adult/child £5.50/2.50; h2-5pm Tue-Fri, 10.30am-5pm Sat & Sun mid-Feb–Nov)

The stories behind the building of Bath's most striking structures are explored here, using antique tools, displays on Georgian construction methods and a 1:500 scale model of the city.

Fashion MuseumMuseum

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-477789; www.fashionmuseum.co.uk; Assembly Rooms, 19 Bennett St; adult/child £9/7; h10.30am-5pm Mar-Oct, to 4pm Nov-Feb)

The collections on display in the basement of the Assembly Rooms include costumes from the 17th to late 20th centuries.

2Activities

Thermae Bath SpaSpa

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-331234; www.thermaebathspa.com; Hot Bath St; Mon-Fri £35, Sat & Sun £38; h9am-9.30pm, last entry 7pm)

Taking a dip in the Roman Baths might be off limits, but you can still sample the city's curative waters at this fantastic modern spa complex, housed in a shell of local stone and plate glass. The showpiece is the open-air rooftop pool, where you can bathe in naturally heated, mineral-rich waters with a backdrop of Bath's cityscape – a mustn't-miss experience, best enjoyed at dusk.

Afloat in Bath

Pulteney Cruisers ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-863600; www.bathboating.com; Pulteney Bridge; adult/child £9/4; hmid-Mar–Nov) runs relaxing, hour-long trips down the River Avon from the Pulteney Bridge area. Between mid-March and November there are at least five sailings a day.

Boat near the Pulteney Bridge | AMRA PASIC / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

TTours

Bizarre Bath Comedy WalkWalking

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-335124; www.bizarrebath.co.uk; adult/student £8/5; h8pm Mar-Oct)

Fabulously daft city tour mixing street theatre and live performance. Leaves nightly from outside the Huntsman Inn on North Pde Passage; there's no need to book.

Mayor's Guide ToursWalking

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-477411; www.bathguides.org.uk; h10.30am & 2pm Sun-Fri, 10.30am Sat)

Excellent historical tours provided free by the Mayor's Corp of Honorary Guides; tours cover about 2 miles and leave from within the Abbey Churchyard, outside the Pump Room. There are extra tours at 7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays May to September. Booking isn't required.

Bath City SightseeingBus

(Bath Bus Company; %01225-444102; www.bathbuscompany.com; adult/child £14.50/9; h10am-5pm, reduced services Jan-Mar)

Two hop-on/hop-off city tours on open-topped buses, with commentary in seven languages. Tickets last 24 hours, or two consecutive days.

7Shopping

Bath's main shopping centre is SouthGate ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.southgatebath.com), where you'll find all the major chain stores. Smaller shops tend to be a little north of the centre. Milsom St is good for upmarket fashion, while Walcot St is lined with quirky independent food shops, design stores and vintage-clothing retailers.

5Eating

Bertinet BakeryBakery£

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.bertinet.com/bertinetbakery; 1 New Bond St Pl; baked goods £2.50-5; h8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5.30pm Sat)

The flavourful fillings and light pastry of the pasties at baker Richard Bertinet's take-out shop could change your view of that foodstuff for good. You'll also be tempted by rich quiches, cheese-studded croissants, French-inspired cakes and irresistible pistachio swirls.

Café RetroCafe£

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-339347; www.caferetro.co.uk; 18 York St; mains £5-11; h9am-5pm Mon-Sun)

A poke in the eye for the corporate coffee chains. The paint job's scruffy, the crockery's ancient and none of the furniture matches, but that's all part of the charm: this is a cafe from the old school, and there are few places better for burgers, butties or cake. Takeaways (in biodegradable containers) are available from Retro-to-Go next door.

CircusModern British££

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-466020; www.thecircusrestaurant.co.uk; 34 Brock St; mains lunch £10-15, dinner £17-21; h10am-midnight Mon-Sat)

Chef Ali Golden has turned this bistro into one of Bath's destination addresses. Her taste is for British dishes with a continental twist, à la Elizabeth David: rabbit, Wiltshire lamb, and West Country fish are all infused with herby flavours and rich sauces. It occupies an elegant town house near the Circus. Reservations recommended.

Pump Room RestaurantCafe££

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-444477; www.romanbaths.co.uk; Stall St; snacks £6-8, dishes £8-12; h10am-5pm)

Elegance is everywhere in this tall, Georgian room, from the string trio and Corinthian columns to the oil paintings and glinting chandeliers. It sets the scene perfectly for morning coffee, classic lunches and the dainty sandwiches and cakes of their famous afternoon tea (£22 to £40, per person).

