BATH
Bath • Bristol
SIMPLE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH 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.
PLANNING YOUR TIME
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 or direct bus (for details, see “Bath Connections” on 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 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 day trips. 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).
Orientation to Bath
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.
TOURIST INFORMATION
There’s no physical TI in Bath, but you can find plenty of good information on the Visit Bath website (www.visitbath.co.uk). The Bath Box Office, where you can check for events going on all around town, is located next to the Southgate shopping center. Also drop by the Bath World Heritage Centre to learn more about the different UNESCO sights (see listing later, under “Helpful Hints”).
ARRIVAL IN BATH
The Bath Spa train station has a staffed ticket desk and ticket machines. A handy baggage-storage service is a half-block away (see “Helpful Hints,” next). 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.
The best walking route into the town center is the 10-minute stroll 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.
HELPFUL HINTS
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 and Events: In late May, the 10-day Bath Festival celebrates art, music, and literature (https://bathfestivals.org.uk) overlapped by the eclectic Bath Fringe Festival (theater, walks, talks, bus trips; www.bathfringe.co.uk). The Jane Austen Festival unfolds genteelly in mid-September (https://janeausten.co.uk). 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 (open Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00, next to the Southgate shopping center in 1A Forum Buildings, +44 1225 463 362, https://bathboxoffice.org.uk). You can also find out what’s on in Bath on the website Welcome to Bath (www.welcometobath.co.uk).
Bath World Heritage Centre: This small exhibition (staffed by a few helpful volunteers) provides an overview of Bath as a World Heritage Site. You can download the Bath World Heritage app to your phone and scan various displays in the exhibit to create your own walking tour of the city. Afterward, follow the route you made, and use the app’s augmented reality feature to drop Roman soldiers or other characters onto the streets of Bath. It’s fun for kids and adventurous adults (free, daily 10:00-17:00, 10 York Street, +44 1225 477 785, www.bathworldheritage.org.uk).
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 8:30-21:00, near the Bath Abbey on York Street, +44 1225 428 111, www.toppingbooks.co.uk).
Baggage Storage: Bath Luggage Storage Centre is a half-block in front of the train station, to the right (carry-on size bag-£4.50/day, larger bag-£5.50, daily 8:00-20:00, 13 Manvers Street, +44 1225 312 685, www.bathluggagestorage.com).
Laundry: The Spruce Goose Launderette is between the Circus and the Royal Crescent, near my recommended restaurants on the pedestrian lane called Margaret’s Buildings (bring coins, self-service, daily 8:00-20:00, last load at 19:00; for location see map on here). Speedy Wash picks up your laundry anywhere in town on weekdays before 9:30 for same-day service (Mon-Fri, most hotels work with them, +44 1225 427 616).
Bike Rental: You can rent a pricey bike or e-bike at Green Park Bike Station (£35-65/24 hours, includes lock, no helmets, £7.99 bike map available; Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, closed Sun, Sept-April closed Sun-Mon; smart to book in advance, at Green Park Station—enter through Sainsbury’s on Green Park Road, +44 1225 920 148, www.greenparkbikestation.info, owner Tom).
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, +44 1225 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, +44 1179 867 997, www.thrifty.co.uk), Hertz (one-way rentals possible, at Station Road, +44 843 309 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, +44 871 384 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 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, £3.60 round-trip, £5.40/group round-trip; +44 345 602 0121, www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west).
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 (£5.50/up to 3 hours, £18/24 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 of Bath” section of http://visitbath.co.uk.
Tours in and near Bath
IN THE CITY
▲▲▲Free City Walking Tours
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 city’s evolution, architecture, and 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.
Private Tours
For a private tour, contact the local guides’ bureau, Bath Parade Guides (£105/2 hours, +44 1225 337 111, www.bathparadeguides.co.uk, info@bathparadeguides.co.uk). Mike James is a good Blue Badge Bath guide (£180/half-day, £310/day, mike@mikejames.org).
▲▲Tootbus City Bus Tour
Hop-on, hop-off Tootbus 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. Tootbus 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. Download the app to see real-time bus info and find one near you. For the best sound experience, bring your own earbuds (£22.50 from driver, cheaper online, ticket valid for both routes; City Tour generally runs daily every 15 minutes, in summer 9:45-18:30, Dec-March 10:00-17:00; Skyline Tour runs daily every 15-30 minutes, in summer 10:30-17:30, shorter hours off season, no tours in Jan-Feb; +44 1225 330 444, www.tootbus.com).
Taxi Tours
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.
Food Tours
Savouring Bath Food Tour is worth considering for a three-hour movable feast with themes ranging from “Local Flavours” to “Guilty Pleasures” (£85, Wed-Fri at 9:45 or 14:00, Sat at 9:30, book online, RS%—10 percent discount with code “ricksteves,” www.savouringbath.com, hello@savouringbath.com, Mike James).
NEARBY SIGHTS
Bath is a good launchpad for visiting nearby Glastonbury, Wells, Avebury, Stonehenge, and more.
Mad Max Minibus Tours
Operating daily from Bath, Maddy offers thoughtfully organized, informative tours run with entertaining guides and limited to 15 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 (£70 plus £20 Stonehenge entry, tours depart daily at 8:30 and return at 17:30). They also run a tour of Stonehenge’s inner circle (£105, includes admission, select dates only) and a tour of the Cotswold villages (£70, Mon, Wed, and Fri at 8:30). All tours depart from downtown Bath near the abbey (outside the Abbey Hotel on North Parade, arrive 10 minutes early; RS%—£10 rebate with online purchase of two separate itineraries, request when booking second tour, discount refunded to credit card; ask about discounted private tours for my readers; +44 7990 505 970, phone answered daily 8:00-18:00, www.madmaxtours.co.uk, maddy@madmaxtours.co.uk).
Bath Insider Tours
Bath Insider Tours, run by enthusiastic Daniel, a native Bathonian, offers half-day private tours to Stonehenge (£284 for 2, additional people £22 each, maximum 6 per group, includes admission). Other day trips include Glastonbury, Wells and Cheddar Gorge, and South Cotswolds (daily, +44 777 2038 233, www.bathinsidertours.co.uk, info@bathinsidertours.co.uk).
Other Tours
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 priority-access Stonehenge tickets and some driver commentary along the way (£50 including Stonehenge admission, departs from outside the Abbey Hotel on Terrace Walk; June-Aug daily at 9:30 and 14:00, Sept and April-May at 9:00 and 13:30, Jan-March and Oct-Dec at 13:00; www.scarpertours.com, hello@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 £45/hour for a group (comfortable minivans seat up to 8 people) and £195 for Heathrow-Bath transfers (1-3 people). Make arrangements and get pricing by email at info@celtichorizons.com (+44 1373 800 500, US +1 855 407 3200, www.celtichorizons.com).
