Experience Bewitching Bath on a Half Day Tour

Bath was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and is quite unusual in that the award is for the entire city. Fortunately the main attractions are in a compact area of less than 2 miles to the North of the River Avon so we won't be walking too far. There is much to see here but we have plenty of time to go at a leisurely pace, stop for photos and refreshments and take in the beautiful city.

We are going to start in the Old Town so from your hotel we will make our way to the Abbey Quarter. I love this part of the city because here we have all the layers of Bath’s history and can explore Roman, Medieval, and Georgian times including a touch of Jane Austen & Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. We will go into the Abbey to admire the fine Perpendicular Gothic architecture and catch up on bishops and bodies,

Bath is famous for its hot springs and since Roman times people have come to bathe in naturally hot water. Just as the romans did nearly 2,000 years ago, today people flock to Bath to take the waters and indulge in beauty treatments; so our next stop has to be Thermae Spa to see the modern-day spa and hear about the history of taking the waters; who came when and why and what torments people suffered in the hope of being cured.

Here we leave the Old Town and come into Saw Close which marks the beginning of the New Town, developed in the 1700s when Bath became the place to be.

The 1700s was all about hedonism, consumerism and seeing and being seen and Bath epitomized all this. As we stroll away from the spa area, we will be heading to what was called the New Town - the place for entertainment, searching out the latest fashions and simply making sure that you were noticed. We will pass the Theatre Royal which attracted all the top acts of the 1700s and today is still one of the best theatres outside of London's West End, then on to Queen Square where John Wood the 18th century architect began his development of the stunning Georgian City that people flock to see today.

A short walk takes us to the Assembly Rooms. There were no private parties in the 1700s in Bath. Instead you came here to meet people at the ball, in the tea rooms, gambling or playing cards socially. If there are no events on in the rooms we can pop in to admire the exquisite decoration, chandeliers and portraits of those who spent their time her and learn more about how you spent you days and how fortunes were made and lost.

This will take us onto Terrace Walk and back to the Centre by the Abbey passing Sally Lunns -famous for Sally Lunn buns said to be made to a secret recipe from the 1600s. Here I can either accompany you back to your hotel or leave you in the centre to enjoy more of Bath.