How to explore Bath in one day

Founded by the Romans as a thermal spa, Bath is stunning Unesco World Heritage town.  The Georgian city reflects the ambitions of  architects, like John Wood Senior to make Bath into one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The Bath is the largest city in the county of Somerset and lies along the River Avon, full of history, museums, shops and restaurants, should be on everyone's bucket list. Here’s your complete guide how to spend a day  in Bath.

 Bath Abbey and the Tower

The first sight of Bath Abbey is the West front’s unique ladder of ascending and descending angels, "Jacob's ladder". Once inside the abbey, magnificent stained-glass  windows softly light the abbey’s interior and the honey-gold stone beautiful ceiling. It is the third church to be on the site. In 758 the Monastery of St Peter was here, and in 973 Edgar was crowned the first King of England here.

Yes, Bath Abbey may well be one of the most iconic things to see in Bath but what you may not know is that you can climb the 200+ steps of the ecclesiastical’s building tower for one of the quirkiest and best panoramic views of the city. Cost £100 per tour up to 6 people.

 Of all the unique things to do in Bath, the Abbey Tower almost tops the list.

Roman Baths and The Pump Room

Let's be honest, the real reason for a visit to this city – the beautiful Roman baths, one of the best-preserved Roman remains in the world. This place was known back in Roman times and the very name of the city comes from it. Coming to Bath and not visiting the Roman Baths is like coming to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. Baths are well preserved, in some places they have been restored and today they look very beautiful. A gorgeous terrace with statues of Roman emperors and generals was added in Victorian time to give more "Roman" look, antique baths and spacious stone grounds - in general, an open-air museum! Thanks to Roman Baths, Bath served as the unofficial capital of British social life each summer for the second half of the 18th and most of the 19th century. It is thanks to this baths in 1987 the city was included in the World Heritage List. The Roman Baths in Bath date back to the 1st century AD and are considered the most famous Baths in the world.

One of the highlights of the Roman Baths in Bath is the gilt bronze head of a statue of Sulis Minerva. The piece was found in 1727 and is extremely rare. Only two other gilt bronze pieces exist from Roman Britain. Sulis was the local Celtic goddess of Bath’s thermal spas and  Minerva is the Roman adoption of the original Greek goddess Athena.

You can spend an hour in the museum or a whole day, it's so much to see inside, but don't miss The Pump Room, restaurant and Spa water fountain. Before Covid, during your visit to the Pump Room you can try the hot spa water at the fountain. It contains 43 minerals and has a rather unusual taste! Unfortunately, you can't do it at the moment, I just hope it will return in a few years. If you want to visit The Pump Room now, you need to book it in advance due to Covid restrictions, but you don't have to eat there, just go and have a snick pick where Jane Austen and Charles Dickens had a lunch. Unfortunately, I didn't see any beauty of this noble room.

Entrance £25 including audio guide.

Pulteney Bridge

Designed by architect Robert Adam, Pulteney Bridge was completed in 1774 and is one of only four bridges in the world with shops on either side along its entire length. The other three bridges are: Florence’s Ponte Vecchio, Venice’s Rialto Bridge and Erfurt’s Krämerbrücke in Germany. The first Pulteney Bridge lasted only 20 years. In 1792, the bridge was rebuilt and the area for shops was expanded, and in 1799 and 1800, severe floods almost completely destroyed the northern end of the bridge. Today, the bridge is host to several unique shops, offering everything from homemade jams to hand crafted mosaic tiles, great bakery with tasty cakes. You’re sure to end a stroll down this historic walkway with a handful of Bath’s finest local trinkets and treasures.

Take a boat trip on the river Avon

Walk along the bridge and go down the steps, you will find yourself in a small cozy cafe, but I will not send you there for this, but after walking through the cafe you will find a station where you can take an hour long boat trip along the river Avon just for £10. The boat trip is an exciting opportunity to get to know the city and see many of the most famous sights, to see the picturesque countryside just outside Bath, as well as a lot of wildlife. On the way back, pay attention to the opposite side of the bridge, very rustic and the perfect contrast of the prim facade.

