Bath is a beautiful city with an elegant architecture and famous for its hot springs. It’s been a wellness destination since Roman times and the whole city is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Established by the Romans in 60 AD as a thermal spa, Bath continues to attract many visitors because of its natural thermal springs. The city boasts many spas with thermal baths and plunge pools where one can relax and rejuvenate.
The best way to explore Bath’s historic center is simply by wandering around on foot. You are sure to see some of the city’s most popular attractions, such as the ancient Roman Baths and the Bath Abbey. But you will also stumble on lesser-known attractions that are interesting to visit such as the Herschel Museum of Astronomy.
Throughout the city you’ll notice stylish Georgian architecture. We stayed at the Royal Crescent Hotel a perfectly arched building made up of a row of 30 terraced houses. An iconic hotel built between 1767 and 1774 with a Georgian stone façade, it has remained unchanged since its initial construction. Access to the spa was included with our room rate. A nice touch!
This historic hotel is actually on the tourist track, and we saw tour groups going by with guides taking pictures.
Places to visit in Bath’s historic center
No. 1 Royal Crescent
This museum showcases an audiovisual tour of what it would have been like to live in a townhouse in the 1770s.
An ongoing audiovisual show is projected onto the walls mimicking would be residents and their discussions depicting what it may have been like at the time. It follows you from room to room as you go around the house. You visit the dining and bedroom areas as well as the servants’ quarters and kitchen.
This museum is located at the extreme right of the of the Royal Crescent Hotel.
Bath Abbey
Founded in the 7th century and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th, Bath Abbey is a parish church of the Church of England and originally a Benedictine monastery.
The floor of the abbey is amazingly made up of over 900 gravestones and the walls are filled with inscriptions everywhere you look. Make sure to take the tour of the tower. This guided tour takes you up the spiraling tower staircase into the bell room and other small alcoves in the fan vaulted ceiling.
Views from the tower are also well worth the climb. At 69 meters high it’s the tallest building in Old Bath and by decree nothing can be built higher. The floor is warmed using the heat of the underground hot springs.
The Roman Baths
These well-preserved Roman Baths are what gives Bath its name! Originally a temple built in 60 AD during the Roman period of Britain, a small settlement developed around the site and the Roman Baths were used for public bathing.
The area had alternated between falling into ruins and redevelopment through the Middle Ages but much of the site is remarkably preserved and the museum tour uses multimedia to highlight the traditional uses of the baths.
Today’s walkways are a solid 12 meters above where they were in Roman times so much of what is visible has been dug up and is shown in underground passageways in the museum. Some of the earliest visible inscriptions date back to 76 AD. The main baths and spring are on the outside. New statues of famous Roman figures were added in the 1700s and 1800s.
The natural hot springs are still active to this day and over 1 million (1,170,000) liters of 46-degree Celsius water comes up each day. The water has 43 minerals, and you can see an orange glow to the stones where the overflow is running from the spring. This is from the iron in the water that discolors the stones.
The outside water today is green with algae due to the open sunlight. Back in the day a wall with windows was present that limited the sun exposure and prevented algae growth.
Herschel Museum of Astronomy
The former home of William Herschel, this small museum was opened in 1981. Just a few minutes’ walk from the downtown area, it’s worth a visit to both see the home and learn more about the musician turned astrologer that discovered Uranus.
Herschel was a musician that moved to Bath to provide entertainment and lessons to the rich residents. He also had a hobby in astronomy and is credited with the discovery that Uranus is actually a planet (it was thought to be a star at the time). This made him instantly famous and led to him becoming the king’s astronomer. The tour also shows you a typical middle-class home during the period.
Parade Gardens
A beautiful park next to the river just footsteps from the main attractions. We found a local freshly squeezed lemonade stand there which we frequented more than once during the hot days. They even took Apple-Pay!
Theatre Royal
Built in 1805, the Theatre Royal is relatively new in comparison with other venues in Bath but it’s actually one of the oldest working theaters in England and an important surviving example of Georgian architecture. It was built to replace a theater from the 1700s that was replaced by a Roman Catholic Church.
We were lucky enough to get tickets to see a show (The Heathers) while visiting and it was a blast. The theater was packed to its 900-person capacity.
Bath Historic Center
Aside from all the attractions, there are plenty of restaurants with open-air terraces where to sample some local cuisine. Many stores, fripperies and antique stores can also be found in the area.
Conclusion
One thing is for sure, Bath is a destination on its own. A city with lots of history, beautiful architecture and interesting attractions. With only two days and three nights, our only regret is that we didn’t have more time to explore some of the attractions further afield.
We ran out of time to go to the Botanical Gardens to see the Temple of Minerva, an ancient Roman Temple.
On our way to Bath, we visited Stonehenge which is only an hour’s drive east. From here we continued on to South Wales to visit a couple of castles before continuing on with our road trip in Southern England.