AcornVegetarian££

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-446059; www.acornvegetariankitchen.co.uk; 2 North Pde Passage; lunch mains £12, dinner 2/3 courses £27/33; hnoon-3pm & 5.30-9.30pm; v)

Proudly proclaiming 'plants taste better', Bath's premier vegetarian restaurant tempts you inside with aromas reflecting its imaginative, global-themed cuisine. The wine flights (two/three courses £12/18) matched to the set dinner menus are good value; or opt for a pear Bellini (£7) to get the liquid refreshments under way.

ChequersGastropub££

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-360017; www.thechequersbar.com; 50 Rivers St; mains £10-25; hbar noon-11pm daily, food 6-9pm daily, noon-2.30pm Sat & Sun)

A discerning crowd inhabits Chequers, a pub that's been in business since 1776, but which has a menu that's bang up-to-date thanks to head chef Tony Casey. Forget bar-food staples, here it's hake with octopus and wild rice.

Menu Gordon JonesModern British£££

( GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-480871; www.menugordonjones.co.uk; 2 Wellsway; 5-course lunch £40, 6-course dinner £55; h12.30-2pm & 7-9pm Tue-Sat)

If you enjoy dining with an element of surprise, then Gordon Jones' restaurant will be right up your culinary boulevard. Menus are dreamt up daily and showcase the chef's taste for experimental ingredients (eel, haggis and smoked milk foam) and madcap presentation (test tubes, edible cups, slate plates). It's superb value given the skill on show. Reservations essential.

6Drinking & Nightlife

Colonna & SmallsCafe

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.colonnaandsmalls.co.uk; 6 Chapel Row; h8.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun; W)

If you're keen on caffeinated beans, this is a cafe not to miss. A mission to explore coffee ensures that there are three guest espresso varieties and smiley staff happy to share their expertise. They'll even tell you that black filter coffee – yes, filter coffee – is actually the best way to judge high-grade beans.

Star InnPub

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.abbeyales.co.uk; 23 The Vineyards, off the Paragon; hnoon-2.30pm & 5.30-11pm Mon-Fri, noon-midnight Sat, to 10.30pm Sun)

Not many pubs are registered relics, but the Star is – it still has many of its 19th-century bar fittings. It's the brewery tap for Bath-based Abbey Ales; some ales are served in traditional jugs, and you can even ask for a pinch of snuff in the 'smaller bar'.

Bell InnPub

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.thebellinnbath.co.uk; 103 Walcot St; h11.30am-11pm Mon-Sat, noon-10.30pm Sun)

To join Bath's bohemian muso crowd, head to this welcoming, laid-back locals' favourite. You'll find a real fire, swathes of draped hops and a bar billiards table (£1 a go). Plus live music (Monday and Wednesday at 9pm, Sunday at 1pm) that ranges from acoustic, country and folk to echoes of the blues.

3Entertainment

KomediaComedy

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0845 293 8480; www.komedia.co.uk; 22-23 Westgate St)

Renowned comedy venue featuring touring shows and the sell-out Krater Saturday Comedy Club. Also live music and films.

Theatre RoyalTheatre

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-448844; www.theatreroyal.org.uk; Sawclose)

Bath's historic theatre dates back 200 years. Major touring productions go in the main auditorium and smaller shows appear in the Ustinov Studio.

Little Theatre CinemaCinema

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.picturehouses.com; St Michael's Pl)

Bath's excellent art-house cinema screens fringe films and foreign-language flicks.

8Information

Bath Tourist Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0844 847 5256; www.visitbath.co.uk; Abbey Chambers, Abbey Churchyard; h9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun) Note that calls to the information line are charged at the premium rate of 50p per minute.

8Getting Around

Bicycle Head to Bath Bike Hire ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %01225-447276; www.bath-narrowboats.co.uk; Sydney Wharf; per day £15; h9am-5pm, shorter hours in winter), a ten-minute walk from the centre.

Bus Bus U18 runs from the bus station up to the High St (near the Roman Baths; £1.20) every 20 minutes.

Car Bath has serious traffic problems, especially at rush hour. Park & Ride services (%0871-2002233; return Mon-Fri £3.30, Sat & Sun £2.60; h6.15am-8.30pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-6pm Sun) are in operation. There's a good, central car park underneath the SouthGate shopping centre (two/eight hours £3.50/14, after 6pm £2 to £5).