SIMPLE LUNCH AND BREAKFAST OPTIONS
The best city to visit within easy striking distance of London is Bath—just a 1.5-hour train ride away. If ever a city enjoyed looking in the mirror, Bath’s the one. Bath’s narcissism is justified. It has more “government-listed” or protected historic buildings per capita than any other town in England. Built of the creamy warm-tone limestone called “Bath stone,” it beams in its cover-girl complexion. Two hundred years ago, this city of 90,000 was the trendsetting Tinseltown of Britain. An architectural chorus line, it’s a triumph of the Neoclassical style of the Georgian era—named for the four Georges who sat as England’s kings from 1714 to 1830. Proud locals remind visitors that the town is routinely banned from the “Britain in Bloom” urban-beautification contest to give other towns a chance to win. Even with its mobs of tourists (2 million per year) and greedy prices, Bath is a joy to visit.
These days, a growing number of Bath-based professionals catch the 7:13 express train to London on their daily commute. And Bath’s soothing hot springs are still around, attracting visitors as they have for thousands of years.
Bath deserves two nights even on a quick trip. On a three-week England getaway, spend three nights in Bath, with one day for the city and one or two days for side trips to Bristol, Wells, Glastonbury, or your pick of stone circles. Ideally, use Bath as your jet-lag recovery pillow (easy access from Heathrow Airport), and do London at the end of your trip.
Consider starting your English vacation this way:
Day 1: Land at Heathrow. Connect to Bath either by train via London Paddington, direct bus, or bus/train combination via Reading (for details, see here). You can also consider flying into Bristol, which has easy bus connections with Bath. While you don’t need or want a car in Bath, those who land early and pick up their cars at the airport can visit Windsor Castle (near Heathrow) on their way to Bath. If you have the evening free in Bath, take a walking tour.
Day 2: 9:00—Tour the Roman Baths; 10:30—Catch the free city walking tour; 12:30—Picnic on the open deck of a tour bus; 14:00—Visit the abbey, then free time in the shopping center of old Bath; 15:30—Tour the No. 1 Royal Crescent Georgian house and Fashion Museum or Museum of Bath at Work. At night, consider seeing a play, take the evening walking tour (unless you did it last night), enjoy the Bizarre Bath comedy walk, or go for an evening soak in the Thermae Bath Spa.
Day 3 (and Possibly 4): Bath is a practical home base for visits to nearby sights. The port city of Bristol is just 15 minutes away by train and easily worth a day’s sightseeing (see the end of this chapter). By car or bus, explore the mystical town of Glastonbury, the cathedral city of Wells, or the stone circles of Stonehenge and Avebury (see the next two chapters). Without a car or to go farther afield, consider a one-day Avebury/Stonehenge/cute towns minibus tour from Bath (Mad Max tours are best; see “Tours in and near Bath,” later.
Think of Bath as three sightseeing neighborhoods. In the center of town is the main cluster of sights: the Roman Baths, Pump Room, and Bath Abbey. A few blocks northeast is another group of sights around Pulteney Bridge. And, a 10-minute walk to the northwest, are the Georgian-era sights: the Circus, Royal Crescent, Assembly Rooms, and several museums. Bath is hilly. In general, you’ll gain elevation as you head north.
The TI is next to The Huntsman Inn pub and a block south of the abbey (Mon-Sat 9:30-17:30, Sun 10:00-16:00, Bridgwater House, 2 Terrace Walk, tel. 01225/614-420, www.visitbath.co.uk). It houses the Bath Box Office, where you can check for events going on all around town (see listing below, under “Helpful Hints”).
The Bath Spa train station has a staffed ticket desk and ticket machines. The bus station is immediately west of the train station, along Dorchester Street. Drivers can park at the Southgate shopping center near the train station. A handy luggage-check service is a half-block away (see “Helpful Hints,” next).
The best route into the town center is the 10-minute walk up Southgate Street. Exiting the train station, turn left on Dorchester, then right onto pedestrian-only Southgate, Bath’s main modern shopping street. Continue uphill as Southgate changes names to Stall Street, glance right at a photogenic arch, then keep going another block to a row of columns on the right. Stepping through the columns, you enter Abbey Churchyard—Bath’s historic center—with Bath Abbey, the Roman Baths, and the Pump Room.
Getting to Bath and Stonehenge by Tour: Several companies offer guided bus tours from London to Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Bath; you can abandon the tour in Bath, essentially using the tour as one-way transport; see here.
Festivals: In late May, the 10-day Bath Festival celebrates art, music, and literature (bathfestivals.org.uk/the-bath-festival/), overlapped by the eclectic Bath Fringe Festival (theater, walks, talks, bus trips; www.bathfringe.co.uk). The Jane Austen Festival unfolds genteelly in late September (www.janeausten.co.uk/festival). And for three weeks in December, the squares around the abbey are filled with a Christmas market.
The Bath Box Office sells tickets for festivals and most events (except those at the Theatre Royal), and can tell you exactly what’s on tonight (inside the TI, tel. 01225/463-362, www.bathfestivals.org.uk). The city’s weekly paper, the Bath Chronicle, publishes a “What’s On” events listing each Thursday (www.thisisbath.com).
Bookstore: Topping & Company, an inviting bookshop, has frequent author readings, free coffee and tea, a good selection of maps, and tables filled with tidy stacks, including lots of books on the Bath region (daily 8:30-19:30, near the bottom of the street called “The Paragon”—where it meets George Street, tel. 01225/428-111, www.toppingbooks.co.uk).
Baggage Storage: @Internet & Luggage is a half-block in front of the train station (£2.50/bag per day, daily 8:00-22:00, 13 Manvers Street, tel. 01225/312-685).
Laundry: The Spruce Goose Launderette is between the Circus and the Royal Crescent, near several recommended restaurants on the pedestrian lane called Margaret’s Buildings (bring coins, self-service, daily 8:00-20:00, last load at 19:00). Speedy Wash picks up your laundry anywhere in town on weekdays before 9:30 for same-day service (no pickup Sat, closed Sun, most hotels work with them, tel. 01225/427-616).
Bike Rental: You can rent a pricey bike or e-bike at Green Park Bike Station (£30/24 hours, includes lock and map, helmet extra; daily 10:00-16:00, Sept-April Tue-Sat only; must book in advance and leave cash security deposit and photo ID, at Green Park Station—enter through Sainsbury’s on Lower Bristol Road, tel. 01225/920-148, www.greenparkbikestation.info).
Car Rental: Ideally, take the train or bus from downtown London to Bath, and rent a car as you leave Bath. Most offices close Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday, which complicates weekend pickups.
Enterprise provides a pickup service for customers to and from their hotels (extra fee for one-way rentals, at Lower Bristol Road outside Bath, tel. 01225/443-311, www.enterprise.com). Others include Thrifty (pickup service and one-way rentals available, in the Burnett Business Park in Keynsham—between Bath and Bristol, tel. 01179/867-997, www.thrifty.co.uk), Hertz (one-way rentals possible, at Windsor Bridge, tel. 0843-309-3004, www.hertz.co.uk), and National/Europcar (one-way rentals available, about £15 by taxi from the train station, at Brassmill Lane—go west on Upper Bristol Road, tel. 0871-384-9985, www.europcar.co.uk). Skip Avis—it’s a mile from the Bristol train station; you’d need to rent a car to get there.
Parking: As Bath becomes increasingly pedestrian-friendly, city-center street parking is disappearing. For a stress-free, time- and money-saving option, park for free at one of the big Park & Ride lots just outside of Bath at Newbridge, Lansdown, or Odd Down, and ride a shuttle bus 10 minutes into town (look for the P&R signs as you approach; shuttles run daily every 15 minutes, £3.40 round-trip, £6/group round-trip; tel. 0345-602-0121, www.firstgroup.com/bath-park-and-ride).
If you drive into town, be aware that short-term lots fill up fast (£2/hour, 2- to 4-hour maximum). You’ll find more spots in long-stay lots for about the same cost. The Southgate shopping center lot on the corner of Southgate and Dorchester streets is a five-minute walk from the abbey (£5/up to 3 hours, £14/24 hours, open 24/7); the Charlotte Street car park is the biggest and most convenient. For more info on parking (including Park & Ride service), see the “Maps and Guides” section of http://visitbath.co.uk.
Free two-hour tours are led by the Mayor of Bath’s Honorary Guides, volunteers who share their love of Bath with its many visitors (as the city’s mayor first did when he took a group on a guided walk back in the 1930s). These chatty, historical, and gossip-filled walks give you the lay of the land while you learn about the evolution of the city, its architecture, and its amazing Georgian social scene. How else would you learn that the old “chair ho” call for your sedan chair evolved into today’s “cheerio” farewell? Tours leave from outside the Pump Room in the Abbey Churchyard (free, no tips, year-round Sun-Fri at 10:30 and 14:00, Sat at 10:30 only; additional evening walks May-Aug Tue and Thu at 18:00; www.bathguides.org.uk). Tip for theatergoers: When your guide stops to talk outside the Theatre Royal, skip out for a moment, pop into the box office, and see about snaring a great deal on a play for tonight.
The Honorary Guides also lead a free two-hour Pulteney Estate walk, including Great Pulteney Street and Sydney Gardens (May-Sept Tue and Thu at 11:00, departs from the Pump Room, no reservations necessary—just show up). It takes a look at the grand-if-unfinished 19th-century development of the city beyond Pulteney Bridge.
For a private tour, call the local guides’ bureau, Bath Parade Guides (£100/2 hours, tel. 01225/337-111, www.bathparadeguides.co.uk, bathparadeguides@yahoo.com). Mike James is a good Blue Badge Bath guide (£150/half-day, £270/day, mike@mikejames.org). Mike also does food tours (see later) and Banksy street art walks in Bristol.
City Sightseeing’s hop-on, hop-off bus tours zip through Bath. Jump on a bus at one of 17 signposted pickup points, pay the driver, climb upstairs, and hear recorded commentary about Bath. City Sightseeing has two 45-minute routes: the City Tour of Bath’s center and the Skyline Tour outside town. On a sunny day, this is a multitasking tourist’s dream come true: You can munch a sandwich, work on a tan, snap great photos, and learn a lot—all at once. Try to get one with a live guide (select tours only—confirm with driver); otherwise, bring your own earbuds if you’ve got ’em (the audio recording is sometimes hard to hear with the provided headsets). Save money by doing the bus tour first—your ticket gets you minor discounts at many sights (£16.50, ticket valid for 24 hours and both tour routes; City Tour generally 4/hour daily in summer 9:30-17:30, in winter 10:00-17:00, no buses Dec-Feb; Skyline Tour runs less frequently but year-round; tel. 01225/330-444, www.bathbuscompany.com).
Local taxis, driven by good talkers, go where big buses can’t. A group of up to four can rent a cab for an hour (about £40; try to negotiate) and enjoy a fine, informative, and—with the right cabbie—entertaining private joyride. It’s probably cheaper to let the meter run than to pay for an hourly rate but ask the cabbie for advice.
Savouring Bath Food Tour is worth considering for a three-hour movable feast with eight tasty stops (£55, most weekdays and Sat at 9:45 and 14:00, no Sun tours, book online, RS%—10 percent discount with code “ricksteves,” www.savouringbath.com, tel. 01225/425-843, Mike James).
Bath is a good launchpad for visiting nearby Glastonbury, Wells, Avebury, Stonehenge, and more.
Operating daily from Bath, Maddy offers thoughtfully organized, informative tours run with entertaining guides and limited to 16 people per group. Book as far ahead as possible in summer. The Stonehenge, Avebury, and Villages full-day tour covers 110 miles and visits Stonehenge, the Avebury Stone Circles, photogenic Lacock (LAY-cock), and the southernmost Cotswold village, Castle Combe (£42 plus £20 Stonehenge entry, tours depart daily at 8:30 and return at 17:30). Check their website for other tours: Stonehenge’s inner circle, Cotswold villages (£38/half-day, £45/full day, daily at 8:30), and Wells, Glastonbury, and Cheddar Gorge (£45, Tue and Sat at 9:00).
All tours depart from downtown Bath near the abbey (outside the Abbey Hotel on 1 North Parade, arrive 15 minutes early, book at least 48 hours in advance; RS%—£10 rebate with online purchase of two separate tour itineraries, request when booking second tour, discount refunded to credit card; mobile 07990-505-970, phone answered daily 8:00-18:00, www.madmaxtours.co.uk, maddy@madmaxtours.co.uk).
This well-run outfit runs full-day tours of Cotswold villages and “King Arthur’s Realm” (£45 each), and gets you to Stonehenge with half- or full-day tours (Stonehenge and Lacock tour-£49; Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Cotswold villages-£61; Stonehenge inner circle access-£130; these prices include Stonehenge admission; RS%—£10/adult discount when you book any two full-day tours online, £5 discount for half-day tours—email after booking first tour for code; mobile 07769-668-668, www.liontours.co.uk, see website for details). If you ask in advance, you can bring your luggage along and use this tour to get to the Cotswolds (£5/person, minimum two people).
