Luxury hotels in Bath

Bath guide

Bath: the Roman Baths and Georgian crescents

A Roman spa, the Royal Crescent, Jane Austen's city and a rooftop pool fed by hot springs.

The Roman Baths, a bathing complex built around Britain's only natural hot springs nearly two thousand years ago, are Bath's most cited sight, and the whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit early or on a late summer evening by torchlight.

The Royal Crescent and the Circus are masterpieces of Georgian architecture, the Jane Austen Centre recalls the novelist who lived here, and the Thermae Bath Spa lets you bathe in the warm waters on a rooftop pool with views of the abbey. The Cotswolds are close by.

The Royal Crescent and Georgian Bath

The Royal Crescent, a sweeping curve of thirty Georgian townhouses completed in 1774, is one of the most cited sights in Bath and a symbol of Georgian architecture; No. 1 Royal Crescent is a museum furnished as in the eighteenth century. The Circus, a ring of houses, is a short walk away.

The Assembly Rooms hosted the balls described by Jane Austen, and the Jane Austen Centre recalls her years in the city. The Pulteney Bridge, lined with shops like the Ponte Vecchio, crosses the river Avon.

The Cotswolds from Bath

The Cotswolds, a region of honey-coloured stone villages, begin just north of Bath, and a day among them is the most cited excursion from the city. Castle Combe, often called the prettiest village in England, and Lacock, owned by the National Trust and a film location, are within half an hour.

Stonehenge, the prehistoric stone circle and UNESCO site, is about an hour away; timed tickets are required, and special access inside the circle at dawn can be arranged. Avebury's larger stone circle is quieter.