Undiscovered Cotswolds runs private, all-day tours to the Cotswolds from Bath, with stops in Castle Combe, Lacock, Bibury, Burford, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, and the Slaughters (£545 for up to 8 people, https://undiscoveredcotswolds.com, info@undiscoveredcotswolds.com).
Sights in Bath
▲▲▲Roman Baths
ALONG THE RIVER AND PULTENEY ESTATES
Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein
George Bayntun Bindery and Bookshop
IN THE TOWN CENTER
Abbey Churchyard
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.
▲▲▲Roman Baths
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 spring and 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: £28 on weekends, £26 on weekdays, cheaper off-season—see website, includes audioguide; Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat-Sun from 9:00, mid-July-Aug until 22:00, last entry one hour before closing; +44 1225 477 784, www.romanbaths.co.uk.
Combo-Ticket: A combo-ticket with the Pump Room (described next) can save you a few pounds on admission to the baths and a choice of morning brunch or afternoon tea. Tickets must be purchased in pairs on the Pump Room website (https://thepumproombath.co.uk).
Crowd-Beating Tips: Long ticket lines are typical in the summer. Use the “fast track” lane by buying your ticket online in advance. On any day, try to visit early or late; peak time is between 13:00 and 16:30. 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 audioguide, included with admission. In addition to the basic commentary, look for posted numbers to key in to your audioguide for specialty topics—including a kid-friendly tour and musings from American expat writer Bill Bryson.
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 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 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, gets 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 thanking the goddess Sulis Minerva for giving 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 everyday 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. In a wall-mounted display case opposite the altars, 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 re-create 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 drainage 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 being 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. The role-playing actors lounging around are 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.
Outside, across the bath 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 well 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 (if available) of the spa water, which purportedly has health benefits (see the 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).
▲Pump Room
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.” The spa water is served by an appropriately attired waiter, who will tell you the water is pumped up from nearly 100 yards underground and marinated in 43 wonderful minerals. Or for the price of a coffee, drop in anytime space is available 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.
▲▲Bath Abbey
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: £6.50, £3 on Sun, includes guided tour covering the history of the abbey Mon-Sat; Mon-Fri 10:00-17:30, Sat until 18:00, Sun 13:15-14:30 & 16:30-18:30; handy flier serves as a self-guided tour; schedule of concerts, services, and evensong posted on the door and online, +44 1225 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 up close, this is your chance—it’s oddly satisfying. You can reach the top of the tower only on 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 (£15, Mon-Sat, no tours Sun, generally at the top of each hour, more often during busy times, tour times usually posted outside abbey entrance, buy tickets at the welcome desk).
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. Symbols from Montague’s coat of arms, three diamonds and eagles, are 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. More than 600 memorials to the deceased are 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.
Downstairs, a Discovery Centre celebrates the abbey’s history with interactive exhibits and a handful of ancient artifacts.
ALONG THE RIVER AND PULTENEY ESTATES
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.
Parade Gardens
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, 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).
Guildhall Market
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 here from the abbey in the 18th century. Stand under the central dome and feel the surviving character. Nearby, 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 makes Bath belts to order. The yarn shop thrills knitters. 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 customers have been enjoying the Market Café since the 1950s (opens at 8:00 for breakfast).
▲Victoria Art Gallery
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. There’s also a small collection of decorative arts, including 187 porcelain and pottery dog figures.
Cost and Hours: Free, £2 suggested donation, temporary exhibits-£7, Tue-Sun 10:30-17:00, closed Mon, +44 1225 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 the artist in action.
▲Pulteney Bridge
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. When the Romans arrived and asked the Celts what they called this river, the Celts answered, “Avon” (the Celtic word for “river”). So, the Romans named it “River River.” That’s why there are eight rivers in England named “Avon.”
River cruises leave from across the bridge at Pulteney Weir—see “Activities in Bath,” later.
Pulteney Estates
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. Frances Pulteney (cousin to the earl) inherited this land in 1762 and started a project to develop it 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 was built was the Pulteney Bridge (a classy way to connect the old town with the new zone across the river) and Great Pulteney Street—intended to be the central axis of this new Georgian Bath.
Looking at Great Pulteney Street and the “Bath” map on here, you can imagine what was planned. The real estate now 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 film set to you, it did to the producers of the Bridgerton series on Netflix, too, who used it and other locations in Bath as Regency-era 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 (see “Tours in and near Bath,” earlier).
NORTHWEST OF THE TOWN CENTER
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 began 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.
For locations see the “Bath” map near the beginning of this chapter.
Queen Square
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.
▲▲The Circus
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 colonies’ 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 to both 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.”
▲▲Royal Crescent
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 that gave city dwellers a slice of the country. Like his father, Wood the Younger designed only the facade, allowing residents 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.
Although Jane Austen never lived here, you might think so given how often the Royal Crescent has appeared as a backdrop on TV and in movies. 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.
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.
▲▲No. 1 Royal Crescent
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: £15, open Tue-Sun 10:00-17:30, closed Mon; last entry one hour before closing, +44 1225 428 126, http://no1royalcrescent.org.uk.
Visiting the Museum: Audiovisual elements bring life to the rooms, telling the story of a Georgian family and their servants.
Start on the ground floor with the Dining Room, where 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.
The Parlour was 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.
Heading upstairs, you enter more intimate rooms. 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 head scratcher. 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 enjoy other “gentler” pursuits. Note the fake door, to maintain the Georgian symmetry of the room. 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. 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.
Assembly Rooms
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. For some 200 years, these lavish rooms have been used as a fashionable venue for parties, wedding receptions, and as the setting for lavish balls on the TV show Bridgerton. The National Trust recently assumed management of the property, and it will remain closed until 2026 while restoration projects are underway. During that time, the rooms may occasionally open with rotating exhibits, allowing visitors to see highlights such as the Ballroom and Octagon Room (most likely open for exhibits Fri-Mon; check locally (www.nationaltrust.org.uk).
Nearby: Around the corner from the Assembly Rooms, Alfred Street gives you a glimpse of 18th-century housing. At #14, by the door, notice the ironwork arch 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 Assembly Rooms, to browse boutiques and the bric-a-brac-filled antique center.
▲Museum of Bath at Work
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: £10, includes audioguide; daily 10:30-17:00, Nov and Jan-April weekends only, closed Dec; last entry one hour before closing, Julian Road, 2 steep blocks up Russell Street from Assembly Rooms, +44 1225 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.