Scarper Tours runs four-hour narrated minibus tours to Stonehenge, giving you two hours at the site. This is basically a shuttle bus service from Bath with tickets (£25 transportation only, £40 including Stonehenge entry fee and reservation, departs from outside the Abbey Hotel on Terrace Walk, daily mid-March-Oct at 9:30 and 14:00, Nov-mid-March at 13:00, www.scarpertours.com, sally@scarpertours.com).
Celtic Horizons is a car service offering tours from Bath to destinations such as Stonehenge, Avebury, and Wells. They also provide a convenient transfer service (to or from London; Heathrow, Bristol, and other airports; the Cotswolds, and so on), with or without a tour itinerary en route. Allow about £35/hour for a group (comfortable minivans seat up to 8 people) and £150 for Heathrow-Bath transfers (1-3 people). Make arrangements and get pricing by email at info@celtichorizons.com (tel. 01373/800-500, US tel. 855-407-3200, www.celtichorizons.com).
▲▲▲Roman Baths
ALONG THE RIVER AND PULTENEY ESTATES
George Bayntun Bindery and Bookshop
Ground zero for sightseeing is Abbey Churchyard, a vibrant square surrounded by the Roman Baths, Pump Room, and Bath Abbey. The Parade Gardens, Guildhall Market, Victoria Art Gallery, Pulteney Bridge, and River Avon are beyond the left corner of the abbey, a couple of minutes’ walk away. Behind you, a block down Bath Street, is the Thermae Bath Spa.
Here in Abbey Churchyard, you can see the layers of Bath’s history in a glance. The Roman Baths put the city on Europe’s radar 2,000 years ago. The abbey made it an important medieval destination. The elegant Pump Room captures the city in its 18th-century heyday. And today’s lively street performers show the city hasn’t let up since.
The churchyard is also a showcase for Bath’s distinctive Georgian architecture. The Pump Room’s facade has a faux Greek-temple entrance: four tall columns support a triangular pediment with an inscription in Greek letters (“The greatest blessing is water”). Below that, the doorway is topped with a characteristic Georgian semicircular fanlight window. Five round windows and a fetching balustrade across the roofline complete the Neoclassical look.
Even the humble building opposite the Pump Room has some Georgian (if less fancy) elements. There’s a triangular pediment on top. Doorways are topped with semicircles. The windows are symmetrically arranged, with some windows topped with cornices. The stonework is lightly adorned with classical garlands, and the sloped roof has dormer windows. You’ll find Georgian features like these all over town.
For thousands of years, humans have marveled at the hot water that bubbles out of the earth on this spot. In ancient Roman times, high society enjoyed soaking in the mineral springs, and they built a large bathhouse around it. From Londinium, Romans traveled so often to Aquae Sulis, as the city was called, to “take a bath” that finally it became known simply as Bath. Today, a fine museum surrounds the ancient bathhouse. With the help of a great audioguide, you’ll wander past Roman artifacts, a temple pediment with an evocative bearded face, a bronze head of the goddess Sulis Minerva, excavated ancient foundations, and the actual mouth of the health-giving spring. At the end, you’ll have a chance to walk around the big, steaming pool itself, where Romans once lounged, splished, splashed, and thanked the gods for the gift of therapeutic hot water.
Cost and Hours: £22, £20 off-peak days—see website, includes audioguide; daily 9:00-18:00, July-Aug until 22:00, Nov-Feb 9:30-18:00, last entry one hour before closing; tel. 01225/477-784, www.romanbaths.co.uk.
Combo-Ticket: If you plan to see both the Roman Baths and the Fashion Museum, you can save a little with the £25 Museums Saver combo-ticket, which also covers the temporary exhibit at the Victoria Art Gallery. If you buy the combo-ticket online, you’ll save more—it’s £22.50—and avoid ticket lines at both sights. Family Saver tickets are also available.
Crowd-Beating Tips: Long ticket lines are typical in the summer. You can use the “fast track” lane by buying a ticket online in advance, or by purchasing a combo-ticket at the Fashion Museum or Victoria Art Gallery. On any day, try to visit early or late; peak time is between 13:00 and 15:00. If you’re here in July or August, after 19:00 the baths are romantic, gas-lit, and all yours.
Tours: Take advantage of the excellent, included audioguide. In addition to the basic commentary, look for posted numbers to key into your audioguide for specialty topics—including a kid-friendly tour and musings from American expat writer Bill Bryson. For those with a big appetite for Roman history, in-depth 30-minute guided tours leave from the end of the museum at the edge of the actual bath (included with ticket, on the hour, a poolside clock shows the next departure time). You can revisit the museum after the tour.
Self-Guided Tour: This brief tour follows the baths’ one-way route; for more in-depth commentary, make ample use of the audioguide.
• Begin by walking around the upper terrace, overlooking the swimming-pool-like Great Bath.
Terrace: Lined with statues of VIRs (Very Important Romans), the terrace evokes ancient times but was built in the 1890s. The terrace sits atop the remarkably well-preserved lower story, which was actually built by the Romans: The bases of the columns, the pavement, and the lead-lined pool are all original from the first century AD. Those ancient ruins had sat undisturbed for centuries before finally being excavated in the 1870s and turned into this museum. The terrace statues help put a face on the baths’ history: Julius Caesar first set foot in Britain (55 BC). Claudius conquered the Celts in Bath (AD 43) and enclosed the first bathing pool with oak pilings. Hadrian (c. 120) enlarged the complex around it, and Constantine (c. 325) ruled when the baths were at their peak of grandeur. Enjoy the great view from the west end, looking back toward the abbey.
At the end of the terrace, before going downstairs, peer down into the spring (on the left through the window), where little air bubbles remind you that each day 240,000 gallons of water emerge from the earth—magically, it must have seemed to Romans—at a constant 115°F. It comes from rainwater that falls on the nearby hills, filters down through layers of limestone two miles deep, where it’s heated by the earth’s core, then rises back up through cracks to the surface. The water you see now first fell as rain about 10,000 years ago...making the Romans seem relatively recent.
• Now you’ll head downstairs to the...
Museum: Start with its helpful models. The first model (of plexiglass) shows the humble baths that stood here around AD 70. It’s just two buildings, with the spring in between, but it makes clear the complex’s dual purpose: The bathhouse was for soaking in the healing waters, and the temple was for worshipping the goddess Sulis Minerva who gave mankind such a wondrous thermal spring.
The next model shows the baths at their peak, around AD 325. Get your bearings, because we’ll soon be walking through the actual remains of this vast complex. The tallest building (with a barrel-arch roof) is the Great Bath you see today, with its big swimming pool. The smaller arched roofs alongside were other bathhouse buildings—dressing rooms, saunas, cold plunges, and so on. The red-tile-roofed section was the temple. You can make out the big rectangular temple courtyard enclosing the small temple. Also in the temple courtyard is a small altar where sacrifices were offered. Get a close look at the temple’s colorful pediment (the triangular gable atop its four columns). Now, let’s see that actual pediment, displayed nearby.
The fragments of the temple pediment—carved by indigenous Celtic craftsmen but with Roman themes—represent a remarkable cultural synthesis. Sit and watch for a while as a slide projection fills in historians’ best guesses as to what once occupied the missing bits. The identity of the circular face in the middle puzzles researchers. (God? Santa Claus?) It could be the head of Medusa, the Gorgon monster, after it was slain by Perseus—are those snakes peeking through its hair and beard? And yet, the Gorgon was traditionally depicted as female. Perhaps instead it’s Neptune, the god of the sea—appropriate for this aquatic site.
The next exhibits examine every day Roman life—living, dying, and worshipping here in Aquae Sulis. You’ll see vases, coins, and a stone head of a big-haired woman with her trendy first-century ’fro. The Beau Street Hoard—more than 17,500 Roman coins dating from 32 BC to AD 274 that were found near the Baths—emphasizes just how well-visited this area was.
Next up are a couple of rooms dedicated to Roman worship. You’ll see some of the small but extremely heavy stone altars that pilgrims hauled here as an offering to the goddess. Nearby, take time to read some of the “curse tablets.” These were small pewter pages that visitors would write a message on, roll up, and throw into the sacred spring, asking the goddess to grant their request. Many are comically spiteful and petty: “Curse whoever stole my clothes while I was bathing.”
• Next you’ll walk through the ruins of the...
Temple Courtyard: Imagine being a Roman arriving here to worship at the temple, which would have stood at the far end of the room. (That’s made easy by the monitors, which recreate the scene from where you’re standing.) You’d pause to sacrifice an animal atop the great altar (on the right); note the nicely carved statue of Hercules adorning the altar’s left corner. Then you’d continue on to the temple itself, where you’d come face-to-face with a gilded-bronze statue of the goddess Sulis Minerva (the surviving head is on display). The statue once wore a helmet (see the tiny holes for the rivets) and stood before a flaming cauldron. The goddess was a powerful multicultural hybrid of the Celtic goddess Sulis (who presided over the Aquae Sulis, or “waters of Sulis” in prehistoric times) and Minerva (a Roman life-giving mother-goddess), with hints of the Greek warrior-goddess Athena. Downstairs, enjoy a close-up look at the spring overflow, part of the original drain system built two millennia ago that still carries excess water to the River Avon.
• Now head down a hall (with more exhibits), until you emerge outside in the...
Great Bath: Take a slow lap (by foot) around the perimeter, imagining the frolicking Romans who once immersed themselves in this five-foot-deep pool. (These days, the water has turned greenish because of algae—don’t touch it.) Originally, this pool was housed in a spacious hall with a three-story-tall arched ceiling, and sunlight filtered in through vast windows.
Romans had bathhouses in all major cities and went to the baths almost daily. Besides a way to keep clean, baths were also fitness clubs for working out. Because the bathhouse was so large, it became the town’s buzzing social center—a warm place to hang out on a rainy day. This bath had the added feature of a natural thermal spring, which had sulfurous content that purportedly leeched out impurities, cured arthritis, and restored vigor. Role-playing actors are generally lounging around happy to talk (in Latin or English).
• Now explore more of the...
Bath Complex: The East Baths is a series of rooms showing how Romans typically bathed (with naked bodies artfully and modestly projected). You’d undress in the first room, warm up in the next room, get a massage in another, then start the cool-down process in another room. The large central hall was a sauna, heated by the Romans’ famed hypocaust system: Stubby brick columns (which you can see) supported the floor, allowing the space in between to be filled with hot air to heat the room above.
Nearby is a giant red brick chunk of roof span, from when this was a cavernous covered swimming hall. At the corner, you’ll see a length of original lead pipe (on the right, remarkably preserved since ancient times) and step over a small canal where hot water still trickles into the main pool. The water emerges from the spring at 115°F—about 10 degrees too hot for most people—but it quickly cools to a perfect hot-tub temperature. In modern times, Britons bathed in this swimming pool up until the 1970s, then opened the Thermae Spa a block away—fed by the same spring.
When you’re ready to cool down, follow the route away from the big pool and into the West Baths with its big round frigidarium, or “cold plunge” pool sparkling with coins. Across the hall (up a few steps) you have a close-up look at the source of this entire complex—the sacred spring.
• After returning your audioguide, pop over to the fountain for a free taste of the spa water, which purportedly has health benefits (see minerals listed on the wall). Then pass the WC, head up the stairs, go through the gift shop, and exit via (or stop for tea in) the Pump Room (described next).
The Pump Room, an elegant Georgian hall just above the Roman Baths, offers visitors their best chance to raise a pinky in Neoclassical grandeur. Above the clock, a statue of Beau Nash—who promoted Bath as an aristocratic playground in the 1700s—sniffles down at you. Come for tea or a light meal (see hours in listing on here), or to try a famous (but forgettable) “Bath bun” with your spa water (the same water that’s in the fountain at the end of the baths tour; also free in the Pump Room if you present your ticket). The spa water is served by an appropriately attired waiter, who will tell you the water is pumped up from nearly 100 yards deep and marinated in 43 wonderful minerals. Or for just the price of a coffee, drop in anytime—except during lunch—to enjoy live music (string trio or piano; times vary) and the atmosphere. Even if you don’t eat here, you’re welcome to enter the foyer for a view of the baths and dining room.
The town of Bath wasn’t much in the Middle Ages, but an important church has stood on this spot since Anglo-Saxon times. King Edgar I was crowned here in 973, when the church was much bigger (before the bishop packed up and moved to Wells). Dominating the town center, today’s abbey—the last great church built in medieval England—is 500 years old and a fine example of the Late Perpendicular Gothic style, with breezy fan vaulting and enough stained glass to earn it the nickname “Lantern of the West.”
Cost and Hours: £4 suggested donation, Mon-Sat 9:30-17:30, Sun 13:00-14:30 & 16:30-17:30, handy flier narrates a self-guided tour, ask about events—including concerts, services, and evensong, schedule also posted on the door and online, tel. 01225/422-462, www.bathabbey.org.
