Bath is a city built to be looked at. The Georgians laid it out in honey-coloured stone, in crescents and terraces and a circular street called the Circus, and the whole centre is so consistent and so handsome that it is protected as a World Heritage Site. It is compact, walkable and at its atmospheric best in winter, when steam rises off the rooftop spa pool into the cold air.
What to see
The Roman Baths, the hot springs the city grew around, are the obvious start and genuinely impressive, the steaming green water and the Roman stonework remarkably intact. Then simply walk: up to the Royal Crescent and the Circus, along the Pulteney Bridge with its shops built across the river, and through the Abbey at the centre. Few cities reward aimless wandering as well.
The modern spa
- Book a session at the Thermae Bath Spa, where the rooftop pool of naturally warm mineral water looks out over the city; in winter the steam and the view are magical.
- Warm up afterwards with tea and a Bath bun, a local sweet treat.
- Browse the independent shops in the lanes off the main streets, away from the chains.
Getting there
Bath is a quick train from London, Bristol and the south-west, and the station is a short walk from everything. The centre is best on foot; driving and parking are a needless headache in such a compact city.
Winter suits Bath. The summer crowds have gone, the low sun warms the stone to gold in the late afternoon, and a soak in warm spring water as the cold settles in is a genuine pleasure. Two nights is plenty to see the city and unwind. It is one of England's most elegant short breaks, and the off-season is the time to have it to yourself.