Guildhall Market

Of course, asides from its impressive Cathedral and Roman Baths, the city is well-known for its Christmas markets, which are some of the best in the UK. The Bath Guildhall Market is the oldest shopping venue in the city and today a colourful group of twenty or so stallholders trade in this jewel of a building in the heart of the city, just 80 yards from Bath Abbey and opposite the famous Pulteney Bridge. Trading has taken place on this site for over 800 years and today you can still soak up the historic atmosphere under the magnificent central domed roof of this gem of a 19th century building adjoining The Guildhall. Discover the famous 18th century pillar ‘The Nail’ on which transactions took place, believed to be the origin of the saying ‘Pay on the Nail’.

Fashion Museum

The Fashion Museum is located in the Assembly Rooms in Bath. In 1771 the magnificent Assembly Rooms were opened. The building has several large rooms. In the 18th century, they served for entertainment, where a large number of guests gathered to dance, drink tea, play cards or just chat. For centuries, Bath has been the center of fashion. Reception halls play an important role in the social life of the city. All kinds of events, weddings and balls are held here. The lower floor houses the Fashion Museum and its world famous collection of fashionable dresses. The Fashion Museum has a good collection of dresses from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. This museum is fun and if you would like to visit, entrance is £9.50 and you can book it on www.fashionmuseum.co.uk

Royal Crescent

This is the first Georgian condos. This impressive landmark forms a sweeping crescent of 30 Grade 1-listed terrace houses and is lauded one of the greatest examples of Georgian architecture anywhere in the UK. Stroll down this road, imagining all the well-to-do people who would’ve lived and paraded down here in the times of Austen and Dickens. It’s not hard to imagine the sort of crowd that informed their social commentary of their times. If you don't want to imagine, then watch Bridgerton TV show because this place was one of the Bridgerton filming locations: The notable family in the hit series are the Featherington’s, whose three daughters struggle to find their match. While also set in Grosvenor Square, the outside of the Featherington household was actually shot on the iconic Royal Crescent in Bath. Don't forget to visit No. 1 Royal Crescent, a museum which has been decorated and furnished just as it might have been during the period 1776-1796.

Wander around Prior Park Landscape Garden

When the sun is shining, there’s nothing better than heading straight to the park for a picnic or  just  a bit of peace and quiet.  You are spoilt for choice when it comes to Parks and Open Spaces here in Bath! Anyone who’s been to Bath will  rave about the breathtaking views and it goes without saying that it’s a great photo spots! The places to enjoy nature are:

-Bath Skyline

-Parade Gardens

-Royal Victoria Park

-Botanical Gardens

-Alexandra Park

-Sydney Park

Get lost in town

Another place to enjoy the city is to get lost in one. You can try to tick all the boxes and visit all " Must see" places, but in Bath, like most of the old historic towns, have a hidden streets and buildings. There are different apps and maps are available to map your walk, but my advice is just wandering the streets. I found many lovely buildings, beautiful views and strange and quirky statues and art works.

You find many, many Georgian townhomes built in that lovely Bath stone. Who doesn’t love discovering something that feels hidden? It feels like a surprise find. The colourful, charming and remains full of independent shops, some small but mighty, some tucked away streets. I love this town. Everything is so fancy. When you get exhausted from historic, down to Earth Bath, stop and spend an afternoon in a café or bookshop.

Food and drink



Last but certainly not least, we have to mention the food & drink scene in Bath. With Artisan food and drink shops, Gin & Cocktail bars, a huge array of fine dining restaurants and Afternoon Tea in Bath options, you could eat out somewhere new every night for an entire year (fact!).

- SALLY LUNNS CAFE, 4 N Parade, Passage. This is a Bath's oldest house since1483, home of the famous Sally Lunn Bun. Legend has long been certain that a young French refugee – Solange Luyon, became known as Sally Lunn – came to Bath in 1680 after escaping persecution in France. She found work in the kitchen of the bakery in the  originally sold the baker’s wares from a basket in the lanes around Bath Abbey. She began baking a rich, generous brioche bun similar to the French festival breads that she would have been so familiar with before she fled France.

- THE MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY, 5 Orange Grove. A family run tea room located right in the heart of the beautiful city of Bath. Offering cream teas, home made cakes, snacks and the finest selection of coffee and Teapigs.

- LE VIGNOBLE, 12, 13 Milsom St. Try wine tasting in tucked away in a beautiful Georgian building in the heart of the upmarket shopping quarter. I loved the option of being able to try different wines and sampled some ones I wouldn’t normally have tried.

This is just some places I've tried, but I can go forever when it comes to enjoying the cities' vibrant food and drink scene.

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