Evensong: Choral evensong generally takes place twice a week (Thu at 17:30 and Sun at 15:30, 45 minutes); spoken evening prayers on other days are also a beautiful 20 minutes of worship (17:30).
Tower Climb: If you’ve always wanted to witness the clanging of a huge church bell for all the town to hear, this is your chance—it’s oddly satisfying. You can reach the top of the tower only with a worthwhile 50-minute guided tour. You’ll hike up 212 steps for views across the rooftops of Bath and a peek down into the Roman Baths. In the rafters, you walk right up behind the clock face on the north transept, and get an inside-out look at the fan vaulting. Along the way, you’ll hear a brief town history as you learn all about the tower’s bells (£8, generally at the top of each hour when abbey is open, more often during busy times; Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, no tours Sun, tour times usually posted outside abbey entrance, buy tickets in abbey gift shop).
Visiting the Abbey: This impressive church encapsulates Bath’s long history in stone. It stands near the mineral springs where, even in pagan times, people came to worship. When Christianity arrived, a monastery was built here (8th century), then a larger church (11th century). The present church was begun in 1499.
The statues on the heavily ornamented facade relate the legend of how the present structure came about. It’s 1499, and the energetic Bishop Oliver King was now in in charge. He’s referenced by the statue at the far left, showing an olive tree (for “Oliver”) with a crown in the middle (for “King”). The bishop had a dream of angels coming down from heaven—depicted in the sculpted ladders flanking the central tower (which shows angels climbing up and coming down head-first). Bishop King decided the dream meant he should tear down the old church of St. Peter (represented by the statue of Peter to the left of the central door) and build a completely new church that would unite heaven and earth.
No sooner was the church finished than it was stripped of its furnishings by King Henry VIII (1539), who dissolved the monastery and sold off its valuable lead roof and glass windows. (At the same time, the statue of Peter lost its head to mean-spirited iconoclasts; it was re-carved out of Peter’s once supersized beard.)
For the next phase of the abbey’s story, step inside and admire the nave. Queen Elizabeth I began repairing the abbey her father had plundered. In 1608, Bishop James Montague (see his large tomb on the left side of the nave) took over. One rainy day, he saw water dripping down inside the church, and vowed to finish the ceiling. Thanks to Montague we have one of the abbey’s most splendid features—the fan vaulting. Montague’s coat of arms, with three diamonds and eagles, are symbols found throughout the church. Next to the tomb, the stained-glass window depicts coats of arms of other donors who financed the church’s windows. On the wall beneath the window are several gravestones honoring Bath’s notable citizens, including Sir Isaac Pitman, who invented stenographer’s shorthand. This is just one of more than 600 memorials to the deceased found in the church (on the walls or under your feet)—all part of the long history of Bath.
Cross to the opposite side of the nave toward the right transept. Just before entering the transept, find a gravestone on the wall for “Ricardi Nash”—better known as Beau Nash, Bath’s 18th-century master of festivities. In the right transept is the 15-foot-tall stone Waller Memorial. It depicts the renowned English Civil War general Sir William Waller relaxing after liberating Bath from royalists. But the focus here is on his wife Jane, who died young. Now they gaze into each other’s eyes for all eternity.
Before leaving the church, stand once again in the nave and appreciate the intricacy of the fan vaulting and brilliance of the windows. The glass, red-iron lamps and the heating grates on the floor are all remnants of the 19th century. (In a sustainable, 21st-century touch, the heat now comes from the baths’ hot runoff water.) Note that a WWII bomb blast destroyed the medieval glass; what you see today is from the 1950s.
At the far end of the church (above the altar), the large window shows 52 scenes from Christ’s life—good for weekly sermons for a year. The window to the left of the altar shows King Edgar being crowned. Edgar (in red) sits on a throne clutching the orb and scepter while the Archbishop of Canterbury (in purple) places the crown on his head. Edgar was one of the first monarchs of what we now call England. His coronation in AD 973 established the protocols used by all future English monarchs up to the present—and it all started here in Bath.
These pleasant, low-key sights are located along the River Avon behind Bath Abbey. Taken together, they create an enjoyable scene of shops, cafés, galleries, and people-watching.
Opposite the abbey, the Parade Gardens is a riverside park with manicured lawns, knockout flowerbeds, a café, and good views of the Pulteney Bridge. In season there’s a small fee to enter the park, which was designed by prolific 18th-century architect John Wood the Elder (you’ll read more about works in Bath by John and his son—also John, also an architect—later). While the park is below today’s street level, it is at the ancient Roman street level. A great way to enjoy a sunny day is to pack a picnic lunch and pay to enter the gardens (£2, fee includes deck chairs, daily 10:00-18:00, Oct-April free and open 24 hours, ask about summer concerts some Sun at 15:00, entrance a block south of Pulteney Bridge).
The little old-school shopping mall just north of the Parade Gardens is a frumpy time warp in this affluent town. In the 12th century the king gave Bath the right to have a market and that market moved from the abbey to here in the 18th century. Stand under the central dome and feel the surviving character. The historic negotiating table (or “nail”) dates from 1768.
The Humbug shop sells traditional candy by the weight. Stephane has been the cheesemonger here since 1975. The leather goods shop offers Bath belts made to order. The yarn shop thrills some. The modern café is trendy, but the deli is not—it hawks traditional meat pies and fresh cakes (including Bath buns). The old-fashioned barber offers old-fashioned shaves. And the Market Café has customers who’ve enjoyed it since the 1950s (opens at 9:00 for breakfast).
This small gallery, between the Guildhall Market and Pulteney Bridge, was opened in 1897 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s reign. Today it’s a delightful space with two parts: The ground floor houses temporary exhibits, while the upstairs is filled with paintings from the late 15th century to the present, along with a small collection of decorative arts, including 187 porcelain and pottery dog figures.
Cost and Hours: Free, £2 suggested donation, temporary exhibits-£5, covered by combo-ticket with Roman Baths and Fashion Museum, daily 10:30-17:00, tel. 01225/477-233, www.victoriagal.org.uk.
Visiting the Gallery: The permanent painting collection, filling one grand room, presents an intimate world of portraiture and Bath-scapes. On the back wall, find Thomas Gainsborough’s portrait of Thomas Rumbold and Son. During the 18th century, members of high society flocked to Bath and employed Gainsborough to paint their portraits as a souvenir. “Pick-pocketing by portraiture” he called it, as social climbers paid plenty to be featured on canvas. Thanks to this fad, Gainsborough found steady employment in Bath.
Nearby you can find cityscapes (18th century and now). Bath from the East offers a look at preindustrial Bath. Riffle through the white chests of drawers on the right to find even more scenes of Bath over the years.
As you exit the museum, a clever donation box on the staircase invites you to watch an artist at work; it’s worth a small coin to see him in action.
Bath is inclined to compare its shop-lined Pulteney Bridge with Florence’s Ponte Vecchio. That’s pushing it. The bridge was commissioned by Frances Pulteney (more about her later) and designed in 1770 by Scottish architect Robert Adam in the same Georgian, or “Palladian,” style that John Wood the Younger was applying to the row of townhouses known as Bath’s Royal Crescent.
The best view of the bridge is from its downstream side. The most Palladian feature is the center of the bridge with the outline of a Greek temple seemingly stamped into the stone. The temple’s pediment is “broken”—that is, the triangle’s base is purposely left incomplete. The bridge has grid windows, a few round medallions, and a central window that’s bigger than the others, with an arched top. The view from the upstream side lets you see a few shops jutting out (cantilevered) from the bridge.
It’s enjoyable to watch the meandering River Avon and listen as it cascades down the three-stairstep weir that controls the flow. By the way, “Avon” is the Celtic name for “river.” When the Romans arrived and asked what’s the name of this river, the Celts answered “Avon” (or “river”). So, the Romans named it “River River”. That’s why there are eight rivers in England named “Avon.”
Across the bridge at Pulteney Weir, tour boat companies run cruises—see “Activities in Bath,” later.
Pulteney Estates, the section of Bath stretching from Pulteney Bridge across the river, was open farmland owned by the Earl of Bath until the 18th century. Inherited by Frances Pulteney (cousin to the earl) in 1762, she started a project to develop this land as a grand neighborhood in 1788. But with the French Revolution in 1789, England fell into an economic recession and construction ground to a halt. All that she built was the Pulteney Bridge (a classy way to bridge the old town with this new zone over the river) and Great Pulteney Street—intended to be the central axis of this new Georgian Bath.
Looking at Great Pulteney Street and a Bath map, you can imagine what was planned. (The real estate taken up by the Henrietta Gardens and the Rugby Ground was slated to be part of the development.)
Georgian England was all about appearances. The grand, uniform facade was key—everything behind that was higgledy-piggledy (a great metaphor for social life in the 18th century). If Great Pulteney Street looks like a movie set to you, it did to the producers of the 2004 movie Vanity Fair, too, who used it as 18th-century London. The wide sidewalk was perfect for promenading a safe distance from splashing mud back when streets were unpaved.
In 1978 the UN established its UNESCO World Heritage listings, and Bath soon engaged in a major spiffing up of stately avenues like Great Pulteney Street. The city won the coveted listing in 1987.
The Mayor of Bath’s Honorary Guides lead free two-hour Pulteney Estate guided walks (for details, see “Tours in and near Bath,” earlier).
Several worthwhile public spaces and museums can be found an uphill 10-minute walk to the northwest of the town center. If Bath is an architectural cancan, these are its knickers.
The entire area is a palatial housing development built during Bath’s Golden Age of the 1700s. It’s the masterpiece of the visionary father-and-son architects John Wood the Elder and John Wood the Younger. As visitors poured into the city, Bath was running out of suitable accommodations. The Woods bought large tracts of land northwest of downtown and built attractive vacation rentals for the rich and famous. In the process they helped forge the Georgian style of architecture soon found all over Britain.
This rectangular park surrounded by townhouses was Wood the Elder’s first great real-estate development. He ringed the square with symmetrical facades in the classical style pioneered by the influential Italian architect Andrea Palladio. The north (uphill) side has a Greek-temple look to it, made of six columns topped with a triangular pediment. The windows are large, symmetrically placed, and topped with Palladian pediments and arches. The writer Jane Austen lived in the corner apartment to the right of the Francis Hotel (#13). Completing the square’s classical look is a 70-foot-tall obelisk in the middle, generously donated by Beau Nash.
True to its name, this is a circular housing complex. It was Wood the Elder’s next great expansion, consisting of 30 symmetrical townhouses arranged in a perfect circle. The best views are from the middle of the Circus among the grand plane trees, on the capped old well. Imagine the days before indoor plumbing, when servant girls gathered here to fetch water—this was gossip central. If you stand on the well, your clap echoes three times around the circle—try it.
The circle of houses is broken into three segments, so that anyone approaching from the street has a great view of the crescent-shaped facades. Each residence has five stories. You’d enter at street level into the workaday public rooms. The entrances were made large enough that aristocrats could be carried right through the door in their sedan chairs, and women could enter without disturbing their sky-high hairdos. The next floor up (with bigger windows) generally had ballrooms and dining rooms for hosting parties. The floor above that held bedrooms. The top floor (the tiny dormer windows in the roof) housed servant bedrooms, and the basement (below street level) held the kitchen and workrooms. Wood united it all with a symmetrical facade, but the arrangement of the actual rooms behind the facade was left to the owner’s discretion. If you circled around, you’d see that the backs are a jumble, infamous for their “hanging loos” (bathrooms added years later).
Note the frieze—a continuous band of sculpted reliefs—located just above the ground floor. There are 525 different panels, each one unique, depicting everything from dogs to eagles to roses, scrolls, guitars, anchors, leaves, and roosters.
In its mid-1700s heyday, the Circus was home to Britain’s elite. Prime Minister William Pitt the Elder (who oversaw the American colony’s French and Indian War) lived at #11. Baron Robert Clive (who brought India under British control) vacationed here at #14 (on the sunny side of the Circus). Thomas Gainsborough set up shop at #17 to paint portraits of fashionable lords and ladies to take home as souvenirs. These days, the Circus has become home both to wealthy residents and businesses—you can get a cavity filled at #13.
Created at the height of Wood’s creative powers, the Circus shows off the architect’s mature style. There’s Palladio’s Greco-Roman classicism—Doric columns on the ground floor, Ionic in the middle, and Corinthian on top—like Rome’s Colosseum. For more Georgian effects, Wood added a balustrade and ornamental acorns on the roofline. The circular shape was likely inspired by Stonehenge, representing Britain’s Druid roots. And the symbolism in the frieze is distinctly Masonic. (When seen from a bird’s-eye view, the Circus and its neighbor, the Royal Crescent, form the shape of a symbol dear to Freemasons—a key.) By combining the three styles—Roman, Celtic, and Masonic—Wood was creating his personal vision of Bath as the “new Rome.”
