(German version here/ Deutsche version, hier!
For anyone who is traveling through England or planning to visit: A trip to Bath is always worthwhile!
Bath is an English city near Bristol. London is about 1.5 hours or less away by train. Thanks to the hot springs in the region, Bath has been attracting visitors for thousands of years. Similar to Bad Kissingen in Germany, for example, Bath is also a “spa” town.
Whether you are a history lover, architecture enthusiast, or foodie: Bath has something special to offer for everyone! You can easily walk around the city in 1-2 days. I have already visited it twice and put together a small route, which I find quite practical to visit the most important sights. In between all the stops you can also of course walk around a bit more, stop for some indie shopping, as well as breakfast, lunch and/or dinner (see below):
1.Pulteney Bridge
Pulteney Bridge with its curved horseshoe-shaped weir is one of the most famous sights of Bath. It is especially popular as a photo location. The bridge, which also houses cafés and stores, was built in 1769. I recommend photographing the bridge in the morning, when the light is at its best!
2. Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey, built in 1499, marks the center of the city. The church has a cruciform floor plan and can accommodate up to 1,200 visitors. It is an active place of worship, which also hosts civic celebrations, concerts and lectures. There is a history museum in the cellars. While you’re at the church, don’t forget to stop by the Visitor Center, too. Here you can get free interactive information about the city and helpful tips for your individual city tour from volunteers.
3. Roman Baths
You can visit the amazing complete remains of the Roman Baths! They are still fed by water from one of Bath’s three hot springs. Rain seeped into the hills 10,000 years ago, was heated by the rocks and now bubbles into the baths. These are the only hot springs in the UK. In pagan times, the healing power of the thermal waters was known and used by the Celts. Jane Austen also visited the Baths regularly. You can find the Roman Baths right next to the abbey church.
4. Queen Square
Queen Square is a famous square with Georgian houses in the city. The impressive obelisk in the center of Queen Square was built by Beau Nash in 1735. The square is an ideal retreat in the city center to sit and relax in the sun.
5. Royal Crescent
The Royal Crescent is a row of 30 terraced houses arranged in a curved half moon shape, aka crescent, in the city. There are several crescents in the city, this one is the most famous one. The architecture is simply impressive, reminds me of the show Bridgerton and in the park, which is located directly in front of the Crescent, you can rest your legs for a moment and enjoy the view!
6. The Circus
Again a familiar arrangement of row houses. The Circus is a historic ring of large townhouses forming a circle with three entrances. Here you will find another relaxing green space in the middle of the Circus.
7. Thermae Bath Spa
If you have time and want to treat yourself to some relaxation, you should definitely book some time off at Thermae Bath Spa. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go there at that time due to Covid. The Thermae is, however, the only natural thermal spa in the UK. Visitors benefit from the warm, mineral-rich water that the Celts and Romans enjoyed over 2,000 years ago. If you’ve been there, feel free to write and tell me what it’s like!
8. Indie Shopping
Bath is also known for its many small businesses and indie shops that you won’t find anywhere else. Small, local stores with products that are perfect as an alternative souvenir. You can just stroll through the city to explore them, since cute stores are really almost on every corner. If you need a precise destination, I recommend for example:
- TOAST (Fair Fashion & Interior)
- The Loft Café & Store (Interior & Fashion)
- Antiques in Bath
- Graham & Green (interior)
- Boho Women’s Clothing Store
- Rossiters of Bath (Homeware)
- Homefront Interiors
- Berdoulat (really expensive, but the architecture of the building alone is worth a visit)
- In general the street “Margeret’s Buildings” in between Royal Crescent and The Circus
- Whole Lotta Knots (Boho interior)
- Botanica Studio (plant shop, maybe not the most practical place for souvenirs as a tourist, but really cute to see!)
9. Vegan & Veggie Food
I’m mentioning this restaurant first because it is a MUST! All dishes are vegetarian, mostly vegan, and they are served tapas style. All ingredients are super fresh, very seasonal and local. I can’t describe how good all the dishes were, except to say that I happily devoured every spoon/fork down to the last crumb. I’ve never had a vegetarian/vegan tapas experience like this. It blew my taste buds away! We always split like five to six dishes between two people, plus a dessert, and were more than full afterwards. Happy and satisfied 🙂 We were there once for dinner and once for lunch and I can recommend both options. Reservations are recommended though! And I mean, don’t the pics just look amazing!?:
This cafe was right near our hotel, so we went twice. Both times we were super happy and the location right at the Parade Gardens is very chic and super lively at the same time.
We only had a short sandwich & coffee stop here. The coffee was very good and the selection of vegan sandwiches was also very good.
This café is completely vegan and is perfect as a breakfast or lunch spot. We had a hearty breakfast that filled us for a long sightseeing tour.
This Thai restaurant is actually a chain, but very good! We were there for dinner and enjoyed a nice evening! The restaurant is very lively and the interior is super playful. I would only recommend to make sure to order mild dishes, because we did not say anything and our dishes were super spicy! Was difficult to finish, haha 😀
This is a very “Instagrammable” cafe right by Southgate. We went there because they had a vegan afternoon tea. The experience was unique, the interior was very playful and romantic and the desserts were also very good. It was just all too much for us and we took like a third home in a to-go box.
10. Accommodation
On our first trip we stayed at the Hotel Indigo. Not cheap, but we treated ourselves for our anniversary. The location is great though, as are the rooms! Our second trip was simply a day trip from Exeter, as Bath is very easy to reach by train!
Those were my short insights to Bath! As you can see, the small but beautiful city is worth a visit! If you want, you can also search the Internet for a specific Bridgerton city tour, since many scenes from the series were filmed in Bath.
Last but not least, I didn’t want to withhold my other photo impressions from Bath:
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