Museum of Bath Architecture
Offering an intriguing look at the construction of this Georgian city, this museum covers everything from the innovative town planning to the plasterwork. Look for an aerial map outlining Bath’s expansion from its 17th-century origins to today’s neighborhoods and an interactive model highlighting 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, may be closed for renovation but generally open 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 Assembly Rooms on a street called “The Paragon,” +44 1225 333 895, www.museumofbatharchitecture.org.uk.
Jane Austen Centre
Two blocks south of the Circus, 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 learn about Austen’s life and family history through a short film and docent talk, then head downstairs, where they are free to try on Regency-era costumes and sniff era-appropriate scents, taste period-appropriate biscuits, play parlor games such as spillikins, and pen a note with a quill. You won’t find any actual historical artifacts (except from the various Persuasion adaptations 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: £14.75, 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 in summer, twice an hour off-season, last entry one hour before closing; just northeast of Queen’s Square at 40 Gay Street, +44 1225 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 (£5-14), including the all-out “Tea with Mr. Darcy” for £26.50 (same hours as museum, last order taken one hour before closing).
Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein
Only worth it for die-hard fans, this museum recounts Mary Shelley’s creation of her novel Frankenstein—much of it written while she lived in an apartment above the Pump House. The highlight of the collection is a room full of Frankenstein merchandise and memorabilia (check out the pinball machine) and the top-floor cinema screening a 10-minute clip of the first-ever Frankenstein, a silent movie from 1910. There are plenty of hands-on experiences throughout, including photo ops with the monster.
Cost and Hours: £17.50, cheaper online, daily 10:00-18:30, shorter hours off-season, last entry one hour before closing, 37 Gay Street, +44 1225 551 542, www.houseoffrankenstein.com.
SOUTH OF THE TOWN CENTER
George Bayntun Bindery and Bookshop
This high-end bookshop and working bindery near the train station is worth a peek. While the workshop is not open to the public, the 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 & 14:00-17:00, closed Sat-Sun, on Manvers Street, +44 1225 466 000).
OUTER BATH
▲American Museum and Gardens
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-£15.50, gardens only-£10; Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon, closed Jan-mid-March; last entry one hour before closing, at Claverton Manor, café, +44 1225 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 one-way, £6 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 £18. By car, it’s well signed from the A-36 and the city center.
Activities in Bath
▲Thermae Bath Spa
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 £40 for two hours (£45 on weekends; smart to book ahead by phone) and includes a towel, robe, slippers, and 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 £55 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. Book treatments in advance by phone or in the shop.
Hours: Daily 9:00-21:30, last entry at 18:30, pools close at 21:00. No kids under 16.
Information: It’s 100 yards from the Roman Baths, on Beau Street (+44 1225 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, though not less-expensive, bathing option. Its fountain taps directly into the spring, making the water hotter than the spa’s (£40, one 1.5-hour session daily 10:00-23:30, Thu only 18:00-19:30, check in at Thermae Bath Spa’s main entrance across the street—you’ll be escorted to the Cross Bath, changing rooms, no kids under 12). If you’re not comfortable playing footsie with strangers, it can feel cramped, and most will find the Royal Bath more enjoyable.
▲▲Canalside Walk to Bathampton
An idyllic towpath leads three miles from Bath along the Kennet and Avon Canal to the sleepy village of Bathampton, making for an unforgettable hour-long walk that gets you totally out of the city. You can do it as a round-trip or one way, in either direction, with a taxi connection; it’s also lovely by 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. The canal, while pristine and bucolic, gives you a sense of the Industrial Age. Consider the classic George Inn in Bathampton for a nice meal and a beer (reservations smart, +44 1225 425 079, www.chefandbrewer.com).
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 (+44 1225 469 758, www.thebathamptonmill.co.uk). From here it’s about a £15 taxi back to Bath.
Other Walks: The Bath Skyline Walk is a six-mile wander around the hills surrounding Bath (see www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bath-skyline). Other scenic paths are described on the Visit Bath website (http://visitbath.co.uk) under “Things to Do: Sports and Active.”
River Cruise
Pulteney Cruisers’ boats depart twice an hour from Pulteney Weir for an out-and-back trip with no stops. 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 boats have picnic-friendly sundecks (£12, operates March-Oct, no reservations, up to 12/day in good weather, one hour to the turnaround point near Bathampton and back, WCs on board, https://pulteneycruisers.com).
Boating
The Bath Boating Station, in an old Victorian boathouse, rents rowboats, canoes, and punts (1 hour-£10/person, 2 hours-£15/person; Wed-Sun 10:00-17:30, closed Mon-Tue and Oct-Easter; intersection of Forester and Rockcliffe roads, one mile northeast of center, +44 1225 312 900, www.bathboating.co.uk).
Mini Golf
Victoria Falls Adventure Golf, an 18-hole course set amid waterways, flowers, and trees in Royal Victoria Park, is scenic fun (£6.50, family ticket available, daily 10:00-dusk, near the Royal Crescent, between Royal Avenue and Charlotte Street parking lot, +44 1225 425 066, www.exceltennisbath.co.uk/adventuregolf).
Swimming and Kids’ Activities
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-£6/adult, £5/kid, family discounts; Mon-Thu 6:30-22:00, Fri until 21:00, Sat until 19:30, Sun 8:00-19:30, kids’ hours limited—check first; call for open-swim times, just across the bridge on North Parade Road, +44 1225 486 905, www.better.org.uk—enter “Bath” under “Find Centre”).
Shopping
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 Assembly Rooms. The Bartlett Street Antique Centre is a collection of a dozen or so shops under one roof (Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00).
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, +44 7946 430 338).
Nightlife in Bath
For an up-to-date list of events, check the “What’s On” section of the Welcome to Bath website (www.welcometobath.co.uk).
▲▲Bizarre Bath Street Theater
For an entertaining walking-tour comedy act “with absolutely no history or culture,” follow Sam 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: £15, RS%—£13 with this book if you buy your ticket the same evening (they rarely sell out); April-Oct Tue-Sun at 20:00, generally smaller groups Tue-Thu, no walks on Mon; promises to insult all nationalities and sensitivities, just racy enough but still good family fun, leaves from the Huntsman Inn, 1 Terrace Walk, www.bizarrebath.co.uk.
▲Theatre Royal Performance
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: the 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: £35-55; 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, +44 1225 448 844, www.theatreroyal.org.uk.
Ticket Deals: Forty £12.50 nosebleed spots on a bench (misnamed “standbys”) are sometimes available. If the show is sold out, same-day “standing places” go on sale at 18:00 (12:00 for matinees) for £6.50. Shows in the Ustinov Theatre go for around £20-40, 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 any £10 tickets. Oh...and if you smell jasmine, it’s the ghost of Lady Grey, a mistress of Beau Nash.