This long, graceful arc of buildings evokes the wealth and gentility of Bath’s glory days. The Royal Crescent was the majestic showpiece of John Wood the Younger. He took the Georgian style his father had pioneered and supersized it. The Crescent is a semicircular row of 30 townhouses 500 feet long and 50 feet tall. It’s lined with 114 Ionic columns that span the middle two stories. A ground floor of large blocks and a balustrade across the roofline unites it all. In typical Georgian style, the only deviation from the symmetry is in the very center of the crescent, which has two pairs of columns and a taller arched window. The building’s warm golden color is typical of the city, made of limestone from the surrounding hills, which began forming hundreds of millions of years ago when Bath was covered by an ocean.
Completed in 1774, the Royal Crescent quickly became the trendiest address in Bath. It offered stunning views of a park—a novel idea at the time that gave city dwellers a slice of the country. Like his father, Wood the Younger designed only the facade, allowing each resident to build whatever home they wanted behind it. Today many of the former five-story townhouses have been subdivided into single-floor apartments or offices.
Note the yellow door at #22. It caused a scandal when it was painted in the 1970s in violation of the housing covenants. But now the yellow door is practically a historical landmark itself. Although Jane Austen never lived here, you might think so given how often the Crescent has appeared as a backdrop in TV and movies.
As you cruise the Crescent, strut like an aristocrat. Now imagine you’re poor: Notice the “ha ha fence,” a drop-off in the front yard that acted as a barrier, invisible from the windows, for keeping out sheep and peasants. The refined and stylish Royal Crescent Hotel sits virtually unmarked in the center of the Crescent (with the giant magnolia growing up its wall). You’re welcome to (politely) drop in to explore its fine ground-floor public spaces and back garden, where a gracious and traditional tea is served (see here).
If that makes you hungry, there are good, less expensive options on the small pedestrian lane midway between the Circus and the Crescent. The welcoming $$ Green Bird Café (at 11 Margaret’s Buildings) serves an enticing soup, sandwich, and salad lunch menu.
This former residence at the east end of the Crescent is now a museum, taking visitors behind the classy Georgian facade for a glimpse into the everyday life of wealthy residents during the mid-1700s. At the time, Britain was on the leading edge of global exploration and scientific discovery, and the period artifacts show the wide-ranging interests of the educated rich. Take the time to talk with the helpful docents (who almost give you no option but to learn), or you’ll miss fascinating details like how high-class women shaved their eyebrows and pasted on carefully trimmed strips of mouse fur in their place.
Cost and Hours: £10.60, half price after 16:00, daily 10:00-17:00, tel. 01225/428-126, http://no1royalcrescent.org.uk.
Visiting the Museum: Start on the ground floor with the Parlour, the main room of the house used for breakfast in the mornings, business affairs in the afternoon, and various other everyday activities throughout the evening. The silver pot dispensed either coffee or tea—both of which were novel and expensive at the time. The Chippendale bookcase, with its octagonal woodwork, is typical, as is the (modern-looking but Georgian-era) design of the carpet.
The Gentleman’s Retreat—an educated fellow’s man-cave—has various proto-scientific objects, like a globe, telescope, and clock. You could turn the crank of one gadget to generate a spark—a shocking marvel to show party guests before the age of electricity.
In the Dining Room, refined 18th-century gentlemen ate with elegant dinnerware, drank, smoked, talked business, and relieved themselves behind the folding screen. The (fake) food displays suggest the abundance available to a nation whose colonial possessions spanned the globe. Before going upstairs, pause at the Cabinet of Curiosities—it’s fine to open the drawers. This is a collection of odd and precious objects that a host would show his guests: fossils, tribal masks, and exotic weapons.
Heading upstairs, you enter more intimate rooms. The Withdrawing Room (later called simply a “drawing” room) is where the ladies would withdraw from the rude company of men to play the harpsichord and take tea on the sofa. Note the fake door, to maintain the Georgian symmetry of the room. In the Lady’s Bedroom, you can picture her ladyship waking from her canopied bed, attended by her maid (who arrived through the hidden door), dressing at her table, and donning her big-hair wig. See the typical trinkets of a Georgian socialite, like a framed love letter and a wig scratcher. Up another flight is the Gentleman’s Bedroom, with his wig, engravings of old cityscapes, and a great view out the window of the Royal Crescent.
The visit ends (down the servants’ back stairs) in the basement with the Servants Hall and Kitchen. Find Fido on a treadmill. The wooden rack hanging from the ceiling kept the bread, herbs, and ham away from the mice. Notice also the “coal chute” adjacent to the kitchen. Remember, the servants lived way up in the attic, worked in the basement, and served the family on the middle floors—lots of upstairs and downstairs. The kind of English class system seen at the Royal Crescent reached its peak in the 1700s. But by the next century, a middle class was on the rise, and the era of harpsichords and linen doilies would soon be consigned to museums.
Back when Bath was the liveliest city in Britain, festive partygoers would “assemble” here almost nightly to dance, drink, gamble, and mingle. The building was designed by John Wood the Younger as part of his real estate development. It came to replace the once-lively (but now passé) Assembly Rooms near the center of town. Some 200 years later, these lavish rooms are still used as a fashionable venue for parties and wedding receptions. You can tour the four rooms, which, though mostly empty, still retain echoes of 18th-century gaiety.
Cost and Hours: Free, same hours as the Fashion Museum (in the Assembly Rooms basement; see next).
Visiting the Assembly Rooms: The visit kicks off under the sunlit central cupola with two fine sedan chairs from the 1790s—the human-powered taxis of the day. Step into the largest and most important room—the Ballroom. It’s huge—100 feet long and 40 feet high—with five glittering chandeliers. Picture the scene: The band plays from the balcony, while scores of dancers glide across the floor or warm themselves by the fireplaces. Women wear voluminous dresses and bouffant wigs. Men wear silk stockings, long coats, and powdered wigs. The master of ceremonies would announce a minuet—a slow, delicate dance in three-quarter time where each couple would take turns dancing in the middle while everyone else watched.
When the orchestra took a break, you might head into the Octagon Room for refreshments—tea, cakes, and cold cuts. You’d stand under the biggest of the Assembly Rooms’ chandeliers, with 48 arms (which held candles in the 18th century). On the wall (high up) you’d find a portrait by Thomas Gainsborough of a man in a red suit. This is William Wade, the Assembly Rooms’ master of ceremonies from 1769-1777, who filled the buckled shoes of legendary toastmaster, Beau Nash. Wade strikes a dandyish pose, showing off his ultra-chic outfit: red suit, gold waistcoat, ruffled sleeves, and George III-style powdered wig.
The adjoining room (now a café) was the Card Room. Men would adjourn here to drink, smoke, shoot billiards, and gamble at whist. The women would gravitate to the Tea Room for lighter beverages. This large room with a “stage” at one end could accommodate concerts—the music of Haydn and Handel was popular.
The social season at Bath lasted from October to May, and attracted fashionable people from across the country. The Assembly Rooms were a rare place in Britain where classes could mix and mingle—so long as they were properly dressed and observed etiquette. Social-climbing commoners with money could network with aristocrats down on their luck. Moms brought daughters here to find suitable husbands. Jane Austen came with her chaperone. Men and women who’d never met could touch hands as they did the minuet. People came to the Assembly Rooms for the thing Bath seemed to always have in good supply—fun.
The Assembly Rooms were gutted during the WWII bombing of Bath, but they were later restored to their original splendor. (Only the chandeliers are original.)
Housed underneath Bath’s Assembly Rooms, this museum displays four centuries of fashion on one floor. The fact-filled audioguide can stretch a visit to an informative and enjoyable hour. Like fashion itself, the exhibits change all the time, but there’s always a section on historical trends. You’ll see how fashion evolved—just like architecture and other arts—from Georgian to Regency, Victorian, the Swinging ’60s, and so on. A major feature is the “Dress of the Year” display: Since 1963 a fashion expert has anointed a new look to add to this collection. If you’re intrigued by all those historic garments, go ahead and lace up your own trainer corset (which looks more like a life jacket) and try on a hoop underdress.
Cost and Hours: £9.50, includes audioguide; £25 combo-ticket includes Roman Baths and Victoria Art Gallery temporary exhibits, 10 percent cheaper online, family ticket available; daily 10:30-18:00, Nov-Feb until 17:00, last entry one hour before closing; free 30-minute guided tour in summer at 12:00 and 16:00, in winter at 12:00 and 13:00; self-service café, Bennett Street, tel. 01225/477-789, www.fashionmuseum.co.uk.
Nearby: Exiting the Assembly Rooms and Fashion Museum, turn left and walk 30 yards to Alfred Street—a typical street from the Woods’ 18th-century housing expansion. At #14, notice the ironwork arch by the door that supports a gas lamp. “Link boys” carried torches through the dark streets, lighting the way for big shots in their sedan chairs as they traveled from one affair to the next. They extinguished their torches in the black conical “snuffers.” The iron crank on the left was used to hoist bulky things downstairs to the servants’ quarters. Few of these ironwork sets survived the dark days of the WWII Blitz, when most were collected to be melted down to make weapons. (Not long ago, Brits learned that their patriotic extra commitment to the national struggle had been for naught, as most of the metal ended up in junk heaps.)
Nearby, shoppers can head down Bartlett Street, just below the Fashion Museum, to browse boutique shops and the bric-a-brac filled antique center.
This modest but informative museum north of the Assembly Rooms explains the industrial history of Bath. If you want to learn about the unglamorous workaday side of the spa town, this is the place.
Cost and Hours: £8, includes audioguide, daily 10:30-17:00, Nov and Jan-March weekends only, closed Dec, last entry one hour before closing, Julian Road, 2 steep blocks up Russell Street from Assembly Rooms, tel. 01225/318-348, www.bath-at-work.org.uk.
Visiting the Museum: The core of the museum is the well-preserved, circa-1900 fizzy-drink business of one Mr. Bowler. It includes a Dickensian office, engineer’s shop, brass foundry, essence room lined with bottled flavorings (see photo), and factory floor. It’s just a pile of defunct gadgets—until the included audioguide resurrects Mr. Bowler’s creative genius. Each item has its own story to tell.
Upstairs are display cases featuring other Bath creations through the years, including a 1914 Horstmann car, wheeled sedan chairs (this is Bath, after all), and versatile plasticine (colorful proto-Play-Doh—still the preferred medium of Aardman Studios, creators of the stop-motion animated Wallace & Gromit movies). On your way out, don’t miss the intriguing exhibits on the ground floor, featuring cabinetmaking, the traditional methods for cutting the local “Bath stone,” a locally produced six-stroke engine, and more.
This exhibition does a good job of illuminating the world of Bath’s most famous writer. Jane Austen spent five tumultuous, sometimes troubled years in Bath (circa 1800, during which time her father died), where she bristled at the vapid social scene. Visitors are briefed on Austen’s life and family history through a short film and docent talk, and then head downstairs where they are free to try on Regency-era costumes and sniff era-appropriate scents, taste Regency biscuits, play parlor games such as spillikins, and pen a note with a quill. You won’t find any actual historic artifacts (except from the movie Persuasion, filmed in Bath), but none of that seems to bother the steady stream of happy Austen fans eager to take a photo with her overhyped waxwork likeness.
The gift shop—with “I love Mr. Darcy” tote bags and Colin Firth’s visage emblazoned on pillowcases—is also well stocked with era-related items.
Cost and Hours: £12, family ticket available; the friendly doorman (Martin) welcomes you daily 9:45-17:30, July-Aug until 18:00; Nov-March Sun-Fri 11:00-16:30, Sat from 10:00; docent talks on the hour and at :20 and :40 past the hour, last entry one hour before closing; just northeast of Queen’s Square at 40 Gay Street, tel. 01225/443-000, www.janeausten.co.uk. Austen fans appreciate an included pamphlet that locates a dozen “Jane Austen points” around town.
Tea: Upstairs, the Regency Tea Rooms (free entrance) hits the spot for Austen-ites with costumed waitstaff and themed teas (£8-12), including the all-out “Tea with Mr. Darcy” for £19.50 (same hours as museum, last order taken one hour before closing).
This humble but unique collection offers an intriguing look at the construction of this Georgian city, covering everything from the innovative town planning to the plasterwork. Near the entrance, an aerial map outlines Bath’s expansion from its 17th-century origins to today’s neighborhoods. In the back of the museum, an interactive model highlights town sights. Compare the 1694 Gilmore map—one of Bath’s first tourist maps—with the one you’re using today.
Cost and Hours: £6.70, Mon-Fri 14:00-17:00, Sat-Sun from 10:00, closed Nov-mid-Jan, last entry 45 minutes before closing, 10-minute intro film runs on a loop, a short walk east of the Fashion Museum/Assembly Rooms on a street called “The Paragon,” tel. 01225/333-895, www.museumofbatharchitecture.org.uk.
