Hello everyone, are you thinking of visiting Bath this year? I finished 2021 with a short visit to Bath, and the city is now on my Favourite Places list! Let me show you what I did in Bath in a day. Maybe my trip will inspire you to go there too?
Let’s start with getting to Bath
You can get to Bath by car, train, coach, or potentially by plane too. The nearest airport is the one in Bristol.
If you are coming to Bath by car, I strongly recommend using Park and Ride. I used the one in Odd Down, and it was super convenient. And cheap! You don’t pay for the car park, but you pay the fare for the bus. And this charge covers the car park fee as well. I paid £3.60 on a weekday. This is nothing.
Ok, so we are now in Bath – where shall we go first?
What to do in Bath – head to Southgate for the Roman Baths
I started my visit to Bath in Southgate. This is a part of the city that has lots of shops, food and drink places, and is free of cars.
It’s also a good starting point when you want to get to the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey.
Unsurprisingly, with the current situation in the world, you need to book all your entry tickets in advance.
I opted not to go to the Roman Baths. And frankly, this may have been a good choice, because the queue to the entrance was unbelievably long. Instead, I walked around the artisan shops – loved every single one of them.
However, my main point of the visit was…
The Fashion Museum in Bath
Oh My Goodness, what a fantastic place! I must have taken about a million pictures there.
Fashion Museum is a nice walking distance from the Bath Abbey, and a stone throw from the Circus (more on this landmark later).
The museum showcases attires spanning five centuries. Starting with dresses and other clothes examples of the 17th century, you travel through fashion time-machine to current times.
You get to see the pieces that defined the fashion trends, which sometimes means how people dressed in general.
My favourite part? The SHOES. And a special temporary exhibition called Shoephoria. What absolutely fascinated me were shoes that were unbelievably narrow. I was looking at them thinking “there is no human on this planet that would squeeze into these!” And it turned out I was right.
The unreal narrow shoes were actually samples used by shoe makers to show the future owners the design of a shoe. In the past, shoes were tailored to the person who was to wear them. What was even more shocking was that in the past, the concept of Left and Right shoe didn’t exist!
If you are into shoes like I am, you will be blown away by what you see there.
I spend a good hour admiring every piece displayed in the museum. And so if you’re wondering what to do in Bath when you’re there, I can’t recommend this museum enough.
Ok, so we are in awe of the fashion through times – where to next?
The Circus in Bath
The Circus is not a circus. I’ve now confused you probably. The Circus, which is literally a couple of steps from the Fashion Museum, is a set of houses in a circle. The circle is divided in a such a way that 3 streets lead to it.
The buildings date back to the 18th century, and they are an architectural landmark worth walking to.
Because I walk everywhere, so after all the exploring so far and the two sites I got hungry.
Time for lunch – Clayton’s Kitchen
I can’t recommend this place enough. I found it by chance, and I was so glad I did. It was a 2 min walk from the Circus. Good advice – book your table in advance; I got lucky and was allowed to come in for lunch. 5 mins in my sitting in the restaurant, and it was full of guests.
Clayton’s Kitchen is simply superb – fab staff, amazing food reasonably priced, and great ambiance, not to mention the perfect location.
And let’s wander around the city
Once you’ve had your lunch, how about a little wander around the city. This is my favourite way of exploring the place – just walking around.
If you’re interested in Jane Austen, Jane Austen Centre is within a walking distance from Clayton’s Kitchen. Again, don’t forget to book your tickets in advance.
Since it was raining, I decided to walk to the Pulteney Bridge to see a different part of the city.
Then I walked down York Street and spotted the oldest building in Bath – dating back to the 15th century.
In my wanders, I strayed to Milsom Place which has a coffee shop and design shops, as well as a wine lounge and shop. I got myself a really nice wine there.
I dare say every street has something to offer and surprise you with, and this is one of the many reasons why I simply loved Bath.