Evening Walks
Free city walking tours are offered on some evenings in high season (described on here). Ghost Walks of Bath is another option (www.ghostwalksofbath.co.uk).
Pubs
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 “Bath Restaurants” map on here for locations.
The Old Green Tree, conveniently right in the town center, is a rare traditional pub offering a warm welcome (daily, locally brewed real ales, no TVs, 12 Green Street, +44 1225 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 (long hours daily, no food served, 23 The Vineyards, top of The Paragon/A-4 Roman Road, +44 1225 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-Tue 16:00-23:00, Wed-Sat from 13:00, Sun 12:00-10:30, 103 Walcot Street, +44 1225 460 426, www.thebellinnbath.co.uk). There’s an inviting garden out back, often with a pizza oven fired up.
Summer Nights at the Baths or Along the Canal
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 less crowded and more atmospheric. And on long, warm summer evenings, the canal walk to Bathampton where a pub dinner awaits (described earlier) can be delightful.
Sleeping in Bath
Bath is a busy tourist town. Accommodations are expensive and can be about 25 percent more on Fridays and Saturdays. B&Bs favor those lingering longer; 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. Take advantage of the Park & Ride lots outside of town or ask your hotelier for the best option.
NEAR THE ROYAL CRESCENT
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) walk to the bus station and hop on bus #4 toward Weston (pay driver £2, 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, limited free parking, 1 Marlborough Lane, +44 1225 318 175, www.marlborough-house.net, marlboroughguesthousebath@gmail.com).
$$ Brocks Guest House rents seven rooms in a Georgian townhouse built by John Wood in 1765. Located between the prestigious Royal Crescent and the courtly Circus, its modern touches amidst Georgian elegance would make the great architect proud. Each room has its own Bath-related theme (no breakfast, little top-floor library, 32 Brock Street, +44 1225 338 374, www.brocksguesthouse.co.uk, brocks@brocksguesthouse.co.uk. Owner Louise also rents nearby self-catering apartments in The Circus and in the Royal Crescent).
$$ 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 (1 Crescent Gardens, Upper Bristol Road, +44 1225 425 543, www.brooksguesthouse.com, info@brooksguesthouse.com).
$$ 2 Crescent Gardens, owner Giacomo’s former family home, has six attractive rooms—some with views—and a bright, open breakfast room and homey living room (RS%, family room, closed Jan, 2 Crescent Gardens, +44 1225 331 186, www.2crescentgardens.co.uk, 2crescentgardens@gmail.com, managed by Monika).
EAST OF THE RIVER
These listings are a 5- to 10-minute walk from the city center. From the train station, it’s best to take a taxi, as there are no good bus connections.
$$$$ The Roseate Villa rents 21 stately yet modern rooms in a freestanding townhouse, with a park on one side and an extensive lawn on the other. In a city that’s so insistently Georgian, it’s fun to stay in a mansion that’s Victorian (family rooms, pay parking, in quiet residential area on Henrietta Street, +44 1225 466 329, http://roseatehotels.com/bath/theroseatevilla [URL inactive], reception.trvb@roseatehotels.com).
$$$ The Kennard is a short walk from the Pulteney Bridge. Each of the 12 rooms is colorfully and elaborately decorated (peaceful little Georgian garden out back, 11 Henrietta Street, +44 1225 310 472, www.kennard.co.uk, reception@kennard.co.uk).
$$$ Henrietta House, operated by the Radisson chain, has 66 rooms located in two separate buildings 90 feet apart. Choose between modern rooms (with air-con) and more traditional large rooms with hardwood floors (select a cooler room at the back). The name of this place reflects English aristocracy, honoring the daughter of the mansion’s former owners, Lord and Lady Pulteney (family-size suites, 27 and 33 Henrietta Street, +44 1225 632 632, www.radissonhotels.com, info.henriettahouse@radissonindividuals.com).
$$$ 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. For the best value, request a standard top-floor double with a view of Bath (fine garden, pay parking, 24 Pulteney Road, +44 1225 425 495, www.ayrlington.com, theayrlington@gmail.com).
$$ At Apple Tree Guesthouse, near a shady canal, hostess Ling rents five comfortable rooms sprinkled with Asian decor (2-night minimum on weekends, 7 Pulteney Gardens, +44 1225 337 642, www.appletreebath.com, enquiries@appletreebath.com).
IN THE TOWN CENTER
Since Bath is so pleasant and manageable by foot, a downtown location isn’t essential, but these options are close to the baths and abbey.
$$$ Eight Townhouse offers nine spacious and fancy rooms off a quiet, traffic-free courtyard just 50 yards from the abbey and the Roman Baths and another 12 rooms around the corner in a second townhouse on Abbey Green. Reception and breakfast are located at the main location (family room, 2-night minimum on weekends, 2 ground-floor rooms work well for those with limited mobility, +44 1225 428 558, www.eightinbath.co.uk, info@eightinbath.co.uk).
$$$ Harington’s Hotel rents 13 fresh, modern rooms on a quiet street. This stylish place feels like a boutique hotel, but with a friendlier, laid-back vibe (pay parking, 8 Queen Street, +44 1225 461 728, www.haringtonshotel.co.uk, post@haringtonshotel.co.uk, manager Kathryn). Owner Peter rents 11 apartments nearby (2-night minimum on weekends).
$$ 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, +44 7486 060 237, www.laurastownhouseapartments.co.uk, info@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, +44 1225 424 052, www.thehenry.com, stay@thehenry.com, Christina).
BARGAIN ACCOMMODATIONS
$ Z Hotel Bath (the Brits say “zed”) rents spare, modern rooms just big enough for the bed—your suitcase slides into a nook below. Though space is tight, hotel frills include organic linens. 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, +44 1225 613 160, www.thezhotels.com/hotels/bath, 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, continental breakfast weekends only, down a tiny alley off Broad Street on Broad Street Place, +44 1225 325 900, www.bathymca.co.uk, stay@ymca-bg.org).
¢ 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 Bar, where you’ll find the reception (cheaper to book online, private rooms available, 9 Green Street, +44 1225 481 444, www.st-christophers.co.uk, bath@st-christophers.co.uk).
Eating in Bath
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.
