Bath city has world heritage status and has been a World Heritage Site  since 1987. Bath is one of the most beautiful places to visit in England and the UK . Bath city centre has a variety of theatres, museums, galleries and other cultural and sporting venues, which have made Bath into a vibrant major centre for tourism, with over a million staying visitors and nearly 4 million day visitors to Bath each year. Click here o find a  Bath Map.

Bath has the  world renowned university of Bath ranking 11^th in the country renowned around the globe for its academic achievements and  for its research work and close links with businesses in Bath, Bath Uni as it is often called has a strong sports achievement as well as rating highly in engineering. There is a great deal to explore in Bath and is well worth staying over with a wide selection of attractions such as the Roman Baths, the Pump Room and Bath Abbey. Bath offers a range of  luxurious  hotels to make your stay even more memorable. Bath is also atop city in which to live and work with closed proximity to London by rail or the M4 motorway.

Places of Interest

Amongst  it’s heritage attractions is Bath Abbey,  a magnificent Abbey vsited by visitors from across the globe. A religious building has stood on the site of the abbey since 676. An abbey was replaced by a large Norman priory in 1090, but the building was not maintained well. Oliver King, who was appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells, decided in 1499 to replace the building with a magnificent cathedral.

On the west front of the abbey you can see Oliver King's "signature" - a combination of an olive tree (which represents his name "Oliver" and is also a symbol for peaceful times) and a crown (which represents both his surname "King" and the king at that time, Henry the Seventh). Entry is free,  contributions are welcomed to help the Abbey to be maintained.

Bath has Britain's only natural hot springs. Rainwater which fell thousands of years ago over the limestone hills in this area has made its way deep under the surface, where the hot temperature has turned it to steam and pushed it back up to the surface. The Roman baths are one of Bath's most  visited  tourist sites, with guided tours by audio guide in many different languages. The Roman Baths give a true insite into how the Roman's would have bathed and is situated close to  Bath Abbey.

The Roman Baths

The Roman Baths is one of the largest tourist attractions in South West England, and offers audio tours in many languages.

The Romans started ‘Aquae Sulis’ as a place of relaxation. Evidence of a temple discovered near Bath Cross indicates that it was seen as a place of healing. By the 18th century Bath Spa was starting to attract visitors from across Europe. The popularity of the city initiated the rebuilding of the city leading to the elegant 18th century Bath which people now associate with the city. The Roman Baths and the Pump room remain leading attractions in Bath Spa.

One of the major attractions today in Bath Spa is the Thermae Bath Spa, Britains only natural thermal spa baths. Thermae Spa Bath offers both traditional and modern spa facilities. It utilises the warm mineral rich waters which were enjoyed by Romans and Celts over 2000 years ago. The therapists provide a wide variety of treatments with options of 2 or 4 hour spa sessions. This includes the use of the aromatic steam rooms and the unique, stunning open air pool on the roof which gives stunning views across Bath. Tourists and locals alike are attracted to the famous Thermae Spa in Bath, offering a unique experience and the opportunity to be pampered and relax with a choice of over fifty spa treatments, which could be a special gift or pre wedding treat.

Jane Austen Centre 40 Gay Street; Tells the story of the influence of Bath on the writing of Jane Austen, who lived in Bath between 1801 and 1806. Two of Jane Austen's novels are set in Bath: "Northanger Abbey" and "Persuasion" (some of her other well-known novels are "Pride and Prejudice", "Sense and Sensibility", "Emma" and "Mansfield Park").  these books tell you about Georgian society in Bath at this time (Jane Austen did not like all the rules and formality).

Milsom Street is one of the main shopping areas in Bath with the recent development of Milsom Place, with a narrow passage into the upper floors . There are a number of individual boutique shops and cafes including the popular Jamie's  Italian. There are a great selection of smaller independant boutiques close by as well as the many larger highstreert names, and the new SouthGate development Bath's largest shopping Centre.  Alternatively many people enjoy online shopping from the comfort of their own home, and enjoy the thrill of trying to seek out the cheapest prices.

Postal  Museum on Broad Street. It was here at this location that the letter with the first ever postage stamp (a "penny black") was sent in 1840. A museum with the history of the postal service,  including the contribution of Ralph Allen, who used to work at the post office in Bath.

Argyle Street. and Pulteney Bridge,  there are several specialist shops worth exploring. On the side of the river there is a park and a place where you can take boat trips along the River Avon.

Bath Festivals

Bath is a cultural city and hosts a series of Festivals starting with the Bath Literature festival in February, the comedy festival in April bring fun and frivolity to the streets of Bath, the Bath International Music Festival and the fringe festivals in May bring a mixture og genres in music, from jazz, classical, folk and rock music ,along with the unique Coffee Festival in May, Bath's Jane Austen Festival in September, is a spectacular event taking you back intime to the costumes of the Jane Austen period, Bath film festival in November and the ever popular annual Christmas Market Festival located around the Roman Baths, attracting visitors from all over the UK and Europe.