This high-end bookshop and working bindery near the train station is worth a peek. While the workshop is not open to the public, their bookshop—with a reverent, Oxford-library feel—welcomes visitors to browse through an impressive back-room collection of rare editions and old prints for sale (Mon-Fri 9:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:30, closed Sat-Sun, on Manvers Street, tel. 01225/466-000).
The UK’s sole museum dedicated to American history has thoughtful exhibits on the history of Native Americans and the Civil War, but the museum’s heart is with the decorative arts and cultural artifacts that reveal how Americans lived from colonial times to the mid-19th century. The 18 completely furnished rooms (from a bare-bones 1600s Massachusetts dining/living room to a Rococo Revival explosion in a New Orleans bedroom) are hosted by eager guides waiting to fill you in on the everyday items that make domestic Yankee history surprisingly interesting. (In the Lee Room, look for the original mouse holes, strategically backlit in the floorboards.) The textile room is a quilter’s nirvana. It’s interesting to see your own country through British eyes—but on a nice day, the surrounding gardens (including a replica of George Washington’s garden at Mount Vernon) and view of the hills might be the best reasons to visit. You could easily spend an afternoon here, enjoying the gardens, arboretum, and trails.
Cost and Hours: Museum and gardens-£13, gardens only-£7.50, Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, late Nov-mid-Dec until 16:30, closed Mon, closed early Nov and mid-Dec-mid-March, last entry one hour before closing, at Claverton Manor, café, tel. 01225/460-503, www.americanmuseum.org.
Getting There: The museum is just east of town. From the city center take the #U1 bus to The Avenue stop (£2.90 one-way, £4.50 day ticket, 15-minute ride, 4/hour, stop is just before Bath University) and follow the tree-lined path (left of stone wall) 15 minutes. You could also hop a taxi for about £16. By car, it’s well signed from A-36 and the city center.
After simmering unused for a quarter-century, Bath’s natural thermal springs once again offer R&R for the masses. The state-of-the-art spa is housed in a complex of three buildings that combine historic structures with new glass-and-steel architecture.
Is the Thermae Bath Spa worth the time and money? The experience is pricey and humble compared to similar German and Hungarian spas. The tall, modern building in the city center lacks any old-time elegance. Jets in the pools are limited, and the only water toys are big foam noodles. There’s no cold plunge—the only way to cool off between steam rooms is to step onto a small, unglamorous balcony. The Royal Bath’s two pools are essentially the same, and the water isn’t particularly hot in either—in fact, the main attraction is the rooftop view from the top one.
All that said, this is the only natural thermal spa in the UK and your one chance to actually bathe in Bath. Consider an evening visit, when—on a chilly day—Bath’s twilight glows through the steam from the rooftop pool.
Cost: The cheapest spa pass is £36 for two hours (£40 on weekends), which includes towel, robe, and slippers and gains you access to the Royal Bath’s large, ground-floor “Minerva Bath”; four steam rooms and a waterfall shower; and the view-filled, open-air, rooftop thermal pool. Longer stays are £10 for each additional hour. The much-hyped £49 Twilight Package includes three hours and a meal (one plate, drink, robe, towel, and slippers). Bring your own swimsuit.
Thermae has all the “pamper thyself” extras (not included): massages, scrubs, and facials, including “watsu”—water shiatsu. Book treatments in advance by phone.
Hours: Daily 9:00-21:30, last entry at 19:00, pools close at 21:00. No kids under 16.
Information: It’s 100 yards from the Roman Baths, on Beau Street (tel. 01225/331-234, www.thermaebathspa.com).
The Cross Bath: Operated by Thermae Bath Spa, this renovated circular Georgian structure across the street from the main spa provides a simpler and less-expensive bathing option. It has a hot-water fountain that taps directly into the spring, making its water hotter than the spa’s (£20/1.5 hours, daily 10:00-19:30, last entry at 18:00, check in at Thermae Bath Spa’s main entrance across the street—you’ll be escorted to the Cross Bath, changing rooms, no access to Royal Bath, no kids under 12). If you’re not comfortable playing footsie with strangers, it can feel cramped.
Spa Visitor Center: Also across the street, in the Hetling Pump Room, is a free one-room exhibit that explains the spring water’s role in the founding of Bath (Mon-Sat 10:00-17:30, Sun 11:00-16:00, closed Oct-March). The visitor center rents a £2 audioguide for those wanting to explore the neighborhood around the baths.
An idyllic towpath leads three miles from Bath along the Kennet and Avon Canal to the sleepy village of Bathampton. For an unforgettable hour that gets you totally out of the city, don’t miss this memorable little walk. You can do it as a round-trip or do it one-way, in either direction, with a taxi or boat connection. Or you can do it on a rental bike.
From Pulteney Bridge walk straight down Great Pulteney Street to the Holburne Museum with its fine modern café facing Sydney Gardens. Continue straight a hundred yards through the gardens, over the train tracks (which put canals, built for industrial age cargo transport, out of business shortly after they were opened) to the Kennet and Avon Canal. At the canal, turn left and walk the towpath (being thankful you’re not a horse pulling a barge) for about an hour to Bathampton. Consider the classic George pub there for a nice meal and a beer (reservations smart, tel. 01225/425-079, www.chefandbrewer.com). The canal, while pristine and idyllic, gives you a sense of the Industrial Age.
From The George you can hike back to Bath, or walk (on the left) along the road for five more minutes to the River Avon. There you’ll find the bigger Bathampton Mill pub, with garden tables overlooking the Avon (tel. 01225/469-758, www.thebathamptonmill.co.uk) and the pier for the Pulteney Princess river cruise that glides back to Bath (see below). From here it’s a £10 taxi back to Bath.
Other Walks: The Bath Skyline Walk is a six-mile wander around the hills surrounding Bath (leaflet at TI, or see www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bath-skyline). Plenty of other scenic paths are described in the TI’s handouts.
The Pulteney Princess cruises to the neighboring village of Bathampton about hourly from Pulteney Weir. The river is like a Huck Finn dream—with trees encroaching on it, derelict old warehouses, and no riverside path. The cruise is a sleepy float with sporadic commentary, but it’s certainly relaxing, and the boat has picnic-friendly sundecks. The Bathampton Mill pub awaits at the dock in Bathampton (£5 one-way, up to 12/day in good weather, one hour to Bathampton and back, WCs on board, mobile 07791-910-650, www.pulteneyprincess.co.uk). Consider combining the cruise with a walk along the parallel canal towpath (explained earlier). If stopping for a meal, between The Bathampton Mill (on the river) and The George (on the canal, a 5-minute walk from the river), I prefer The George.
The Bath Boating Station, in an old Victorian boathouse, rents rowboats, canoes, and punts (£8/person for first hour, then £4/hour; all day for £20; Wed-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon-Tue and Oct-Easter, intersection of Forester and Rockcliffe roads, one mile northeast of center, tel. 01225/312-900, www.bathboating.co.uk).
Victoria Falls Adventure Golf, an 18-hole course set amid waterways, flowers, and trees in Royal Victoria Park, is scenic fun (£5.50, family ticket available, daily 10:00-dusk, between Royal Avenue and Charlotte Street parking lot, tel. 01225/425-066, www.bathminigolf.com).
The Bath Sports and Leisure Centre has a fine pool for laps as well as lots of waterslides. Kids will also enjoy the five-story play structure, bowling, and trampoline park (swimming-£4.90/adult, £3.40/kid, family discounts, Mon-Thu 6:30-22:30, Fri 7:30-19:00, Sat-Sun 8:00-21:00, kids’ hours limited—check first, call for open-swim times, just across the bridge on North Parade Road, tel. 01225/486-905, www.better.org.uk—enter “Bath” under “By postcode/location”).
Shops in Bath close at about 17:30, and many are open on Sunday (11:00-16:00).
The Southgate area across from the train station hosts myriad chain stores. Guildhall Market is fun for old-school shopping. There’s great browsing between the abbey and the Assembly Rooms. East of Queen Square, sprawling along Milsom Street is Jolly’s (the UK’s oldest department store), now home to upmarket boutiques. Explore the antique shops around Bartlett Street, below the Fashion Museum. The Bartlett Street Antique Centre is a collection of a dozen or so shops under one roof (Mon-Sat 10:00-16:30).
West of the town center, Green Park Station—with an Industrial Age, iron-and-glass roof—hosts a thriving farmers’ market on Saturdays (9:00-13:00) and a flea market with antiques, collectibles, and curios the first Sunday of each month (8:00-16:00, on James Street West near Kingsmead Square, mobile 07946-430-338).
For an up-to-date list of events, pick up the local weekly newspaper, the Bath Chronicle, which includes a “What’s On” schedule (www.bath.live).
For an entertaining walking-tour comedy act “with absolutely no history or culture,” follow Toby or Noel on their creative and lively Bizarre Bath walk. This 1.5-hour “tour,” which combines stand-up comedy with cleverly executed magic tricks, plays off unsuspecting passersby as well as tour members.
Cost and Hours: £10, RS%—£8 with this book, April-Oct nightly at 20:00, smaller groups Mon-Thu, promises to insult all nationalities and sensitivities, just racy enough but still good family fun, leaves from the Huntsman Inn, North Parade Passage, next to the TI, www.bizarrebath.co.uk.
The restored 18th-century, 800-seat Theatre Royal, one of England’s loveliest, offers a busy schedule of London West End-type plays, including many “pre-London” dress-rehearsal runs. The Theatre Royal also oversees performances at two other theaters around the corner from the main box office: Ustinov Studio (edgier, more obscure titles, many of which are premier runs in the UK) and “the egg” (for children, young people, and families).
Cost and Hours: £23-48; shows generally start at 19:30 or 20:00, matinees at 14:30, box office open Mon-Sat 10:00-20:00, Sun from 12:00 if there’s a show; book in person, online, or by phone; on Saw Close, tel. 01225/448-844, www.theatreroyal.org.uk.
Ticket Deals: Forty nosebleed spots on a bench (misnamed “standbys”) go on sale at noon Monday through Saturday for that day’s evening performance in the main theater (£7.50, 2 tickets maximum). If the show is sold out, same-day “standing places” go on sale at 18:00 (12:00 for matinees) for £4 (cash only). Also at the box office, you can snatch up any “last minute” seats for £15-20 a half-hour before “curtain up.” Shows in the Ustinov Theatre go for around £20, with no cheap-seat deals.
Sightseeing Tip: During the free Bath walking tour, your guide stops here. Pop into the box office, ask what’s playing, and see if there are many seats left for that night. If plenty of seats remain unsold, you’re fairly safe to come back 30 minutes before curtain time to buy a ticket at the cheaper price. Oh...and if you smell jasmine, it’s the ghost of Lady Grey, a mistress of Beau Nash.
Take your choice: comedy (Bizarre Bath, described earlier), history, or ghost tour. Free city walking tours are offered on some evenings in high season (described on here). Ghost Walks are a popular way to pass the after-dark hours (£8, cash only, 1.5 hours, year-round Thu-Sat at 20:00, leave from The Garrick’s Head pub—to the left and behind Theatre Royal as you face it, tel. 01225/350-512, www.ghostwalksofbath.co.uk). The cities of York and Edinburgh—which have houses thought to be actually haunted—are better for ghost walks.
Most pubs in the center are very noisy, catering to a rowdy twentysomething crowd. But on the top end of town, you can still find some classic old places with inviting ambience and live music. See the map on here for locations.
The Old Green Tree, conveniently right in the town center, is a rare traditional pub offering a warm welcome (locally brewed real ales, no TVs, 12 Green Street, tel. 01225/448-259).
The Star Inn is much appreciated by locals for its fine ale and “no machines or music to distract from the chat.” It’s a throwback to the manly pubs of yesteryear, and its long bench, nicknamed “death row,” still comes with a complimentary pinch of snuff on request. Try the Bellringer Ale, made just up the road (daily 12:00-14:30 & 17:30-late, no food served, 23 The Vineyards, top of The Paragon/A-4 Roman Road, tel. 01225/425-072, Jon). Guests are welcome to play the pub’s piano.
The Bell has a jazzy, pierced-and-tattooed, bohemian feel, but with a mellow older crowd. Some kind of musical activity brews nearly nightly, such as jazz, blues, DJs, and open-mike (Mon-Sat 11:30-23:00, Sun 12:00-22:30, 103 Walcot Street, tel. 01225/460-426, www.thebellinnbath.co.uk). There’s an inviting garden out back, often with a pizza oven fired up.
In July and August, you can stretch your sightseeing day at the Roman Baths, open nightly until 22:00 (last entry 21:00), when the gas lamps flame and the baths are far less crowded and more atmospheric. To take a dip yourself, consider popping over to the Thermae Bath Spa (last entry at 19:00). And on long, warm summer evenings, the canal walk to Bathampton where a pub dinner awaits (described earlier) can be delightful.