UPSCALE ENGLISH
$$$$ The Circus Restaurant is a relaxing eatery serving well-executed seasonal dishes with European flair. Choose between the modern interior—with seating on the main floor or in the less-charming cellar—and a few tables on the peaceful street connecting the Circus and the Royal Crescent (long hours Mon-Sat, closed Sun, 34 Brock Street, +44 1225 466 020, www.thecircusrestaurant.co.uk).
$$$$ Clayton’s Kitchen is where Michelin-star chef Rob Clayton aims to offer affordable British cuisine without pretense. The food is thoughtfully prepared and beautifully presented (closed Mon-Tue, a few outside tables, 15 George Street, +44 1225 724 386, www.claytonskitchen.com).
$$$ Beckford Canteen, on a quiet pedestrian street, presents a contemporary yet nostalgic twist on traditional English dishes like rarebit and pea and mint soup. You’ll dine on the season’s best offerings alongside plenty of locals. There are no pretenses here—only a friendly staff ready to welcome you (closed Mon-Tue, reserve a table in the secret garden, 11 Bartlett Street, +44 1225 338 470, www.beckfordcanteen.com). One block up, the associated $$ Beckford Bottle Shop serves small British plates in a space that’s equal parts wine bar, wine shop, bistro, and delicious (closed Sun-Mon, 5 Saville Row).
$$$ The Chequers is so nice I raised it out of the pub category. It’s pubby gourmet, serving a small menu of creative British and French dishes to enjoy in their handsome bar on the ground floor or, on weekends, the refined upstairs restaurant with open kitchen (daily for dinner, lunch served Sat-Sun only, just above the Royal Crescent at 50 Rivers Street, +44 1225 428 924, https://chequersbath.net).
PUB GRUB
$$$ The Garrick’s Head, an elegantly simple gastropub around the corner from the Theatre Royal, serves traditional English dishes with a few Mediterranean options. There’s a restaurant with table service on one side, a more casual bar on the other, and some tables outside that are great for people-watching—all with the same menu and prices (daily, 8 St. John’s Place, +44 1225 318 368, www.garricksheadpub.com).
$$ 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, 10 Abbey Green, +44 1225 482 666, www.crystalpalacepub.co.uk).
$$ The Raven attracts a boisterous local crowd. It emphasizes beer—with an impressive selection of real ales—but serves some delicious savory pies for nourishment. The ground floor has a thick pub vibe, while upstairs feels more like a restaurant (daily, 6 Queen Street, +44 1225 425 045).
FISH
$$ The Scallop Shell is my top choice for fish in Bath. Hardworking Garry and his family offer grilled seafood along with fish-and-chips. Their £12.50 lunch special is served daily until 14:30. The ground floor is energized by the open kitchen, while upstairs is quieter with a breezy terrace and smaller menu (daily, no dinner on Sun, 22 Monmouth Place, +44 1225 420 928).
ITALIAN AND SPANISH
$$$ Sotto Sotto is where Italians in Bath go when they want traditional food. The restaurant sits in a candlelit vaulted cellar once used for storing coal, giving it a rustico-industrial feel. The pasta main courses are well priced, and high-spirited staff make dining an enjoyable experience (closed Sun-Mon, 10 North Parade, +44 1225 330 236, www.sottosotto.co.uk, info@sottosotto.co.uk).
$$ Dough Pizza Restaurant serves the best pizza in town in a fun and casual atmosphere (daily, 14 The Corridor, +44 1255 443 686).
$$ Olé Tapas bounces to a flamenco beat, turning out tasty tapas from their minuscule kitchen. If you’re hungry for a trip to Spain, arrive early or make a reservation, as it’s both tiny and popular (closed Mon-Tue, up the stairs at 1 John Street, +44 1225 424 274, www.oletapas.co.uk).
VEGETARIAN AND ASIAN
$$$$ OAK Restaurant is owned by renowned cookbook author Richard Buckley. It’s pricey but highly rated (with an impressive £49 five-course tasting menu) and ideal for the well-heeled vegetarian. Its tight interior is elegant with a quiet and understated vibe (daily, most dishes are vegan or can be made vegan, 2 North Parade Passage, +44 1225 446 059, www.oakrestaurant.co.uk).
$$$ The Grand Eastern serves large portions of Indian and Bangladeshi dishes in an impressive, triple-domed Georgian hall (daily, Sat-Sun open for dinner only, 8A Quiet Street, +44 1225 422 323, https://grandeastern.co.uk).
$$ Thai Balcony Restaurant has an open, spacious interior that’s so plush, it’ll have you wondering, “Where’s the wedding?” While residents debate which of Bath’s handful of Thai restaurants serves the best food or value, there’s no doubt that Thai Balcony’s fun and elegant atmosphere makes for a memorable and enjoyable dinner (daily, corner of Monmouth Street and Saw Close, +44 1225 444 450).
$$ 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 (closed Mon and closed for lunch Sat-Sun, downstairs at 12 Pierrepont Street, +44 1225 442 299, www.yakyetiyak.co.uk).
EVER-SO-ENGLISH AFTERNOON TEA
A tradition for anyone feeling both English and aristocratic is a formal “afternoon tea”—with a three-tiered trolley piled with 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.
$$$ The Pump Room sits above the Roman baths and for over two centuries has been Bath’s iconic Georgian gathering place. The food comes with live music—piano or a string trio (daily 10:00-12:00 for morning coffee or champagne brunch; £38.50 afternoon tea at 12:00, 14:00 & 16:00—reserve online and consider special offers including a combo-ticket with Roman Baths, coffee and pastries sometimes available for walk-ins, dinner late July-Aug 18:00-21:00 only, +44 1225 444 477, https://thepumproombath.co.uk).
$ Hands Georgian Tearoom is an understated, family-run place a stone’s throw from the abbey and the baths. With an elegant Georgian interior and traditional dishes, it’s a good option for breakfast, lunch, or an economic afternoon tea in the center of the tourist bustle (daily until 17:00, 1 Abbey Street, +44 1225 463 928, www.handstearoom.co.uk).
$$$ Montagu’s Mews 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 (£42 afternoon tea, daily until 16:00, reserve a day ahead—a week ahead for Sat-Sun, 16 Royal Crescent, +44 1225 823 333, www.royalcrescent.co.uk).
SIMPLE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH OPTIONS
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 who 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 old-time locals (traditional English meals including fried breakfasts all day, Mon-Sat until 17:00, closed Sun, a block north of the abbey on High Street, +44 1225 461 593).
$ 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 until 16:00, across from the Assembly Rooms at 8 Alfred Street, +44 1225 476 465).
$ Chandos Deli has good coffee, breakfast pastries, and tasty £6-8 sandwiches made on artisan breads—plus 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-Sat until 17:30, Sun until 16:00, 12 George Street, +44 1225 314 418).
