One day never seems to be enough time anywhere you go—but if you stop yourself from visiting places because of that reason, you’ll never end up seeing anywhere!
Recently I was on a whirlwind trip in England and Wales—I spent three days in England and three days in Wales. When I landed in London at Heathrow Airport, my Mom and I took the Heathrow Express to London Paddington Station and hopped on a train to Bath Spa Station. Train tickets start at around £32 one-way. We boarded the train and headed to Bath on our 90-minute journey and arrived first thing in the morning at Bath’s cute, old train station.
You can purchase train tickets easily at the station, but you can also pre-purchase and view the schedule here.
Bath is located in the county of Somerset in South West England, and is most famously known for the Roman-built baths that you can still visit today. Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the only place in the United Kingdom where you can bathe in natural hot spa water and original roman style baths at the Thermae Bath Spa.
So how do you spend only a day in this historical and roman city? Here is my itinerary advice.
Arrive in Bath and head to your hotel to check-in (or at least leave your bags there) before you head out for the day. I stayed at the Queensberry Hotel (rooms starting at £115/night), which was by far one of the cutest hotels I’ve ever stayed in. If that’s not in your budget Bath YMCA hostel can also be a good option (beds starting at £21/night).
Once checked-in, head out to see some of the top sites in Bath. Bath does have a hop-on-hop-off bus, but the main tourist sites are walkable. First stop at the Royal Crescent—a row of 30 terraces houses laid out in a crescent. These houses were designed between 1767 and 1774 and have had several onscreen appearances. The Circus is also another beautiful crescent built in the 1700’s but isn’t as notable as the Royal Crescent—although actor, Nicholas Cage once lived in The Circus.
After exploring the crescent(s), head to the Roman Baths, which were constructed in 70 Ad as a bathing and socializing complex. The Roman Baths are now one of the best preserved Roman remains in the world, with over a million litres of steaming spring water filling the bathing site every day. Audio guides are available at the door, and the cost of entry is £14 (adult).
Next check out Bath Abbey, the cathedral that sits right across from the Roman Baths. This church was founded in the 7th century but rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries. Now the church is beautiful from the outside and in, and is open to visitors most days from 9am-5:15pm (with the exception of Sunday). Entry is free or by donation.
Next head for some lunch at the Old Green Tree, one of the oldest pubs in Bath. Remember that many pubs in Britain don’t have waitresses or waiters that come to the table, so if you want to order something, head to the bar and bring it back to your table.
After lunch, walk over to the Pulteney Bridge, a bridge that is often compared with Ponte Vecchio in Florence for being the world’s most beautiful bridges. Some of the best views can be seen from Parade Gardens Park. Once you soak in the views, walk over the bridge and visit some of the shops or enjoy some tea in one of the cafes that are built into the bridge. There are only a handful of historical bridges like this with shops built into them in the world.
Finally, end your afternoon at the Thermae Bath Spa to spend the rest of your afternoon relaxing. Unfortunately when we visited Bath we decided not to go to the spa because it was a bit out of our budget and we were jet lagged and didn’t have time to plan this, but I would highly recommend to spend a few hours there. Entry to the pools start at £18, and the rooftop pools has stunning views of Bath.
After relaxing for a few hours at the spa, head out for dinner at The Chequers, a restaurant that has been open since 1776 and serves up some different British inspired dishes. We tried a few of the appetizers, and although a bit more expensive, the food was delicious and the atmosphere and service was excellent.
Voila! Your day is already over. You’ve managed to cram in quite a bit of this beautiful city all in one day.
Have you visited Bath, England? Did you have must-see things or tips that I didn’t include? Add yours in the comments.
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