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5 of the best things to do in Bath

Jul 21, 2025by Alice Barnes-Brown

Jane Austen isn’t the only attraction in this Somerset city – but it’s a good place to start

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1. Pulteney Bridge

Bath’s answer to Florence’s Ponte Vecchio is Pulteney Bridge (pictured main), a 45-metre Avon crossing constructed in the 1770s. It is one of only four bridges in the world to have shops across its full span on both sides, from florists to jewellery boutiques. Clients can enjoy a coffee and a slice of crumbly cake in one of its two cafes, each with a view of the river rushing over the horseshoe-shaped weir.

2. The Jane Austen Festival

The Jane Austen Festival 2023 CREDIT Sean Strange Photography 12

A Regency-themed dance in Bath. Image credit: Visit Bath/Sean Strange Photography

The 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth has put the Regency author firmly in focus this year – and if your clients can’t get enough Austen, Bath’s annual Jane Austen Festival takes place each September, with 10 days devoted to celebrating the author’s life and times. It begins with a costumed promenade through the city, followed by talks, guided walks, performances and a dazzling ball.

3. Thermae Bath Spa

The Cross Bath, Thermae Bath Spa. Image credit: Philip Edwards

If clients want to bathe in naturally heated, mineral-rich waters just like the Romans did, recommend the 21st-century Thermae Bath Spa. Starting in the lagoon-like Minerva Bath on the ground floor, guests can work their way up via a large wellness suite, complete with infrared sauna and scented steam rooms, to the rooftop pool, where the lightly bubbling, warm waters offer a comfortable viewpoint over the city.

4. The Roman Baths

The Great Bath at the Roman Baths. Image credit: Visit Bath/Colin Hawkins

The Roman Baths, constructed in the earliest days of Roman Britain, have been a popular spot for 2,000 years. Although visitors can no longer swim in the steaming Great Bath, they can learn how the hot spring was dedicated to Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom. If clients feel peckish after their visit, the grand Pump Room restaurant does a splendid afternoon tea.

5. Afternoon tea at the Royal Crescent Hotel

The garden at the Royal Crescent Hotel. Image credit: Jason Ingram

Located in the very heart of Bath’s famous Unesco-listed street and fronted with a golden colonnade, this 45-room boutique property makes an ideal base.

Clients can fuel up with a delicious meal in the hotel’s triple AA Rosette-winning Montagu’s Mews restaurant, take a stroll in the walled garden, or even enjoy a treatment in the spa – rounded off with a cool glass of champagne. Rooms from £410 a night.

Book it

Just in time for the return of Bridgerton to our screens next year, Shearings’ new three-day tour Dearest Gentle Reader: Let’s Tour Bridgerton’s Bath is priced from £249, including half-board accommodation, coach travel and guided tour of Bath, based on two sharing for a departure on April 24, 2026.
shearings.com

Lead image credit: Shutterstock/Dusty Roads