Bath music festival started in 1948, Bath International Music Festival has long been a well-established event of international reputation. Bath music festival takes place annually over twelve days in late May/early June, presenting a range of high quality events including orchestral, chamber and contemporary classical music, contemporary jazz, world and folk music. The programme takes place mainly across venues in the centre of Bath and also includes free outdoor events.

Museums & Galleries

Bath has a rich array of museums and galleries, from the famous Roman Baths to the Costume museum . Regular art exhibitions are featured in some of the Contremporary art galleries in town as well as the Holburne Museum of Art which houses a fine collection of 17th and 18th century art including work of Gainsborough.

The Royal Crescent is a notable residential terrace of 30 town houses, laid out in a crescent shape. Designed by the architect John Wood , built around the earrly  1770's. It is amongst the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a Grade I listed building. It is visited annually by thousads of visitors due to it's renowned  artitecture.

For a list of what,s On at Baths top Museums and Galleries visit Museums and Galleries in Bath.

Royal Victoria Park  Bath was opened in 1830 by the 11 year old Princess Victoria it was the first park to carry her name, and includes an obelisk dedicated to her. It was privately run as part of the Victorian public park movement until 1921 when it was taken over by the Bath Corporation.

Royal Victoria Park is laid out as an arboretum, with a Botanical Garden, walks and drives. Its facilities include a major adventure playground and skateboard park, golf & putting greens, bowling greens, tennis, lake, model boating pond, bird aviary, allotments, bandstand and Pavilion Cafe. Making the Royal Victoria Park, Bath a great day out in Bath.

Bath Antiques

  Bath has a history of antiquities and is well renowned for it’s antique markets and has it’s own association representing more than 70 professional dealers,  Bath & Bradford-on-Avon Antique Dealers Association. Tel 01225 851466,

Antique dealers are mainly located in the Bartlett Street area, Margaret's Buildings, George Street and Walcot Street and include: Bartlett Street Antique Centre, Bath Saturday Antiques Market, Fountain Antiques Centre, Walcot Antique Flea Market, Assembly Antiques Centre.

Bath also has a well established Farmers' Market held at Green Park Station. Every 2 weeks on Saturdays 9am-2pm.

Accommodation

The city offers a wide range of accommodation and smaller Hotels for visitors from bed and breakfast and guest house accommodation through to luxury hotels in iconic settings such as the Royal Crescent Hotel in the centre of the Royal Crescent, which is probably one of the most photographed views in the city. The choice of food in Bath is equally good as the selection of hotels with quality restaurants such as the Beaujolais Bistro in Bath being at the forefront of great atmosphere and food.  Along with  Green Park Brasserie set in the old railway station ticketing office, both offer atmospheric but relaxed dining. Apart from restaurants in Bath Spa there a wide selection of pubs and wine bars. For futher information on Bath Hotels sor to book a hotel visit Activ Bath Hotel section.

For people looking for property in Bath the city offers a wide range of accommodation from  Georgian architecture to new build properties making it an ideal city to work and live in. Bath is always a popular choice as a wedding venue with a number of well regarded wedding photographers in the area.

Visit Bath During 2012 Olympic Games

Bath has some great sports men and women and has an excellent sports department at the university of Bath who have produced several Olympic winners over the past years including Bath’s most recent Olympic success story Amy Williams, gold medallist in the skeleton at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. She was the only medallist for Great Britain.

  Kate Howey also trained at the University of Bath, winning the silver medal in judo at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. and also won a bronze   medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

 Also from the University of Bath were Jason Gardener who won gold in the 4x100m relay in Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Ben Rushgrove won silver in the  100m in Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games and Steph Cook  won gold in modern pentathlon in Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. 

Bath University is hosting the British Paralympic preparation camp for the 2012 Paralympic Games at the University of Bath.

If you're planning to attend the  2012 Olympic and  Paralympic Games, why not visit Bath and explore the UK during your visit? Bath is within close proximity to a number of the main Olympic venues, and is a great base to explore Bath  and the English Cotswolds, areas of outstanding beauty and renowned history such as Stonehenge. The Olympic Games will be held in London and across the UK from July to September 2012.

Bath is within close proximity of London for an overnight stay or day visit, taking just 90 minutes on a train from Paddington train station. Alternatively it can be accessed via the M4 Motorway direct from London and Windsor, Bath has many attractions and events within the centre of Bath throughout the year.

For further information on Getting to Bath or Bath Spa as it is often known as click on the link.

Whether you’re a resident or a visitor to Bath and North Somerset why not visit Activ Bath for all the information you will need.