Bath is a busy tourist town. Reserve in advance, and keep in mind B&Bs favor those lingering longer. Accommodations are expensive and can be about 25 percent more on Fridays and Saturdays. At B&Bs, it’s worth asking for a weekday, three-nights-in-a-row, or off-season deal. If you’re driving to Bath, stowing your car near the center will cost you (though some less-central B&Bs have parking): Take advantage of the Park & Ride lots outside of town or ask your hotelier for the best option.
These listings are all a 5- to 10-minute walk from the town center, and an easy 15-minute walk from the train station. With bags in tow you may want to either catch a taxi (£5-7) or (except for Brocks Guest House) hop on bus #4 (direction: Weston, catch bus inside bus station, pay driver £2.90, get off at the Comfortable Place stop—just after the park starts on the right, cross the street and backtrack 100 yards).
Except for Brocks, these B&Bs all face a busy arterial street (Upper Bristol Road, also known as Crescent Gardens); while the noise is minimal by urban standards and these B&Bs have well-insulated windows, light sleepers should request a rear- or side-facing room.
$$$ Marlborough House, exuberantly run by hands-on owner Peter, mixes modern style with antique furnishings and features a welcoming breakfast room with an open kitchen. Each of the six rooms comes with a sip of sherry (RS%, family room, air-con, minifridges, free parking, 1 Marlborough Lane, tel. 01225/318-175, www.marlborough-house.net, mars@manque.dircon.co.uk).
$$ Brocks Guest House rents six rooms in a Georgian townhouse built by John Wood in 1765. Located between the prestigious Royal Crescent and the courtly Circus, it’s been redone in a way that would make the great architect proud. Each room has its own Bath-related theme (little top-floor library, 32 Brock Street, tel. 01225/338-374, www.brocksguesthouse.co.uk, brocks@brocksguesthouse.co.uk, Marta and Rafal).
$$ Brooks Guesthouse is the biggest and most polished of the bunch, albeit the least personal, with 22 modern rooms and classy public spaces, including an exceptionally pleasant breakfast room (limited pay parking, 1 Crescent Gardens, Upper Bristol Road, tel. 01225/425-543, www.brooksguesthouse.com, info@brooksguesthouse.com). They also rent two apartments.
$$ 2 Crescent Gardens, owner Giacomo’s former family home, has six attractive rooms—some with views—and a bright, open breakfast room and homey living room (family room, limited free parking, closed Jan, 2 Crescent Gardens, tel. 01225/331-186, www.2crescentgardens.co.uk, 2crescentgardens@gmail.com, managed by Monika).
$$ Cornerways B&B is centrally located, simple, and pleasant, with three rooms and old-fashioned homey touches (RS%, cheaper without breakfast, DVD library, free parking, 47 Crescent Gardens, tel. 01225/422-382, www.cornerwaysbath.co.uk, info@cornerwaysbath.co.uk, Sue Black).
These listings are a 5- to 10-minute walk from the city center. From the train station, it’s best to take a taxi, as there are no good bus connections.
$$$$ The Roseate Villa rents 21 stately yet modern rooms in a freestanding Victorian townhouse, with a park on one side and an extensive lawn on the other. In a city that’s so insistently Georgian, it’s fun to stay in a mansion that’s Victorian (family rooms, free parking for those booking direct, in quiet residential area on Henrietta Street, tel. 01225/466-329, http://roseatehotels.com/bath/theroseatevilla, reception.trvb@roseatehotels.com).
$$$ The Kennard is a short walk from the Pulteney Bridge. Each of the 12 rooms is colorfully and elaborately decorated (free street parking permits, peaceful little Georgian garden out back, 11 Henrietta Street, tel. 01225/310-472, www.kennard.co.uk, reception@kennard.co.uk, Priya and Ajay).
$$$ Henrietta House, with large rooms, hardwood floors, and daily homemade biscuits and jam, is cloak-and-cravat cozy. Even the name reflects English aristocracy, honoring the daughter of the mansion’s former owners, Lord and Lady Pulteney. Now it’s smartly run by Peter and another Henrietta (family-size suites, limited free parking, 33 Henrietta Street, tel. 01225/632-632, www.henriettahouse.co.uk, reception@henriettahouse.co.uk).
$$$ The Ayrlington, next door to a bowling green, rents 19 spacious rooms, each decorated with panache. Though this well-maintained hotel fronts a busy street, it’s reasonably quiet and tranquil. Rooms in the back have pleasant views of sports greens and Bath beyond. For the best value, request a standard top-floor double with a view of Bath (fine garden, free and easy parking, 24 Pulteney Road, tel. 01225/425-495, www.ayrlington.com, theayrlington@gmail.com).
$$ At Apple Tree Guesthouse, near a shady canal, hostess Ling rents five comfortable rooms sprinkled with Asian decor (family rooms, 2-night minimum Fri-Sat nights, free parking, 7 Pulteney Gardens, tel. 01225/337-642, www.appletreebath.com, enquiries@appletreebath.com).
Since Bath is so pleasant and manageable by foot, a downtown location isn’t essential, but these options are close to the baths and abbey.
$$$ Three Abbey Green Guest House offers 10 spacious rooms off a quiet, traffic-free courtyard just 50 yards from the abbey and the Roman Baths. There’s a different breakfast special every day (family rooms, 2-night minimum on weekends, limited free parking, 2 ground-floor rooms work well for those with limited mobility, tel. 01225/428-558, https://threeabbeygreen.com, stay@threeabbeygreen.com, Sue, daughter Nicola, and son-in-law Alan). They also rent an apartment (2-night minimum).
$$ Harington’s Hotel rents 13 fresh, modern rooms on a quiet street. This stylish place feels like a boutique hotel, but with a friendlier, laid-back vibe (pay parking, 8 Queen Street, tel. 01225/461-728, www.haringtonshotel.co.uk, post@haringtonshotel.co.uk, manager Julian). Owners Melissa and Peter rent nine apartments nearby (2-night minimum on weekends).
$$ Laura’s Townhouse Apartments rents three flats on Abbey Green and others scattered around the city. The apartment called Abbey View comes with a washer/dryer and has views of the abbey from its nicely equipped kitchen. Laura provides a simple breakfast, but it’s fun and cheap to stock the fridge. When Laura meets you to give you the keys, you become a local (2-night minimum, rooms can sleep four with Murphy and sofa beds, tel. 01225/464-238, www.laurastownhouseapartments.co.uk, bookings@laurastownhouseapartments.co.uk).
$$ The Henry Guest House is a simple, vertical place, renting seven clean rooms. It’s friendly, well-run, and just two blocks from the train station (family room, 2-night minimum on weekends, 6 Henry Street, tel. 01225/424-052, www.thehenry.com, stay@thehenry.com, Christina).
$ Z Hotel Bath (the Brits say “zed”) rents spare, modern rooms just big enough for the bed—your suitcase slides in a nook below. Though tight on space, hotel frills include organic linen and a daily wine-and-cheese buffet—and best of all, it’s right in the center, just across from the Theatre Royal (breakfast extra, cheaper “inside” rooms lack windows, air-con, elevator, 7 Saw Close, tel. 01225/613-160, www.thezhotels.com, bath@thezhotels.com).
¢ The YMCA, centrally located on a leafy square, is safe, secure, quiet, and efficiently run with a youthful, dorm vibe (private en suite rooms and family rooms available, includes continental breakfast, laundry facilities, down a tiny alley off Broad Street on Broad Street Place, tel. 01225/325-900, www.bathymca.co.uk, stay@bathymca.co.uk).
¢ White Hart is a friendly and colorful place in need of a little updating, but offering good, cheap stays in a dorm or four private rooms (fine garden out back, 5-minute walk behind the train station at Widcombe—where Widcombe Hill hits Claverton Street, tel. 01225/338-053, www.whitehartbath.co.uk, enquiries@whitehartbath.co.uk). The White Hart also has a pub with a reputation for good food.
¢ St. Christopher’s Inn, in a prime central location, is part of a chain of high-energy hubs for backpackers looking for beds and brews. Rooms are basic, clean, and cheap because they know you’ll spend money on their beer. The inn sits above the lively, youthful Belushi’s pub, which is where you’ll find the reception (cheaper to book online, private rooms and family rooms available, laundry facilities, lounge, 9 Green Street, tel. 01225/481-444, www.st-christophers.co.uk, bath@st-christophers.co.uk).
Bath is bursting with eateries. There’s something for every appetite and budget—just stroll around the center of town. A picnic dinner in the Royal Crescent Park or down by the river is ideal for aristocratic hoboes. The restaurants I recommend are mostly small and popular—reserve a table for dinner—especially on Friday and Saturday. Most pricey little bistros offer big savings with their two- and three-course lunches and “pretheatre” specials. Look for early-bird specials: If you order within the time window, you’re in for a less-expensive meal. Vegetarianism is trendy here; any serious restaurant offers a veggie course.
$$$$ The Circus Restaurant is a relaxing eatery serving well-executed seasonal dishes with European flair. Choose between the modern interior—with seating on the main floor or in the less-charming cellar—and a few tables on the peaceful street connecting the Circus and the Royal Crescent (Mon-Sat 12:00-late, closed Sun, 34 Brock Street, tel. 01225/466-020, www.thecircusrestaurant.co.uk).
$$$ Eight Restaurant looks simple—like a tidy living room with six tables crowded into it. But each dish is a beautifully presented work of edible art, the price is right, and the service is perfectly attentive. The eight seasonal Italian/French/English dishes (at around £14 each) are small, and while you can make it a light meal, a couple could enjoy trying three or four dishes family-style (daily 17:30-21:30, 3 North Parade Passage, tel. 01225/724-111, https://eightinbath.co.uk).
$$$$ Clayton’s Kitchen is where Michelin-star chef Rob Clayton aims to offer affordable British cuisine without pretense. The food is artfully prepared and presented (daily from 12:00 and 18:00, a few outside tables, 15 George Street, tel. 01225/585-100, www.claytonskitchen.com).
$$$ The Chequers is so nice I raised it out of the pub category. It’s pubby gourmet, serving a small menu of creative, beautifully presented British dishes to enjoy in their handsome bar on the ground floor or refined upstairs restaurant (with open kitchen). Reasonable fixed-price lunches are available from 17:30-18:30 except Sunday (daily, just above the Royal Crescent at 50 Rivers Street, tel. 01225/360-017, www.thechequersbath.com). To enjoy the kitchen to the max, consider their seven-course tasting menu (£55, Mon-Fri only, request in advance with reservation).
$$$ The Garrick’s Head, an elegantly simple gastropub around the corner from the Theatre Royal, serves traditional English dishes with a few Mediterranean options. There’s a restaurant with table service on one side, a more casual bar on the other, and some tables outside great for people-watching—all with the same menu and prices (lunch and pretheater specials until 19:00, daily 12:00-23:00, 8 St. John’s Place, tel. 01225/318-368).
$$ Crystal Palace, a casual and inviting standby a block from the abbey, faces the delightful little Abbey Green. With a focus on food rather than drink, they serve “pub grub with a Continental flair” in three different spaces: a bar, a full-service restaurant, and an airy back patio (daily 11:00-23:00, 10 Abbey Green, tel. 01225/482-666). Their lunch menu, a simpler and cheaper option, is served until 17:00.
$$ The Raven attracts a boisterous local crowd. It emphasizes beer—with an impressive selection of real ales—but serves some delicious savory pies for nourishment. The ground floor has a thick pub vibe while upstairs feels more like a restaurant (Mon-Fri 12:00-15:00 & 17:00-21:00, Sat-Sun 12:30-20:30, open longer for drinks; no kids under 10, 6 Queen Street, tel. 01225/425-045).
$$ The Scallop Shell is my top choice for fish in Bath. Hard-working Garry and his family offer grilled seafood along with fish-and-chips. Their £10 lunch special is served daily until 15:00. The ground floor is energized by the open kitchen while upstairs is quieter with a breezy terrace (Mon-Sat 12:00-21:30, Sun until 16:00, 22 Monmouth Place, tel. 01225/420-928).
$$$ Loch Fyne Fish Restaurant is an inviting outpost of this chain, serving fresh fish at reasonable prices. The big dining hall occupies what was once a lavish bank building and comes with a fun and family-friendly energy (two-course special until 18:00, daily 12:00-22:00, 24 Milsom Street, tel. 01225/750-120).
$$$ Martini Restaurant, a hopping, purely Italian place with jovial waiters, serves family-style Italian food and pizza with class (daily 12:00-14:30 & 18:00-22:30, daily fish specials, extensive wine list, 9 George Street, tel. 01225/460-818; Nunzio, Franco, and chef Luigi).
$$$$ Rustico Bistro Italiano, nestled between the Circus and the Royal Crescent, is precisely what its name implies. Franco and his staff are kept busy by a local crowd (no pizza, check chalkboard for specials, Tue-Sat 12:00-14:30 & 18:00-22:00, closed Sun-Mon, off Brock Street at 2 Margaret’s Buildings, tel. 01225/310-064). If it’s hot, they have delightful sidewalk seating.
