Find fun things to do in Bath, England – one of our favorite cities in the United Kingdom! Read before you go – some require reservations!
Click to read also: A Jane Austen Walking Tour of Bath
Some links on this site are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you! Learn more.
Our Top 10 Things to Do in Bath, England
What You'll Find on This Page
We loved our day trip to Bath, and we hope to return! We could have happily spent two or three days wandering this beautiful city. Here are the highlights of our trip.
#1 The Roman Baths
The Roman baths are the main reason Bath is famous, and they are definitely worth a visit! You can’t bathe in the water, but there is a station at the end of the tour where you can taste the water. It really is uniquely rich in minerals, and it tastes like drinking a multivitamin. The water is warm and features a distinctly metallic flavor. Read the mineral breakdown, and it’s easy to see why!
Tips for visiting the Roman Baths in Bath
Right now (November 2022), entry to the baths is via timed ticket. So make sure you plan ahead, and, ideally, purchase ahead. There were some day of tickets available when we visited, but it would be sad to miss this.
#2 The Pump Room
The Pump Room was THE place to see and be seen at the height of Bath’s fame (think Jane Austen novels). It’s still a beautiful tea room.
The Pump Room Travel Tip
Book reservations well in advance; you’re unlikely to get in the day of.
There are gorgeous windows so you can catch a glimpse of the room if you aren’t able to get in for the full experience.
#3 Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey is a beautiful church right next to the Baths. It’s a working place of worship, and be aware of that if you visit. They ask for donations.
Tip for Visiting Bath Abbey
In addition to visiting as a tourist, you can also attend a live service in Bath Abbey. We went to Evensong when we were there. Photos and videos are not allowed during services.
#4 Pulteney Bridge
Pulteney Bridge offers a great example of Georgian architecture. See those windows? It has shops all the way across on both sides – one of only four bridges in the world with that particular design!
#5 The Jane Austen Centre
Celebrated author Jane Austen spent about five years in Bath, and it features in two of her books: Persuasion and Northanger Abbey.
Fun fact: the man standing next to the door, is Martin Salter. The Jane Austen Centre‘s meeter/greeter, he looks like he stepped right out of a Jane Austen novel. And he’s England’s most photographed man!
The centre also features a tea room and a very dangerous gift shop, at least if you’re anything like me! It’s where I bought the cross stitch I’m working on!
Click to read also: Visiting the Jane Austen Centre in Bath
#6 Royal Crescent
Royal Crescent offers a crescent of homes facing a beautiful park. An architectural wonder, it began as and continues to be one of the city’s most exclusive places to live. It also features in a number of period dramas.
While visiting Royal Crescent, watch for this sedan chair. It marks No. 1 Royal Crescent, which you can visit. This townhouse is set up as it would have been in 18th century Georgian Bath, and is well worth a visit to learn more about what life would have been like at that time.
#7 The Circus
The circus features this wooded park surrounded by a circle of townhomes, which I forgot to photograph properly but you can see partially through the tree. I guess the trees win when I’m choosing between trees and houses.
This is another highly sought after, exclusive neighborhood, and a short walk from Royal Circus.
We loved this footpath, that runs alongside the back doors of the Circus home gardens. If you are a Jane Austen fan, this is the gravel path where Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth reconcile in Persuasion.
The back of this Circus home struck me as particularly fanciful, with the turret on the left and the spiral staircase (presumably a fire escape) on the right.
#8 The Georgian Garden
One of the Circus townhomes features this Georgian garden, which is free and open to the public. I suspect it’s prettier in the spring, but it was worth a quick visit even at the end of October.
#9 Telephone Booth Planters
This telephone booth was one of the first things when we exited the Bath train station, and we spotted several others around town. They capture both the whimsy and beauty of this town.
#10 The Roman Baths Archway
Found on York Street, this archway was built in 1889 to carry hot water to the nearby Spa through a hidden archway. Pretty amazing and clever engineering that is easy to miss if you don’t know to watch for it!
Bonus Sights to See in Bath
Bath is full of whimsy. We loved the flowers on this balcony, and we found all sorts of beautiful shops throughout the city.
My kids and I loved trying different cheeses at Paxton & Whitfield. We picked out a couple to bring home, and they didn’t last very long! We also loved Bath Aqua Glass, along with other shops whose names I didn’t manage to catch.
Have you ever been to Bath? Which of these places would you recommend? What would you add to our list?
Share comments and feedback below, on my Facebook page, or by tagging me on Instagram. Sign up for my newsletter to receive book recommendations, crafts, activities, and parenting tips in your inbox every week.
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
I’m so jealous, it looks like it was amazing to visit!
I definitely thought of you both while I was there and when I was writing this post! You would LOVE Bath.