Hello
Today I am writing about a place that is the most popular tourist destination in the UK outside of London. A few days ago, I got my stuff together and took a day trip to Bath. This is going to be a guide to the things to do in Bath and how to get there!
I did not go to the Roman Baths. 1.1 million visitors a year visit them. However I was a little undecided about going and then realised that £14.50 (student ticket) was a lot of money to go and see some water if it wasn’t on my ‘bucket list’.
I know there’s a lot of history, but I have seen other Roman baths and similar areas so I decided to explore other areas of the city instead!
Maybe one day I will return, but for now it wasn’t a must do thing, as opposed to the tea shop – which was on my list!
This will be my guide to 8 things to do in Bath, without visiting the Roman Baths!
Getting to Bath from Bristol
At this point in time, I was staying in Bristol so I could get the train there that took 11 minutes.
Train ticket prices are £7.90 for an adult return and £5.20 with a 16-25 Railcard.
While I was on the train, the conductor did an announcement saying there was a special guest in first class. He explained that the man was celebrating his 100th birthday and then the train burst into a round of applause. (It was a lovely moment.)
Things to do in Bath (that isn’t the Roman baths)
Look at the Georgian architecture
I went on a walk to see the main sights. These are all within about 20 minutes walk from Bath Spa station.
The Circus –
this is a whole circular set of houses with 3 breaks, which are stunning and definitely a masterpiece of Georgian architecture. I sat in the middle, under the trees and ate my lunch. (Tesco meal deal is quintessentially British!)
Royal Crescent –
This is another semi-circle of houses, that are famous throughout the world for Bath. Around here is the beautiful Victoria Park, where I spent some time in the sun enjoying the good weather.
Pulteney Bridge –
This is a Venetian style bridge, which you can walk across and around. It is so beautiful and definitely worth going to see. Especially to cross over, and find the steps down to view it from the other side.
Trying the famous Sally Lunn Bun at Sally Lunn’s Tea shop
The tea shop was on my list of things I’ve always wanted to do. My Mum has told me about these treats, so I didn’t mind splurging a little when I got there. As a true Brit I wanted jam and clotted cream on mine and a coffee, so it ended up being cheaper to buy a cream tea. It was £7.58 but worth it for the experience and being in a tea room that had served food since 1482.
I substituted the tea for coffee as I don’t drink tea (I know revoke my passport – I can’t really be British)
This was what came out. I spoke to the lady and she explained that half a bun was a portion. The tops are normally used for a sweet bun and the bottoms for the savoury option!
The jam and clotted cream option was insane and the bun texture was similar to a croissant crossed with a sweet bread. It was beautiful and I am going to take my boyfriend back to experience this culinary delight!
This is part of the Battle of the Bun’s! I vote for Sally Lunn’s bun!
I am addicted!
Visit Bath Abbey
This is a beautiful place in Bath, it has a great tour for £8 adult and £4 children. You can go up to the top and see the most beautiful views across the city!
Art Gallery
I went to the art gallery on this afternoon in Bath and it was really sweet. There was one main free area, which isn’t super large and there is some great paintings. The gallery is even home to the official copy of THE Henry VIII portrait.
There isn’t hours of pictures, there is about enough to entertain you for an hour or two. I noticed they had lots of colouring for kids too.
Victoria Park
I walked here after visiting Royal Crescent so I decided to include this as it was beautiful. It has some great botanical gardens and during the summer is also home to the “Bath Beach”. This is the sand beach they create during the summer.
Browse the Markets
I had a lovely walk around the market and enjoyed the variation in different stalls. I love markets – I wrote about it here.
There is also a famous ‘nail’ there which is where the expression, ‘pay on the nail’ comes from.
There is also farmers markets every Sunday near the Abbey.
I hope you decide to explore Bath and enjoyed this alternative guide to things to do in Bath, without visiting the Roman Baths.
Until next time,
The Great Ambini
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Thanks for sharing your experience in Bath!
We live in the UK too, but we haven’t been to Bath!! So it’s great to know the things we could do when we visit 🙂
Cheers,
Ani and Sam
Am really glad you didn’t include the Roman baths, and jotted down 8 things apart from that. Have done a day trip to Bath, but I feel you need more than a couple of hour to explore Bath properly. I enjoyed listening to various street artists perform, near the Bath Abbey.
We went to Bath for a day trip from Stonehenge before touring the Cotswolds. We missed that beautiful Crescent House because we went to the Roman bAths. We were surprised at the high entrance fee to the Baths, too. But we wanted photos of us inside, so…
Bath has some stunning architecture and you have captured this superbly in your photos. I really did not know that about paying “on the nail”! I have visited Bath (my brother lived there for a while) but I have to say that I have not really explored the city. I must put that to rights!
It works really well for me
There is so much to see in Bath (besides the Roman Baths!) and you’ve captured it so well. Such a beautiful place, so ornate and historic. I would love to visit the Bath Abbey and Sally Lunn’s, I am a good Canadian girl who loves her coffee 😉 Wonderful information if we get to visit!
Nice job on hitting the highlights of Bath (aside from the Roman Baths which are, frankly absolutely worth seeing should you visit again).
I don’t know much about Bath, besides the Roman baths, and I had no idea it has so many other great places to visit and eat (I need to try the Sally Lunn Bunn!). I’m a huge fan of museums, and would love to see the original Henry VIII portrait! For me, is more of a reason to go than the baths!
I love bath – mainly, of course, for Jane Austen who described it pretty well. I even visited her museum there. The architecture of Royal Crescent is just fantastic. Unfortunately I did not have enough time for a soak at the…bath – but I’ve at least visited the structures.
I’m surprised that you don’t have the Roman Baths on your list, but good for you for not feeling pressured to go just for the sake of going/because it’s a “must-see”. The Circus and Royal Crescent are just so captivating and mind blowing! I don’t believe there are any architecture like that here in North America and I wonder what it’s like living in one!
I am glad that I didn’t cave and go as I managed to see so many other things that I may not have had time to see. I almost went to university there, so it would have been cool to live in that sort of architecture.
There’s nothing I love more than clotted cream so I am currently drooling over that bun! Wow. This really inspires me to take more than just a day trip to Bath. I’ll admit, I’ve only really seen the Royal Crescent and Roman baths!
The bun was out of this world!!!