Bath City Guide - overview

The Romans established the City of Bath in AD 43 and this city, awash with architecture, history and culture, has been welcoming visitors ever since. Many of Bath's great buildings date back from its renaissance in the 18th century when it again became a fashionable spa town and played host to royalty and the cream of aristocracy, who visited the city to 'take the waters'. Today visitors can walk around the old Roman Baths, enjoy the splendour of Bath Abbey or simply take in the breathtaking Georgian architecture of this beautiful city, which somehow managed to escape the ravages of industry and the Luftwaffe. Jane Austen lived and based many of her books on Bath, and on Gay Street, near where she once lived, visitors can find the Jane Austen Centre, which displays her life and times. For an authentic feel of life gone by, period decorations and furniture have been reinstated in No1 Royal Crescent, so that the house appears as it might have been as a fine 18th-century townhouse. Though architecturally Bath is something of a period piece, it is also a very modern city; its restaurants and pavement cafés packed full of local businessmen and artisans. The International Music Festival marks the beginning of summer and adds to the city's lively, festive atmosphere and its Theatre Royal is one of the country's leading provincial theatres, attracting big names and pre-West End runs.

Getting around: The compact city of Bath can easily be explored on foot or by bicycle. Different walking tours, including a ghost walk, are offered, and some are free. But the best way for visitors to see the city and its sights is on one of numerous bus tours, many of which are open-top and offer a hop-on, hop-off service with tickets valid for 24 hours. The city's bus network is also good and connects the city centre and its outskirts. A park-and-ride service is available. Taxis are unnecessary in the city centre, as walking is often much faster, but they are easy to find at the railway station. There are also several car hire agencies.