Back in November Tom and I took advantage of the cheap train fares and booked a weekend away in Bath, a beautiful city just a couple of hours away from central London. I didn't take my DSLR so please excuse the less than perfect photos from my trusty old iPhone 4!
We stayed at The Royal Hotel as it had a brilliant deal on (two nights plus a 3 course dinner and breakfast each morning for £100pp) and it is brilliantly located right next to the train station. The hotel was perfect for us - quiet, clean and decent sized rooms.
Day one:
We arrived late and after checking in we headed straight to the Thermal Baths. Although Thermae Bath Spa is not cheap it is arguably one of the most unmissable parts of Bath. And if you travel to Bath Spa by train you can get half price entry (just remember to take your ticket to show them!). You can hire a dressing gown and towel for a small fee (we just took the ones from our hotel though) and they have lots of clean changing rooms with lockers. Understandably you can't take your camera or phone into the baths, as people are wearing their swimsuits. Tom loved the flavoured steam rooms (especially eucalyptus) while the highlight for me was definitely the thermal pool on the roof. We sat and chatted while watching the sun go down over the stunning buildings around us. That night we ate at our hotel and redeemed the free meal that came with our room.
Day two:
After filling up on breakfast at the hotel we set off to explore the city. We started out at The Roman Baths (we managed to blag student discount here). There's a free audioguide which is worth doing. Just don't try the supposedly 'medicinal' water, it tastes as bad as it smells!
We then visited Bath Abbey, a beautiful landmark right next to The Roman Baths. It was great to take refuge from the cold November day inside.
After refuelling on tea and cake we went to the Jane Austen Museum, a personal highlight for me. The author is often associated with Bath and it was lovely to visit the museum and learn a bit more about her lift. Prebooking is recommended.
Not far from the Jane Austen Museum is the famous Royal Crescent, well worth trekking up the hill to see. After Instagramming this very photogenic street we wandered back down the hill to eat dinner at The Mint Room, a wonderful Indian restaurant with plenty of delicious vegetarian options.
Day three:
We spent the morning peacefully wandering around Bath, enjoying the pretty streets and independent shops. After popping to see Pulteney Bridge we headed to a vegetarian cafe called The Green Rocket Cafe for lunch. They had countless vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options to chose from. We both enjoyed our choices and even made room for pudding. We had to leave shortly after lunch to catch the train home, but we both had a lovely weekend and will be sure to return to Bath.
Top tips:
- Travel by train to enjoy half price entry to many attractions, including the Thermal Baths
- Prebook tickets to the museums and Thermal Baths to avoid the long queues.
- You only really need two full days to see all the highlights.
- We didn't use public transport or taxis at all, Bath is a small city which is accessibly on foot.
We stayed at The Royal Hotel as it had a brilliant deal on (two nights plus a 3 course dinner and breakfast each morning for £100pp) and it is brilliantly located right next to the train station. The hotel was perfect for us - quiet, clean and decent sized rooms.
Day one:
We arrived late and after checking in we headed straight to the Thermal Baths. Although Thermae Bath Spa is not cheap it is arguably one of the most unmissable parts of Bath. And if you travel to Bath Spa by train you can get half price entry (just remember to take your ticket to show them!). You can hire a dressing gown and towel for a small fee (we just took the ones from our hotel though) and they have lots of clean changing rooms with lockers. Understandably you can't take your camera or phone into the baths, as people are wearing their swimsuits. Tom loved the flavoured steam rooms (especially eucalyptus) while the highlight for me was definitely the thermal pool on the roof. We sat and chatted while watching the sun go down over the stunning buildings around us. That night we ate at our hotel and redeemed the free meal that came with our room.
(Photo from the Themae Bath Spa website - no phones allowed inside!)
Day two:
After filling up on breakfast at the hotel we set off to explore the city. We started out at The Roman Baths (we managed to blag student discount here). There's a free audioguide which is worth doing. Just don't try the supposedly 'medicinal' water, it tastes as bad as it smells!
We then visited Bath Abbey, a beautiful landmark right next to The Roman Baths. It was great to take refuge from the cold November day inside.
After refuelling on tea and cake we went to the Jane Austen Museum, a personal highlight for me. The author is often associated with Bath and it was lovely to visit the museum and learn a bit more about her lift. Prebooking is recommended.
Not far from the Jane Austen Museum is the famous Royal Crescent, well worth trekking up the hill to see. After Instagramming this very photogenic street we wandered back down the hill to eat dinner at The Mint Room, a wonderful Indian restaurant with plenty of delicious vegetarian options.
Day three:
We spent the morning peacefully wandering around Bath, enjoying the pretty streets and independent shops. After popping to see Pulteney Bridge we headed to a vegetarian cafe called The Green Rocket Cafe for lunch. They had countless vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options to chose from. We both enjoyed our choices and even made room for pudding. We had to leave shortly after lunch to catch the train home, but we both had a lovely weekend and will be sure to return to Bath.
Top tips:
- Travel by train to enjoy half price entry to many attractions, including the Thermal Baths
- Prebook tickets to the museums and Thermal Baths to avoid the long queues.
- You only really need two full days to see all the highlights.
- We didn't use public transport or taxis at all, Bath is a small city which is accessibly on foot.
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