$ The Cornish Bakehouse has freshly baked takeaway pasties (Mon-Fri until 17:30, Sat until 18:00, Sun until 17:00, off High Street at 11A The Corridor, +44 1225 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 international food joints where you can grab a bite and sit outside. Yum Yum Thai is a more casual alternative to the Thai Balcony Restaurant mentioned earlier. They offer a £11 lunch special (daily); Chai Walla serves up satisfying, simple Indian street food (daily, no seating, Niraj); Mission Burrito is good if you crave Mexican (daily); Seafoods Fish & Chips is a greasy standby but The Scallop Shell, described earlier, is a better value (daily, £12 lunch special until 16:00); 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 (daily, 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 (daily, 16 Stall Street). Next door, Tesco Express grocery is open late (daily, 13 Stall Street). Sainsbury’s Local, across the street from the bus station, also has long hours (daily, 2 Dorchester Street).
Bath Connections
Bath’s train station is called Bath Spa (+44 345 748 4959, www.nationalrail.co.uk). The National Express bus station is just west of the train station (bus info +44 871 781 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 10:00 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 £8-9 when purchased 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. It’s less frequent but takes about the same amount of time as the train (6-7/day, more with transfer, 2-3 hours, £20-30 one-way depending on time of day, +44 871 781 8181, www.nationalexpress.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, 2.5 hours, £45-75 one-way depending on time of day, cheaper in advance; avoid transfer in London, where you’ll have to change stations; www.nationalrail.co.uk) 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 (£16.50, hourly, 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, 20 minutes), Salisbury (hourly direct, 1 hour), Portsmouth (hourly, 2.25 hours), Exeter (hourly, 1.5 hours, transfer in Bristol or Westbury), Penzance (1-2/hour, 5 hours, most 1-2 transfers), Moreton-in-Marsh (hourly, 2.5-3 hours, 2-3 transfers), York (hourly with transfer in Bristol, 4.5 hours, more with additional transfers), Oxford (2/hour, 1 hour, transfer in Didcot), Cardiff (hourly, 1.25 hours), Birmingham (2/hour, 2 hours, 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: Portsmouth (6/day, 6 hours, transfer in London), Exeter (7/day, 3.5-4 hours, most transfer in Bristol), Cheltenham (3/day, 2-3 hours, transfer in Bristol), and Oxford (7/day, 4-5 hours, transfer in London). For bus connections to Glastonbury and Wells, see the next chapter.
Bristol
For an easy and enlightening urban side trip from Bath, consider Bristol. This historic port city is the rugged, industrial (yet newly energized) counterpart to Bath’s glam. While Bath is refined, 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 and its parallel channel kink and bend through town, giving the cityscape a lively ambience. Bristol has one of Europe’s highest tides (45 feet), which made the city a muddy mess until 1809, when a dam tamed the waters. 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—enslaved people between Africa, America, and Europe. It was a lose-win-win arrangement, and Bristol has recently become preoccupied with coming to terms with this blemished history.
With the advent of the Industrial Age, Bristol became England’s port facing the Atlantic—the natural flow of goods was 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 name that sounds like a Dickens character: Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He 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, as you can tell by the haphazard mix of venerable old buildings and generally ugly development from the postwar era.
In more recent 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 enthusiasm. While Bath protects its rowhouses and keeps them a uniform creamy tone, Bristol is known for its multicolored “painted terraces,” which stripe the surrounding hills like rainbows. The city of 465,000 people (England’s sixth largest) 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 pro-EU, liberal, green—and a lot of old hippies. Bristol grabbed the world’s attention in the summer of 2020, when—amid the Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd—city residents toppled a statue of a slave trader and dumped it into the harbor. Vegan menus are the rage, hometown street artist Banksy decorates random walls...and look out for the cyclists.
GETTING TO BRISTOL
Bristol is great for a quick visit by foot, but it’s a pain for drivers. From Bath Spa Station, trains depart four times an hour to Bristol’s Temple Meads Station; you’ll be in Bristol in less than 15 minutes. Just buy a ticket, go to track 1, and hop on the next train.
Bristol Airport (code: BRS, www.bristolairport.co.uk), which is becoming more popular, is served by a handy “Airport Flyer” shuttle bus that stops in front of the train station (£8, 5/hour, 30 minutes).
Orientation to Bristol
Bristol, while not as compact or 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 15 minutes’ 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, just above the Centre Promenade) 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.
TOURIST INFORMATION
Bristol does not have a physical TI (though there is some info at https://visitbristol.co.uk). Various museums hand out a good, free town map that’s more extensive than the one in this chapter.
HELPFUL HINTS
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 (£150/half-day, +44 7818 436 575, studytours@aol.com).
Street Art: The street artist known as Banksy was born in Bristol, and a handful of his legendary street paintings still dot the town. Because these tend to disappear over time, there really isn’t good printed information on where to find them; try searching online for “Banksy Bristol Trail” for some tips. Or you can catch a street-art-themed guided tour: The “From Blackbeard to Banksy” walk is popular and reliable (£10, 2 hours, runs most days at 11:30, Sat often also at 14:30, confirm schedule and book online, departs from Bristol Cathedral, +44 7811 975 275, www.blackbeard2banksy.com).
Bristol Town Walk
This self-guided walk starts at Bristol’s main train station and ends in the heart of its city center, at the Floating Harbour. Along the way, we’ll see historic neighborhoods, a fine church, a characteristic market, and the river and bridges that made this city famous. Allow about 1.5 hours. The walk ends a short stroll or ferry ride from two of the town’s main sights, M-Shed (the city history museum) and the SS Great Britain.
From Temple Meads Station into Town: Arriving is easy. Just follow the underground concourse to the exit, then walk straight out along the right side of the big cul-de-sac. You’ll pass the stop for bus #8 (for a handy ride into the town center, then College Green, then on to Clifton Suspension Bridge), then a stop for the Airport Flyer bus. Between the bus stops, watch for a life-size statue of a dandy with a stovepipe hat. This is Bristol’s favorite son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who engineered the main train line connecting this station to London—effectively making Bristol the British Empire’s natural outlet to the Atlantic. We’ll learn more about Brunel later (for starters, read the info board).
• Reaching the busy road (Temple Gate), turn right to walk along it, then use the first crosswalk to reach Redcliffe Way. Carry on straight ahead along Redcliffe Way toward the pointy, 300-foot-tall spire. When you get there, step inside...
St. Mary Redcliffe Church: Long the tallest structure in town, this parish church’s interior is worth a look (free, Mon-Sat 8:00-17:00, Sun 12:00-16:30, +44 117 231 0060, www.stmaryredcliffe.co.uk [URL inactive]). Begin by walking up the nave to take in the magnificent 13th-century Gothic space. While its windows are mostly modern, the floors and walls are littered with the tombs and memorials of Bristol’s leading citizens. In the right (south) transept, the big gray tomb in the floor is the resting place of Sir William Penn, father of William Penn (who founded Pennsylvania). Look high up on the windows in this transept; in the top row, along with a wooden ship, you’ll see another favorite Bristolian, John Cabot—who sailed to America just after Columbus on his good ship, The Matthew (we’ll see a replica at the end of this walk).
