a day trip to bath
by kat & joe
bath
Bath is one of the best day trips from London and it is easy to see why this city is so widely known. When travelling through the rolling hills of the countryside to the moment you arrive, you feel so removed from the hustle and bustle of the city you left behind. We visited in December during the Christmas markets and the city was an absolute buzz all day long! With its amazing architecture, the Roman remains and vibrant shopping scene, we think Bath is worth visiting anytime of the year. To put it simply, Bath is a day trip you won’t regret!
Did you know that Bath is the only city in the UK to be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its entirety? Speaks volumes about how impressive the city is! One of our favourite things about Bath is that it offers something for everyone, no matter what your interests are. There are so many cool shops, pubs, museums and parks to tickle your fancy. We’ll give you some more details on these below!
how to get there
The best way to get to Bath is by train. With us living in London, we came directly from Paddington which was super easy and took around 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Bath is also a super drivable distance from London. Although we didn’t look into bus options, there are certainly plenty and there’s probably less risk of strikes!
Inside the Roman Baths
what to do
The Roman Baths are the main attraction in Bath (surprise surprise), so of course we recommend a visit. If you’re into history, you’ll enjoy the museum experience it offers but quite honestly, it is nothing too spectacular. Despite this, we still think it’s worth seeing as you can appreciate the history of it all. We recommend pre-booking a visit in the morning as it can get very busy!
Situated right by the Roman Baths is Kingston Parade, one of the main squares in the city. And looming over Kingston Parade is the spectacular looking Bath Abbey, a sight to behold in itself. Based on what we know, going inside isn’t a major, however this is a sight you won’t miss as it’s right in the centre of Bath.
A name synonymous with Bath is the famous British author, Jane Austen. Some of her stories you might be familiar with include Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Persuasion. Bath does a very good job in keeping her legacy alive, where they have a Jane Austen Centre and her own annual festival which will take you back in time where you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of a Bridgerton episode. There is also a Jane Austen tour, giving you a walking tour to places across the city which inspired the scenes of her stories.
Pulteney Bridge gives Bath another landmark, being one of only four bridges in the world to have shops fully along both sides! The Georgian architecture is something to admire, with its iconic arches and the story behind it is quite amusing. The bridge was named after Frances Pulteney, the wife of William Pulteney, who was an important man in Bath and owned large amounts of surrounding land in the city. He needed a bridge to create a ‘new town’ to the east side of the city, where he could rival a man called John Wood who basically designed Bath! When the bridge opened in 1770, it was a revelation and today it still stands strong.
One thing we both love is a sweet treat and Fudge Kitchen does some of the best fudge around! The first time we bought fudge from Fudge Kitchen was from their store in Canterbury. As expected, the store was pumping, however don’t let that deter you as it’s well worth it! The staff were awesome and will ensure that you get to try as many flavours as you like, so take advantage of all the testers! The store is located on a passageway right by Kingstone Parade and the Roman Baths so it’s something you won’t be able to miss!
our recommended walking route
The next few sights we’ll tell you about can form a mini walking tour and is exactly how we explored this part of Bath 🙂
Work your way up from the city centre to Milsom Street. This street is lined with the charming historic buildings that make Bath so special. The buildings were traditionally grand townhouses but are now used as retail shops, with plenty of cool boutique stores. When we went in December, the street was full of Christmas Market stalls creating such a fun (but busy) atmosphere.
Once reaching the top of Milsom Street, you will be super close to The Circus. This is the iconic circle of townhouses that you may have seen on social media. The whole setting is incredibly grand and impressive, and as a matter of fact it was designed by John Wood, the man William Pulteney was trying to compete with! There isn’t much else to do here apart from looking around and taking a few photos, but it ties in perfectly with your walk from “Milsom Street” to “The Circus” and now, to “The Royal Crescent” which is next on our list!
The Royal Crescent is probably the grandest street of all in Bath and that’s saying something! It forms a perfect crescent of 30 terraced hours and sweeps over the beautiful green Royal Crescent lawn. For those that are interested, John Wood also designed this area too! He truly was instrumental in creating this city. The setting surely takes you back in time, and you can truly understand why this area was so heavily used in the filming of Bridgerton. The lawn forms part of the Royal Victoria Park Bath, which also links to the Botanical Gardens. We didn’t have the time to venture out to this area, but we can imagine it’s a lovely walk in the summer. It was about sunset time when we went in December and there were lots of kids, dogs and people milling about on the lawns. It was a really nice atmosphere which we hope you can all experience!
The Circus
going for the christmas markets?
As mentioned earlier, we visited during the Christmas Markets and it was such a spectacle! The magic of Christmas really shone through, with countless stalls set up in the city centre offering all sorts of Christmas goods for everyone. We gave in to all the temptations and treated ourselves to mulled wine, Bailey’s hot chocolate, fudge, macaroni cheese, scones and cakes (we were there all day). We were also lucky with having a perfect winters day, with the sky clear blue and it being so cold that the forecast was showing a chance of snowfall in the evening! It didn’t end up snowing but it was still such a magical time. And just to reiterate, when we say it was buzzing, Bath was absolutely PUMPING. Perhaps because it was the first weekend of the Christmas markets and the first time they had it on since Covid so the crowd certainly showed up in numbers. Just be prepared for that if you do consider going for the Christmas markets.
Important note: unlike some of the Christmas Markets in London, last year the market ran from 23 November to 10 December so it doesn’t run all the way up to Christmas.
overall
Bath is definitely a must visit! It is a perfect day trip from London and is one of the most iconic places in the UK. It is also a place where Joe’s parents went on their first date! We would also recommend tying this trip into a long weekend as it is also a close distance to other visit-worthy areas in the UK including Bristol and parts of The Cotswolds!
We hope you enjoyed our guide for a day trip to Bath! Be sure to check out our other UK day trips coming soon! 🙂