$$ Dough Pizza Restaurant serves the best pizza in town in a fun and casual atmosphere with an open oven adding to the energy (daily 12:00-22:00, 14 The Corridor, tel. 01255/443-686).
$$ Olé Tapas bounces to a flamenco beat, turning out tasty tapas from their minuscule kitchen. If you’re hungry for a trip to Spain, arrive early or make a reservation, as it’s both tiny and popular (Sun-Thu 12:00-22:00, Fri-Sat until 23:00, up the stairs at 1 John Street, tel. 01225/424-274, www.oletapas.co.uk).
$$$$ Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen is pricey but highly rated (with an impressive tasting menu) and ideal for the well-heeled vegetarian. Its tight interior is elegant with a quiet and understated vibe (completely vegan menu, daily 12:00-15:00 & 17:30-21:30, 2 North Parade Passage, tel. 01225/446-059).
$$$ Eastern Eye serves large portions of Indian and Bangladeshi dishes in an impressive, triple-domed Georgian hall (Mon-Fri 12:00-14:30 & 18:00-23:30, Sat-Sun 12:00-23:30, RS%—free glass of wine or beer for those dining with this book, 8A Quiet Street, tel. 01225/422-323).
$$ Thai Balcony Restaurant has an open, spacious interior so plush, it’ll have you wondering, “Where’s the Thai wedding?” While residents debate which of Bath’s handful of Thai restaurants serves the best food or value, there’s no doubt that Thai Balcony’s fun and elegant atmosphere makes for a memorable and enjoyable dinner (daily 12:00-14:30 & 18:00-22:00, Saw Close, tel. 01225/444-450).
$$ Yak Yeti Yak is a basic and earnest Nepalese restaurant with both Western and sit-on-the-floor seating. Sera and his wife, Sarah, along with their cheerful, hardworking Nepali team, cook up great traditional food (including plenty of vegetarian plates). It’s a simple and honest place with prices that would delight a Sherpa (daily 12:00-14:00 & 18:00-22:00, downstairs at 12 Pierrepont Street, tel. 01225/442-299).
A tradition for anyone feeling both English and aristocratic is a formal “afternoon tea”—with a three-tiered trolley: delicate finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and cakes, accompanied by a fancy pot of tea. (A “cream tea” is just tea with scones, jam, and clotted cream.) While many places serve afternoon tea, the setting is critical for the experience.
$$$ The Pump Room sits above the Roman baths and for over two centuries has been Bath’s iconic Georgian gathering place. The food comes with live music—piano or a string trio (£27 afternoon tea from noon; also open daily 9:30-16:00 for breakfast, tea/coffee and selection of pastries also available in the afternoon, dinner July-Aug 18:00-21:00 only; tel. 01225/444-477).
$ Hands Georgian Tearoom is an understated, family-run place a stone’s throw from the abbey and the baths. With an elegant Georgian interior and traditional dishes, it’s a good option for breakfast, lunch, or an economic afternoon tea in the center of the tourist bustle (cash only, Tue-Sat 9:30-17:00, Sun-Mon from 11:00, 1 Abbey Street, tel. 01225/463-928).
$$$ Dower House at the Royal Crescent Hotel is my choice on a sunny day as tea is served in an elegant garden—and they allow you to split one order, making the experience more affordable (£38 afternoon tea, daily 13:30-16:30, reserve a day ahead—a week ahead for Sat-Sun, 16 Royal Crescent, tel. 01225/823-333, www.royalcrescent.co.uk).
For an olde tyme market experience, get breakfast at the Market Café. Chandos Deli is a more upscale foodie option. The Boston Tea Party is understandably packed with enthusiastic breakfasters. And bakeries and cafés all over town compete hard for the many Airbnb travelers that don’t get that second “B” included.
$ Market Café, in the Guildhall Market, is where you can munch cheaply on a homemade meat pie or sip tea while surrounded by stacks of used books and old-time locals (traditional English meals including fried breakfasts all day, cash only, Mon-Sat 8:00-17:00, closed Sun, tel. 01225/461-593 a block north of the abbey, on High Street).
$ Boston Tea Party is what Starbucks aspires to be—the neighborhood coffeehouse and hangout. Its extensive breakfasts, bakery items, light lunches, and salads are fresh and healthy. They’re popular with vegetarians and famously ethical in their business practices (daily 7:00-18:00, across from the Assembly Rooms at 8 Alfred Street, tel. 01225/476-465).
$ Chandos Deli has good coffee, breakfast pastries, and tasty £4 sandwiches made on artisan breads—plus meats, cheese, baguettes, and wine for assembling a gourmet picnic. Upscale yet casual, this place satisfies dedicated foodies who don’t want to pay too much (Mon-Fri 8:00-17:30, Sat from 9:00, Sun from 10:00, 12 George Street, tel. 01225/314-418).
$ The Cornish Bakehouse has freshly baked takeaway pasties (Mon-Sat 7:30-18:00, Sun 9:00-17:30, off High Street at 11A The Corridor, tel. 01225/426-635). Munch your goodies at the nearby Parade Gardens or Abbey Churchyard.
$ Kingsmead Square is a shady space with a grand tree and inviting benches, surrounded by several ethnic joints where you can grab a bite and sit outside. Gong Fu Noodle Bar is a favorite with Chinese students studying in Bath (daily 11:00-23:00); Chai Walla serves up satisfying, simple Indian street food (no seating, Sun-Thu 12:00-17:00, Fri-Sat until late, Niraj); Mission Burrito is good if you crave Mexican (daily until 22:00); Seafoods Fish & Chips is a greasy standby but The Scallop Shell, described earlier, is a better value (daily until 21:00); and Swoon has the best gelato in town.
Supermarkets: Waitrose has a café upstairs and racks of inexpensive picnic-type meals to go on the ground level. There are some stools inside and a few tables on the street out front (Mon-Fri 7:30-21:00, Sat until 20:00, Sun 11:00-17:00, just west of Pulteney Bridge and across from post office on High Street). Marks & Spencer, near the bottom end of town, has a grocery at the back of its department store and the M&S Café on the top floor (Mon-Sat 8:30-19:00, Sun 11:00-17:00, 16 Stall Street). Sainsbury’s Local, across the street from the bus station, has the longest hours (daily 7:00-23:00, 2 Dorchester Street).
Bath’s train station is called Bath Spa (tel. 0345-748-4959). The National Express bus station is just west of the train station (bus info tel. 0871-781-8181, www.nationalexpress.com). For all public bus services in southwestern England, see www.travelinesw.com.
From Bath to London: You can catch a train to London’s Paddington Station (2/hour, 1.5 hours, best deals for travel after 9:30 and when purchased in advance, www.gwr.com), or save money—but not time—by taking the National Express bus to Victoria Coach Station (direct buses nearly hourly, 3.5 hours, avoid those with layover in Bristol, one-way-£7-12, cheapest to purchase online several days in advance).
Connecting Bath with London’s Airports: To get to or from Heathrow, it’s fastest and most pleasant to take the train via London; it takes about three hours total (airport to London Paddington-4/hour, Paddington to Bath-2/hour). With a rail pass, it’s also the cheapest option, as the whole trip is covered. Without a rail pass, it’s the most expensive way to go (£60 total for off-peak travel, cheaper bought in advance, up to £60 more for full-fare peak-time ticket; 2/hour, 2.25 hours depending on airport terminal, easy change between First Great Western train and Heathrow Express at London’s Paddington Station).
The National Express bus is direct and often much cheaper for those without a rail pass, but it’s less frequent and can take nearly twice as long as the train (nearly hourly, 3.5 hours, £24-40 one-way depending on time of day, tel. 0871-781-8181, www.nationalexpress.com). Doing a train-and-bus combination via the town of Reading can make sense for travelers without a rail pass, as it’s more frequent, can take less time than the direct bus—allow 2.5 hours total—and can be much cheaper than the train via London (RailAir Link shuttle bus to Reading: 2-3/hour, 45 minutes; train from Reading to Bath: 2/hour, 1 hour; £31-41 for off-peak, nonrefundable travel booked in advance—but up to double for peak-time trains; tel. 0118-957-9425, buy bus ticket from www.railair.com, train ticket from www.gwr.com). Another option is the minibus operated by recommended tour company Celtic Horizons (see here).
You can get to or from Gatwick by train with a transfer in Reading (hourly, 3 hours, £55-75 one-way depending on time of day, cheaper in advance; avoid transfer in London, where you’ll have to change stations; www.gwr.com) or by bus with a transfer at Heathrow (6/day, 4-5 hours, about £35 one-way, transfer at Heathrow Airport, www.nationalexpress.com).
Connecting Bath and Bristol Airport: Located about 20 miles west of Bath, this airport is closer than Heathrow and has good connections by bus. From Bristol Airport, your most convenient option is the Bristol Air Decker bus #A4 (£14, 2/hour, 1.25 hours, www.airdecker.com). Otherwise, you can take a taxi (£40) or call Celtic Horizons (see here).
From Bath by Train to: Bristol (Temple Meads station, 4/hour, 15 minutes), Salisbury (hourly direct, 1 hour), Portsmouth (hourly, 2.5 hours), Exeter (2/day direct, 1.5 hours, more with transfer in Bristol or Westbury), Penzance (1-2/hour, 5 hours, most 1-2 transfers), Moreton-in-Marsh (hourly, 2.5 hours, 1 transfer, more with additional transfers), York (hourly with transfer in Bristol, 4.5 hours, more with additional transfers), Oxford (hourly, 1.5 hours, transfer in Didcot), Cardiff (hourly, 1.5 hours), Birmingham (1/day direct, 2 hours, most with transfer in Bristol), and points north (from Birmingham, a major transportation hub, trains depart for Blackpool, Scotland, and North Wales; use a train/bus combination to reach Ironbridge Gorge and the Lake District).
From Bath by Bus to: Salisbury (hourly, 3 hours), Avebury (hourly, 2-2.5 hours, transfer in Devizes), Portsmouth (1/day direct, 6 hours), Exeter (6/day, 4 hours, most transfer in Bristol), Penzance (2/day, 8 hours, transfer in Bristol), Cheltenham or Gloucester (3/day, 3 hours, transfer in Bristol), Stratford-upon-Avon (1/day, 4 hours, transfer in Bristol), and Oxford (1/day direct, 2 hours, more with transfer). For bus connections to Glastonbury and Wells, see the next chapter.
For an easy side trip from Bath, consider Bristol. This historic port city is the rugged, industrial (yet suddenly sassy and energized) counterpart to Bath—much like Glasgow’s grit is the counterpart to Edinburgh’s glam in Scotland. While Bath is refined and dressy, with an air that it’s above everyday life, Bristol feels real. The city’s sidewalks are fortified with metal edges to protect them from the crush of barrels tumbling between ships and warehouses. So too, the city has an edge—both its people and its architecture seem weathered yet durable.
Bristol, sitting on the River Avon five miles from its mouth, was built on trade. The name means “place of the bridge,” and it was born where the first Bristol Bridge crossed the river about a thousand years ago.
The river kinks and bends through town, giving the cityscape a lively ambience. It has Europe’s highest tide (45 feet), which made the city a muddy mess until 1809, when a dam tamed the tides. The dam—with a lock and embankments—created Bristol’s “Floating Harbour,” which was a busy port until late in the 20th century.
Bristol really took off during the Age of Discovery and the rise of trade with the Americas. For a couple of centuries the city played a major role in the triangular shuttling of manufactured goods, rum, port, sherry, tobacco, sugar, and—most notoriously—slaves between Africa, America, and Europe. It was a lose-win-win arrangement.
With the advent of the Industrial Age, while London continued to be the gateway to Europe, Bristol became England’s port facing the west. It just made sense for goods to go by train from London to Bristol and then by ship westward. A big part of the city’s story is the prolific work of a Victorian engineering genius with a crazy name—Isambard Kingdom Brunel—who designed railway stations, train lines (the Great Western Railway), and even an iron-hulled, propeller-driven steamship, all to expedite trade between London and New York City.
Because of its strategic and industrial importance, Bristol was heavily bombed in World War II. While much survived, much also was destroyed—you can tell by the haphazard mix of venerable old buildings and generally ugly development from the postwar era.
In modern times the port moved to the mouth of the Avon, and the old center of Bristol was redeveloped. Exploring the city, you feel a new vibe. While Bath protects its rowhouses and keeps them a uniform creamy tone, Bristol is known for its multicolored “painted terraces,” coloring the surrounding hills like rainbows. The city of half a million is also energized by its sizable university with 50,000 students.
If Londoners were asked to describe the people of Bristol, they might consider them anti-Brexit, liberal, green—and a lot of old hippies. Vegan menus are the rage, hometown street artist Banksy decorates random walls...and look out for the cyclists.