In the opposite (north) transept, notice the blank panes at the bottom of the otherwise colorful stained-glass windows. These once honored Edward Colston, a prominent Bristolian slave trader. Following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, the church removed these windows—a panel nearby explains why.
Heading back up the nave, veer right in the back corner into St. John’s Chapel, where—on your right as you enter—you’ll see a 500-year-old whale bone hanging on the wall. If you’d like an excuse to strike up a conversation with the friendly attendants, ask them about the whale bone. (Hint: It’s John Cabot again; the church brochure says he brought it back here in 1497 “after he discovered America.” Hmmm...) Speaking of Cabot, as you leave the church through the door you came in, look up to see a small model of The Matthew.
• After visiting the church, continue along Redcliffe Way (passing an old Quaker burial ground). Soon you’ll cross...
Redcliffe Bridge: This viewpoint offers a good look at Bristol’s houseboats and the colorful rowhouses along the ridgeline. Imagine the town before its 1809 embankments and locks tamed the massive tides, creating the Floating Harbour.
• Just over the bridge, continue straight to the huge...
Queen Square: 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. 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).
• Walk diagonally through the square. Emerging at a plaza, make a sharp right onto...
King Street: Stroll the length of this characteristic street, passing historic pubs and the 18th-century Old Vic Theatre (on the left; locals claim it’s England’s oldest working theater). You can tell where WWII bombs fell (ugly new buildings) and where they didn’t.
At the river, you’ll see two permanently moored riverboats hosting eateries: $$ The Apple (specializing in hard cider) and $ Three Brothers Burgers. If you’re hungry now, these are good for lunch; several more options are coming up soon.
• Turn left and walk along the river. Soon you arrive at...
Bristol Bridge: This historic bridge, with its 250-year-old stone arches, reminds 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.
• At the bridge, turn left onto High Street and walk a couple of blocks uphill, toward another steeple. On the left, watch for the entrance to the...
St. Nicholas Markets: You’ve slipped in the back door of Bristol’s Corn Exchange Hall—a once formal and stately finance center that has been revived by a rising tide of informal economy. This is just a small part of an entire block of fun-to-explore stalls filling St. Nicholas Markets (described later, under “Eating in Bristol.”).
Wander through the main market arcade until you reach an alley. Turn right here, then watch on your right for the entrance to the Exchange Hall. Head inside. This part of the Corn Exchange Hall is now a commotion of bric-a-brac dealers—like a permanent flea market under a grand Georgian roof. Turn left midway through this part of the market, then head out to the street (exiting between the columns).
• You’ve popped out on Corn Street. Walk a few steps straight ahead, then turn around and look back at the main facade.
Corn Exchange Hall: This was built in the 1740s by John Wood the Elder, who’s best known for his many buildings in Bath—as if hardworking Bristol wanted to splurge on something to keep up with its chichi neighbor. The clock on the facade famously tells both London time and Bristol time (11 minutes apart). 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.
The pedestrian zone out front has an open-air market (different days, different markets). Notice the four brass, waist-high pillars (which look like gigantic chess pieces) lined up in front of the Corn Exchange Hall. These historic “nails” were where deals were sealed and people would “pay on the nail.”
• Now look up and down the street you’re standing on, called...
Corn Street: 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. Head downhill on Corn Street, looking right to spot the $$ Bristol Commercial Rooms. Once the domain of the merchant elite, the space now houses a vast and somewhat gloomy pub. Another block or so down the street, step into $$ The Cosy Club, a more upscale joint filling a once-fancy Georgian bank.
• Continue downhill on Corn Street. You’ll run into a wide, inviting, brick plaza—extending to your left and right—called the...
Centre Promenade: Bristol’s main pedestrian strolling street is a fun place to hang out. The big theater across the way sometimes stages West End-caliber productions. But there’s also some serious history here.
From the middle of the promenade, turn right and walk until you reach a busy intersection. Immediately across the street, you’ll see an empty pedestal. The missing statue honored Edward Colston (1636-1721) and, as the panel explains, had been “erected by citizens of Bristol as a memorial of one of the most virtuous and wise sons of their city.” For years, many Bristolians chafed at this message because it ignored one very important fact: Colston became grossly wealthy by engaging in the human trafficking of enslaved Africans, as a part of the “triangular trade” with America that brought wealth to Bristol at a terrible cost to African lives.
In the summer of 2020, following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Black Lives Matter protests swept the globe. Bristolians whose demands to remove the statue had long fallen on deaf ears took matters into their own hands. On June 7, they toppled the statue from this pillar, dragged it down to the Floating Harbour, and chucked it in the harbor. (We’ll see where it ended up later on this walk.)
• Turn around and head back down the Centre Promenade. After about 100 yards, you’ll pass a statue of Neptune and a fountain. Keep going down to where the Inner Harbor laps at the base of the promenade. We’ll head out along the harbor next. But first, consider a quick detour—especially if you want to see some street art by Bristol native Banksy.
College Green/Banksy Detour: If you go uphill on the street to your right—the one that curves past the Marriott Hotel—you’ll wind up at College Green. In front of you is the home of the Bristol City Council, and to your left is the Bristol Cathedral. (From College Green, you can also catch bus #8 to the Clifton Suspension Bridge, described later.)
Head to the right of the City Council building and cross Park Street to find a bridge with cars passing beneath. On the wall to the right is the Banksy mural, entitled “Well Hung Lover.” When it was painted in 2006, this building was a sexual health clinic; not long after, the mural was defaced with a paintball gun. The work captures the stenciled, cheeky style of this world-famous street artist. Many things about Banksy remain unknown—including his true identity—but it’s believed he was born in the mid-1970s and began his artistic career as a teenager here in Bristol. While many Bristol walls have served as canvases for Banksy, his works tend to degrade or be removed over time, making them hard to reliably locate.
• Back at the Floating Harbour, notice the City Center landing dock for the Bristol Ferry, offering a quick connection to other waterfront points (check posted schedule for times; see details on facing page). Now stroll along the right side of the water, under the arcade of...
The Watershed: Wandering here—facing the Inner Harbour—you’ll pass a variety of eateries, pubs, and a cultural center also called Watershed, with a cinema and art space.
• At the far end of the long Watershed complex, you emerge at a modern footbridge across the Inner Harbour.
