Few travellers arrive in Bath without an image of the ancient Somerset city already gleaming in their mind’s eye. Of honey-coloured crescents and Georgian facades rising to the Cotswolds hills, not to mention the baths themselves, whose natural hot spring was worshipped even before the Romans arrived.
There is still much to appreciate in these Jane Austen-tinted sights: a visit to No. 1 Royal Crescent, a furnished house-museum run by the Bath Preservation Trust (also the set for the London townhouse of the Featherington family in Netflix’s Bridgerton); or a stroll along the Avon river path, from where the Abbey and Pulteney bridge, with its cascading waters, draw into view.
And beyond, there is a world of lesser-known haunts which keep Bath humming with local life, from its arts festivals to its neighbourhood delis and independent bookshops. Not omitting its rich cultural landscape, including the Holburne Museum (make a beeline for its bewitching “small wonders” display on the first floor); the intimate Ustinov Studio Theatre, welcoming artistic director Deborah Warner for 2024; and quirkier entries in the likes of the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, or the free-to-enter World Heritage Centre.
Bath may be a city stamped with Roman (and latterly twice-over UNESCO) approval, but it is far from resting on the laurels. Here are the best things to do in the city on your next visit.
The best things to do in Bath
Beckford BottleshopEd Schofield
1. Get a taste of the Somerset food scene
Bath’s food scene is blessed by being served by some of the country’s most exciting cooks and restaurateurs, not to mention some of its best growers and producers. At the top end, OAK restaurant and grocer espouses plant-based cooking sourced from their own market garden, with dishes including cavatelli with wild garlic and capers, or seared hispi with caramelised apple. Similarly refined is Landrace Upstairs, whose elegant, produce-driven menu features the likes of pollock and saffron, puntarelle with Cantabrian anchovies, and a tart worth its weight in Amalfi lemons. For casual daytime dining, TOWN+HOUSE (from lifestyle brand Always Sunday) is worth a stop for a burger in their handmade Hokkaido buns, whilst The Greenbird Cafe offers prime people-watching and perfect eggs amongst the design-boutiques of Margaret’s Buildings. A sought-after pew on the red sofas or outdoor tables of the Beckford Bottleshop is the perfect end to the day – and if they’re all full, head down the road to their conservatory Canteen.