If you’re staying in Bath, connect by commuter train (4/hour, 15 minutes). From Bath Spa Station, all trains on track 1 go to Bristol’s Temple Meads Station (the main Bristol station). Don’t worry about departure times as trains leave every 15 minutes. Just buy a ticket, go to track 1, and get on the next train. Don’t drive here: Bristol is a pain for drivers. Bristol Airport, which is becoming more and more popular, is served by a cheap shuttle bus from the train station (6/hour, 30 minutes).
Bristol, while not as compact and charming as Bath, is reasonable on foot. You can easily connect everything in town from the train station (except for the Clifton Suspension Bridge) in under an hour. It’s about 10 minutes to walk from the station into the old center. Bus #8 shuttles from the train station to the central College Green (at the cathedral and City Hall) and on to Clifton Village (near the Clifton Suspension Bridge) with departures every 10 minutes. Boats run like buses up and down the Floating Harbour. There’s a handy ferry crossing from the SS Great Britain to Hanover Quay. And a fleet of “Bristol blue” taxis serves the town well.
On a day trip from Bath, plan for about three hours of sightseeing, an hour for my town walk, and about an hour for a harbor tour. You could also visit the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge just west of town, take a guided town and/or Banksy walking tour, and consider a lively evening with a late train back to Bath.
For a quick visit, I’d pick up a free “Visit Bristol” map at the train station and follow my town walk, described later, splicing in the main sights.
Tourist Information: The TI is on the riverfront at the head of the Centre Promenade (daily 10:00-17:00, 1 Canon’s Road, www.visitbristol.co.uk; their toll phone number is as pricey as a phone-sex number—so I won’t give it to you). The best thing about the TI is their wonderful map (which you can also get at the Bath TI, at sights throughout Bristol, and at the main Bristol train station).
Local Guide: Liz Gamlin is a good guide who’s earned her Blue Badge for Bristol and the West Country and can meet you at the station for a personalized tour (£120/half-day, mobile 07818-436-575, studytours@aol.com).
Street Art: The street artist known as Banksy was born here, and a handful of his legendary street paintings dot a scruffy part of town (see map). The TI sells a brochure outlining a do-it-yourself walking tour, or you can catch a street-art-themed guided tour. The “From Blackbeard to Banksy” walk is popular and reliable (£8, 2 hours, Thu-Sun at 11:30, departs from Bristol Cathedral, mobile 07811-975-275, www.blackbeard2banksy.com). If you search for “Banksy Bristol Trail” online, you’ll find an app, printable maps, and several other walking tours worth considering.
This quick self-guided walk starts at Bath’s main train station and ends at the TI. Along the way we’ll see historic neighborhoods, a characteristic market, and one of the bridges that made this city famous. Allow about an hour. For details on specific sights, see the next section.
Main Station to the Bristol Bridge: From the station’s exit, walk straight to a busy street, turn right, and then follow the main roadway as it curves to Redcliffe Way. Set your sights on the 300-foot-tall spire and walk to St. Mary Redcliffe Church. After visiting the church, continue on Redcliffe Way over Redcliffe Bridge (notice the houseboats lining the harbor). Imagine the town before its 1809 embankments and locks tamed the massive tides, creating the Floating Harbour. Check out the multicolored rowhouses on the hillside.
Just over the bridge, continue straight to the huge Queen Square. Walk diagonally through the square and then continue to King Street. Turn right and stroll the length of this characteristic street, passing historic pubs and the 18th-century Bristol Old Vic Theatre (which locals claim is England’s oldest working theater). You can tell where WWII bombs fell (ugly new buildings) and where they didn’t.
At the river, turn left, passing two permanently moored riverboats—floating temptations popular for alcoholic ciders and burgers: The Apple and Three Brothers Burgers. Ahead is the historic Bristol Bridge (with its 250-year-old stone arches reminding all that for a thousand years, a bridge at this spot was the reason for the town). From here, a network of canals connected much of Britain during the Industrial Age.
St. Nicolas Markets to the Watershed Building: At the bridge make a soft left and walk a couple blocks uphill on High Street toward the steeple of an old church. On the left find the arched entryway for St. Nicolas Markets and the Corn Exchange Hall. Wander through the market arcade (get lunch here if you’re hungry) until your reach an alley. Turn right and come out on Corn Street, where you can study the Corn Exchange Hall facade before walking to your left down Corn Street.
The street ends at a wide brick plaza called the Centre Promenade. Cross at the statue of Neptune, turn left, and head for the red-brick Watershed building, where you’ll find the TI and the departure point for Bristol Packet’s harbor tours. Nearby is College Green with the City Hall, Bristol Cathedral, and a stop for bus #8 to the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
The first four sights are in the order you’ll see them on my self-guided walk, earlier. The New Room/John Wesley’s Chapel is a short walk north.
Long the tallest structure in town, this church is marked by its elegant 300-foot-tall spire. Its 13th-century Gothic interior is worth a look. While its windows are mostly modern, the floors and walls are littered with the tombs and memorials of Bristol’s leading citizens—including the father of William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania, and John Cabot, who sailed to America just after Columbus. If you wonder what a 500-year-old whale bone is doing hanging on the wall, ask a local about their favorite explorer.
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon-Sat 8:30-17:00, Sun 9:00-16:00, tel. 0117/231-0060, www.stmaryredcliffe.co.uk.
About 300 years ago, the rich merchant class built this square to get away from the commotion of Bristol’s Old Town. Then, in the Industrial Age, they moved farther from the rabble a mile outside of town—establishing a “cliff town” or “Clifton”—and building aristocratic Georgian mansions there. The merchants left, but today the square remains elegant and people-friendly. Facing Queen Square are several historic addresses, including the home of the first US-British consulate (a reminder of the importance of trade to Bristol back then).
This once formal and stately finance center feels as if it was overwhelmed by a rising tide of informal economy. The Corn Exchange Hall is now a commotion of bric-a-brac dealers—like a permanent flea market under one grand Georgian roof. And this is just a small part of an entire block of stalls filling St. Nicholas Markets. Note the Victorian canopy of glass and iron in the center of the market. From lunchtime on, it’s a thriving food circus with plenty of fun eateries and eclectic shops (see listing later, under “Eating in Bristol”).
Home of England’s first banks outside of London, Corn Street seems to celebrate the commerce that made Bristol an economic powerhouse. Former palace-like banks and buildings of finance are now mostly grandiose pubs and restaurants. This pedestrianized stretch of Corn Street has an open-air market (different days, different markets), which thrives around four historic “nail posts.” These free-standing little brass pillars or platforms were where, back in the 17th century, deals were sealed and people would “pay on the nail.” The clock on the Corn Exchange Hall facade famously tells both London time and Bristol time (11 minutes apart). It dates from the era before standard time. The advent of trains in the 1850s made having one standard time in Britain crucial, so “London time” (a.k.a. Greenwich Mean Time) became the unofficial standard. It finally became official throughout the realm in 1880 (eventually setting the world standard).
Nearby, the big $$ Bristol Commercial Rooms (once the domain of the merchant elite) is now a vast pub featuring craft beer. And another once-fancy Georgian bank is now another inviting pub, $$ The Cozy Club.
Featuring the world’s oldest Methodist chapel (established in 1739), this exhibit tells the story of Methodism and the work of its founders, John and Charles Wesley. Its thoughtful little museum is particularly inspiring and fascinating—at least to Methodists.
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon-Sat 10:30-16:00, closed Sun, a 10-minute walk north of Bristol Bridge at 36 The Horsefair, tel. 0117/926-4740, www.newroombristol.org.uk.
An efficient plan for visiting this area is to catch a Bristol Packet boat at the TI, take 80 percent of the harbor tour, and get off at the SS Great Britain. After touring that ship, walk along the water 10 minutes to the M-Shed for its Bristol history exhibits. From there you can walk back to the station in about 20 minutes and catch your train to Bath.
Bristol Packet Boat Trips runs its “City Dock Tour” nearly hourly throughout the day in high season. You’ll sit in an old, long, skinny canal boat on a relaxing loop around the Floating Harbour with light live narration (£6.75, 5/day, 45 minutes, tel. 0117/926-8157, www.bristolpacket.co.uk). Boats leave next to the TI at the Watershed building and from the dock at the SS Great Britain. Schedules are posted at both departure points (or call ahead).
When built in 1843, the SS Great Britain laid the groundwork for modern shipping. It was by far the world’s biggest ship, the first major iron-hulled vessel, and the first ship to cross the Atlantic powered by a propeller. More than 175 years later, it’s drydocked a 10-minute walk west of Bristol’s city center—marked by its towering old masts. Plan for a substantial visit that includes the fine ship’s museum, the well-restored ship itself, and an impressive exhibit devoted to its famous designer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. If you walk here from the center, a fun little ferry crosses the harbor from Hannover Quay to the SS Great Britain (£1). Or you can get here by boat on the Bristol Packet harbor tour (described above).
Cost and Hours: £17, daily 10:00-18:00, Nov-March until 16:30, Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Road, tel. 0117/926-0680, www.ssgreatbritain.org.
Visiting the Ship: Your SS Great Britain visit has three parts. First comes a one-way route of the dry dock and ship’s museum. Start at the circa 1840s dry dock, where you’ll walk under the ship (you feel like you’re underwater, but it’s just a shallow pool) for a close look at the iron hull and historic propeller. Then enter the museum, which takes you progressively back in time through the ship’s fascinating history: 1970s salvaged and sailed to London; 1930s run aground and then scuttled in the Falklands; 1870s successful voyages sailing immigrants to Australia; 1860s economic failure as a luxury ship for the trip to New York; and 1843 launch.
Next cross the bridge onto the top deck of the actual ship. While onboard, be sure to talk with the role-playing docents; they’re paid to chat with time travelers like you. Climb through the ship—wonderfully equipped as if sailing in the 1860s with a first-class zone, economy cabins, and massive engine room.
A free-standing building next to the ship—the “Being Brunel” exhibit—tells the story of the workaholic engineer and his amazing career. Brunel (1806-1859) was a dreamer who got things done—envisioning a fast and modern way to connect London and New York and then designing it: Paddington Station in London, the Great Western Railway to Bristol, the Temple Meads Station in Bristol, and the steam-powered ship that would finish the journey. He started the project in 1833...at the age of 27.
An old industrial shed (the port gave warehouses an address by lettering them) now tells Bristol’s history with three galleries focusing on places, people, and lifestyles. You’ll see lots of historic artifacts and an earnest attempt to deal with the city’s slave-trade heritage. Historic ships are often moored just outside including a 1934 fireboat, The Mayflower—the oldest surviving steam-powered tugboat, and a modern replica of explorer John Cabot’s good ship, The Matthew.
In 1497 John Cabot, sailing The Matthew across the North Atlantic, discovered a new-found land and cleverly called it just that. This modern replica of Cabot’s ship, built to celebrate the 500th anniversary of his voyage, is usually moored at the M-Shed and (when in port) is free to climb through. A native of Italy (his real name was Giovanni Caboto), Cabot sailed from Bristol with a Bristol crew. Did the old fishermen here know something their captain didn’t about that mysterious land just beyond the Atlantic’s best cod banks?
Cost and Hours: M-Shed—Free, Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon, tel. 0177/352-6600, www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/m-shed; The Matthew—Free, March-Nov Tue-Sun 10:00-16:00, off-season weekends only, closed Mon year-round; Prince’s Wharf, Wapping Road, tel. 0117/927-6868, https://matthew.co.uk.
A symbol of Bristol (a mile or so west of town), this bridge was completed in 1864 based on plans by engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It’s 700 feet long and rises 250 feet over the Avon Gorge, connecting Clifton Village and Leigh Woods. Bus #8 runs from the train station and from College Green to pleasant Clifton Village; from the bus stop it’s a level walk to the bridge in a parklike setting. The free pedestrian walk across the bridge, with commanding views, leads to a visitors center (in Leigh Woods, free, open daily 10:00-17:00).
Clifton Village itself is a pleasant surprise. You can feel the escapism of the elites two centuries ago even today: The Georgian shops are upmarket boutiques and the Victorian Clifton Arcade is wonderfully shabby-chic. For extra credit, you can hike to Observatory Hill (with the remains of a historic windmill) and enjoy the high-wide view.
For your day trip to Bristol, consider two festive food circuses for lunch.
$$ Wapping Wharf CARGO is a food festival of remodeled shipping containers behind the M-Shed (near SS Great Britain). Part of a new community revitalizing a derelict harbor neighborhood, it’s a thriving collection of about 50 containers that each function like food trucks, offering an eclectic world of creative and fun-loving eateries (generally open 11:00-20:00, most closed Mon).
$$ St. Nicholas Markets is the fun foodie zone in the city center described on my Bristol Town Walk. Under the iron-and-glass vaults of this Victorian market bustles another lively collection of colorful eateries offering an amazing variety of fast, fun, and inexpensive lunches (Mon-Sat 9:30-17:00, closed Sun).