Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Georgian splendor
is best absorbed by wandering down handsome terraces such
as the Royal Crescent.
Bath was established by the Romans as a hot-spring spa in a.d. 43—the curative
waters were thought to ease rheumatism. Today those same waters provide the best
cure for a hard day of sightseeing, with Thermae Bath Spa providing modern, sophis-
ticated facilities and an open-air pool in which to soak.
Bath also boasts a surprisingly eclectic dining scene, but afternoon tea is a particu-
lar art form here, taken in wonderfully atmospheric rooms with Sally Lunn's famous
buns, sweet “Bath buns” at the Pump Rooms, or “with Mr. Darcy” at the Jane Austen
Centre—the beloved author set much of
Persuasion
and
Northanger Abbey
in the city.
Nightlife in Bath revolves around its collection of venerable pubs, fine Georgian
watering holes such as the Raven of Bath, and the Bell Inn in the artsy Walcot dis-
trict. Expect real ales, meaty pies, and inviting log fires in the winter.
Essentials
GETTING THERE
Trains leave London's Paddington Station bound for Bath
once every half-hour during the day; the trip takes about 1
1
⁄
2
hours (£20-£28). The
train ride from Bristol to Bath takes 11 to 15 minutes (£6.30); if you're arriving at
Bristol Airport, catch the airport bus to Bristol's Temple Meads Station, where you
can get the train to Bath.
If you're driving from London, head west on the M4 to junctions 17 (A350) or 18
(A46) and continue south to Bath.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Bath Tourist Information Centre
is at
Abbey Chambers, Abbey Church Yard (
&
09067/112000
toll call, 50p per min-
ute; www.visitbath.co.uk), next to Bath Abbey. It's open June through September,
Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm; October to May,
Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm. Closed December
25 and January 1.
TOURS
To get a unique perspective of Bath, you may want to take the
Bizarre
Bath Walking Tour
(
&
01225/335124;
www.bizarrebath.co.uk), a 1
1
⁄
2
-hour tour
of Bath's lesser-known sights during which the guides pull pranks and tell jokes. It
runs nightly at 8pm from Easter to October (no reservations necessary; just show up
at the Huntsman Inn at North Parade Passage). Cost is £8 for adults, £5 for students
and children. Conventional
open-top bus tours
(50 min.) are operated by
Bath
Bus Company
(
&
01225/330444;
www.bathbuscompany.com) and cost £12 for
adults, £9.50 for seniors and students, £6 for children 5 to 15.
Exploring Bath
Begin your tour of Bath at the River Avon and the shop-lined
Pulteney Bridge,
designed by Robert Adam in 1778 and often compared to the Ponte Vecchio in Flor-
ence. John Wood the Elder (1704-54) designed much of Georgian Bath; his master-
piece is the elegant
Circus
of 1768, a series of three Palladian crescents
arranged in a circle, at the northern end of Gay Street. His son, the younger John
Wood (1727-81) designed the nearby
Royal Crescent
8
, a gorgeous half-moon
row of townhouses completed in 1774.
Bath Abbey
ABBEY Completed in 1611, Bath Abbey is the last of the great
medieval churches of England, a fine example of the late Perpendicular style. The
stupendous West Front is the sculptural embodiment of a dream that inspired the
