Destination guides > Europe > England > Southwest England > Bath, Bristol & Somerset > Bath
Bath
Bath is one of Britain's most visited small cities, and with good reason as it is a charming place with a history dating back two thousand years when it was a Roman settlement. Although the city's two main landmarks are the Roman Baths and the 15th-century Bath Abbey, it was the Georgian period that saw Bath grow from a small town to the fashionable city that it is today.
Practical information
Bath Tourist Information Centre
Abbey Chambers, Abbey Church Yard, Bath
Tel 0906 711 2000
Website www.visitbath.co.uk
Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm
Coming & going
BUS & COACH
National Express (tel 0870 580 8080) has frequent buses to Bristol and London. First and Stagecoach have buses to towns in Somerset and neighbouring counties.
Buses depart from the bus station near the train station on Manvers Street.
TRAIN
Bath Spa station at the southern end of the city centre has excellent train connections.
Train companies that serve Bath include First Great Western with trains to Bristol and London (Paddington) plus Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Penzance, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Southampton and South West Trains with trains to Bristol, Salibury, London (Waterloo) and Southampton.
Local transport
First run local buses around Bath. All day passes cost £4.20 if purchased before 8.30am on weekdays or £3.90 if purchased after 8.30am on weekdays or all day on weekends.
The Freedom Travelpass costs £10.20 (£9.50 after 9am Mon-Fri and all day on weekends) and gives you one day unlimited travel on buses in Bath and Bristol plus travel on First Great Western trains between Bath and Bristol.
Hostel accommodation
Bath Backpackers
13 Pierrepont Street, Bath
Tel (01225) 446 787
Bath YHA
Bathwick Hill, Bath
Bus 18
Tel (01225) 465 674
Bath YMCA
International House, Broad Street Place, Bath
Tel (01225) 325 900
St Christophers Inn
9 Green Street, Bath
Bus 2, 6, 7, 20A, X71, X72, 700, 702, 706, 707, 716
Tel (020) 7407 1856
The White Hart Inn
Widcombe Hill, Bath
Tel (01225) 313 985
Sightseeing, museums & tourist attractions
The American Museum
This museum focuses on American decorative arts such as patchwork quilts and Shaker furniture.
Claverton Manor, Bath
Bus 18
Tel (01225) 460503
Website www.americanmuseum.org
Admission £8
Open 20 Mar-31 Oct Tue-Sun 2pm-5.30pm
Bath Abbey
Dominating the city centre, the 15th-century Bath Abbey is known for its 56 stained glass windows. A much larger cathedral that is believed to have been the site of King Edgars' (England's first king) coronation once stood on the site of Bath Abbey.
Cheap Street, Bath
Tel (01225) 422 462
Website www.bathabbey.org
Admission £2 donation
Open Jan-Mar Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 8am-8pm; Apr-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 8am-8pm; Nov-Dec Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 8am-8pm
Beckford's Tower & Museum
This lavishly restored building north of the city centre offers panoramic views from its tower.
Lansdown Road, Bath
Bus 2, 702
Tel (01225) 460705
Website www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk
Admission £3, £2 students
Open Easter-Oct Sat-Sun 10.30am-5pm
Building of Bath Collection
This museum shows how – in a period of only 70 years – Bath developed into one of the most fashionable places in Georgian England.
The Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel, The Vineyards, The Paragon, Bath
Tel (01225) 333 895
Website www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk
Admission £4, £3.50 students
Open Tue-Sun 10.30am-4.15pm
Jane Austen Centre
Bath's most famous resident is celebrated in this museum that has exhibits relating to her life and work.
40 Gay Street, Bath
Tel (01225) 443000
Website www.janeausten.co.uk
Admission £6.50, £4.95 students
Open Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sun 10.30am-5.30pm
Museum of Bath at Work
This museum details Bath's industrial heritage with a collection that includes manufacturing machinery and artefacts that illustrate the various industries that once thrived in Bath.
Julian Road, Bath
Tel (01225) 318348
Website www.bath-at-work.org.uk
Admission £5
Open Jan-Mar Sat-Sun 10am-5pm; Apr-Oct 10am-5pm daily; Nov-Dec Sat-Sun 10am-5pm
Fashion Museum
This museum exhibits fashion dating from 1600 to the present day.
Assembly Rooms, Bennett Street, Bath
Tel (01225) 477785
Website www.museumofcostume.co.uk
Admission £7; joint ticket with Roman Baths £14.50
Open Jan-Feb 11am-4pm daily; Mar-Oct 11am-5pm daily; Nov-Dec 11am-4pm daily
Herschel Museum of Astronomy
In 1781 William Herschel discovered Uranus using a home made telescope in the garden of his home, which is now a museum dedicated to the accomplishments of this distinguished astronomer.
19 New King Street, Bath
Tel (01225) 311342
Website www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk
Admission £4, £3 students
Open 10 Feb-30 Nov Mon-Tue & Th-Fri 2pm-5pm, Sat-Sun 11am-3pm
Museum of East Asian Art
This museum features exhibits from throughout East Asia including bamboo carvings and one of Britain's largest collections of Chinese jade.
12 Bennett Street, Bath
Tel (01225) 464640
Website www.meaa.org.uk
Admission £5, £3.50 students
Open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm
No 1 Royal Crescent
The first house to be built on Bath's most prestigious street has been restored to show how it would have appeared in the 18th century.
1 Royal Crescent, Bath
Tel (01225) 338727
Website www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk
Admission £5, £4 students
Open 10 Feb-30 Oct Tue-Sun 10.30am-5pm; 31 Oct-28 Nov Tue-Sun 10.30am-4pm; 4-5 & 11-12 Dec 10.30am-4pm
Roman Baths
Bath's raison d'etre is the spa that was built by the Romans 2000 years ago. Considering its age, the Baths are very well preserved and the complex includes several baths, the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple and displays of objects found in the Sacred Spring.
Pump Room, Abbey Church Yard, Bath
Tel (01225) 477785
Website www.romanbaths.co.uk
Admission £11-11.50, £9.50 students
Open Jan-Feb 9.30am-4.30pm daily; Mar-Jun 9am-5pm daily; Jul-Aug 9am-9pm daily; Sep-Oct 9am-5pm daily; Nov-Dec 9.30am-4.30pm daily