Pero’s Bridge: Opened in 1999, this bridge is named for Pero Jones (c. 1753-1798), an African man who was enslaved at age 12, taken to the Caribbean island of Nevis, and later brought to Bristol to work in the home of a local merchant. In honoring Pero Jones, the bridge aims to commemorate the countless enslaved people with similar life stories, all victims of Bristol’s prosperity.
Immediately to the right of Pero’s Bridge, along the railing, a low-profile plaque marks the spot where protesters pushed the Edward Colston statue into Floating Harbour. Perhaps it’s fitting that it happened next to a bridge named for a man whose enslavement contributed to Colston’s (and Bristol’s) ill-gotten wealth.
Bristol is realizing that the past is not sacrosanct, and that a healthy balance of old and new—of community pride tempered by honest self-reflection—is the recipe for a successful civic life. Our walk is done; go out and enjoy that life.
Nearby: To your right sprawls a family-friendly fun zone, with a big aquarium, a Ferris wheel, a planetarium, and a hands-on science center called We The Curious. If you have kids in tow, this area bears exploring.
If you’d like to visit the M-Shed (Bristol’s city history museum, with great food stalls just behind) and board a replica of The Matthew (Cabot’s ship), cross Pero’s Bridge, turn right, hook left around the Arnolfini art gallery (dip inside if you enjoy contemporary art), then turn right across the Prince Street Swing Bridge and head for the big, industrial-looking shed. From there, you can carry on another 10 minutes or so to the SS Great Britain.
Or, to go directly to the SS Great Britain with even less effort, catch a ferry from along the Watershed and ride it across the harbor (see next). After touring that ship, walk back along the water 10 minutes to the M-Shed and The Matthew.
Sights in Bristol
Along the Floating Harbour
▲Harbor Tours by Boat
For a different view on Bristol, consider a boat trip. The yellow-and-blue vessels operated by Bristol Ferry Boats offer waterbus transportation to various points along the Floating Harbour; this can be handy for connecting your sightseeing, but there’s no commentary on board. From the Watershed, the ferry heads to Wapping Wharf (near the M-Shed/The Matthew), then on to the SS Great Britain. Or you can enjoy a longer trip (price depends on how long you ride—starts at £2/10 minutes, 10/day, +44 117 927 3416, www.bristolferry.com). Bristol Packet Boat Trips are a good choice if you want to settle into an old, long, skinny canal boat for a lazy, 45-minute boat trip with live narration (“City Dock Tour” departs from SS Great Britain, £9.75, 6/daily through the summer and weekends year-round, +44 117 926 8157, www.bristolpacket.co.uk). For both boats, schedules are posted near departure points, and captains can explain your options.
▲▲▲Brunel’s SS Great Britain
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. Nearly 180 years later, it’s drydocked a 15-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 (£1.20, credit card only). Or you can get here by boat on the Bristol Ferry (described earlier).
Cost and Hours: £22; Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, Nov-March until 16:00, closed Mon except at some peak times (check ahead); Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Road, +44 117 926 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 dry dock (from 1839), where you’ll literally 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 through the ship’s fascinating history: 1970s, salvaged and sailed to London (supposedly the “longest maritime tow in history”); 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 the 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. The interiors are well designed to re-create actual belowdecks life. The busy galley has dirty dishes in the sink and rats hiding in the corners; the grand dining room has a table set for a grand feast. Sound effects bring it all to life.
A freestanding 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 age 27.
▲▲M-Shed and The Matthew
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. This endearing exhibit is worth a visit to appreciate what makes Bristol special.
Cost and Hours: Free, Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon, Princes Wharf, Wapping Road, +44 177 352 6600, www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/m-shed.
Visiting the Museum: On floor 0, in the Bristol Places exhibit, you can walk across a giant aerial photo of the city, check out a double-decker green “omnibus,” and see bomb shelters from the WWII Blitz.
Up on floor 1, Bristol Life includes an engaging exhibit called “Joining and Leaving,” about new arrivals (immigrants, university students) as well as Bristolians who’ve moved on. It’s refreshing to see a city so accepting of its status as a transit point and melting pot. This section also explains Bristolian school life, work life, and the local “Brizzle” dialect—with rolled r’s and an intrusive l at the ends of certain words (for example, “idea” becomes “ideal”).
Also on floor 1 is Bristol People, covering the city’s contribution to visual arts, music, and trade, and its strong and proud heritage of political engagement and activism. The honest, sober exhibit about the transatlantic slave trade explains how it “brought wealth to some and misery and death to millions.” Also look for the composite painting entitled “Some Who Have Made Bristol Famous” and find the controversial Edward Colston—identified (accurately) as “slave trader; merchant and philanthropist.”
Nearby: Historic ships often moored just outside the M-Shed include 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 sailed The Matthew across the North Atlantic and “discovered” a new-found land, which he cleverly called just that. This modern replica of Cabot’s ship, built to celebrate the 500th anniversary of his voyage, is free to climb through (typically moored and open Tue-Sun 10:00-16:00, Nov-early March open only Sat-Sun 10:30-15:00; closed Mon year-round, +44 117 927 6868, https://matthew.co.uk). 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?
Elsewhere in Bristol
▲The New Room/John Wesley’s Chapel
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: £7, Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, closed Sun, a 10-minute walk north of Bristol Bridge at 36 The Horsefair, +44 117 926 4740, www.newroombristol.org.uk.
▲Clifton Suspension Bridge and Clifton Village
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 (free, open daily 10:00-17:00, in Leigh Woods, +44 117 974 4664, https://cliftonbridge.org.uk).
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.
Eating in Bristol
For your day trip to Bristol, consider two festive food circuses for lunch.
In the Town Center: $-$$ St. Nicholas Markets is a bounty of affordable food options tucked inside the landmark Corn Exchange Hall, right in the heart of historic Bristol. Under the iron-and-glass vaults bustles a wide selection of fast, fun, inexpensive eateries. At lunchtime, you’ll be surrounded by Bristolians on break (Mon-Sat 9:30-17:00, closed Sun).
Near the M-Shed: $$ Wapping Wharf CARGO is a collection of more than two dozen creative restaurants and food shops offering a fun, eclectic mix of dining options. The setting is fun, too—a cluster of repurposed shipping containers located behind the M-Shed. As part of ongoing development in this once-derelict, now-hopping harbor neighborhood, plans are underway to replace the containers with a permanent building. CARGO will remain open throughout the construction process (daily, hours for each shop vary).
Other Options: I’ve also mentioned a few choices along the route of my self-guided walk: the restaurant barges near Bristol Bridge ($$ The Apple, featuring cider, and $ Three Brothers Burgers and the two former banks-turned-pubs on Corn Street ($$ Bristol Commercial Rooms and the swankier $$ Cosy Club).