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If you’re planning a trip to England, consider spending a day in the beautiful city of Bath…
Traveling to England is something I never get tired of doing. It’s one of my favorite places in the world to visit. Normally, when I travel to England, I spend the majority of my time in London (I love it there!). On my most recent trip, however, I was only in London for 1 full day (not nearly long enough!) and spent the rest of my time in the beautiful English countryside.
I’ve just returned from a glorious ten day trip to England with my husband. He had a series of business meetings to attend and fortunately since my schedule was free, I was able to join him. We were fortunate that we were able to combine business with pleasure and enjoy England together.
Our trip began in London where our plane landed at Heathrow Airport mid-day. EJ and I took the Heathrow Express to London Paddington Station which is about a 20 minute ride. At Paddington Station, we purchased our tickets to travel to Bristol which was our home base for 3 days. We settled into our Bristol hotel and the next morning, we took the train over to Bath.
Bath is an easy 12 minute train ride from Bristol. If you’re traveling to Bath from London, it’s about a 90 minute ride from London’s Paddington Station. Bath is a beautiful city and I believe it’s one that shouldn’t be missed.
Bath is situated in the rolling countryside of Southwest England. It’s known for it’s natural hot springs and lovely Georgian architecture. Bath is home to the incredible Roman Baths which are over 2,000 years old and from 1801 to 1806, Jane Austen called it home.
If you’re planning a day trip to Bath, I would suggest you arrive early as we did. Bath is a tourist destination and visitors begin arriving in the city early in the day.
When you arrive at the train station in Bath, you’ll immediately see the street signs which will direct you to the tourist destinations.
In the heart of the city lies the Roman Baths. Constructed around 70 AD, it is now one of the best preserved Roman remains in the world.
After we toured the Roman baths, we decided to stroll through the city towards the Circus…
On the way, we stumbled upon the Jane Austen Centre…
Trivia question…Which two of Jane Austen’s books are set partially in Bath? ( scroll down to see the answer )
The Circus: Originally referred to as “The King’s Circus”, this interesting sight consists of three curved segments of townhowses, arranged in a circular shape.
Just a little farther up the road is the Royal Crescent. One of Bath’s most iconic landmarks and a fine example of Georgian architecture, these 30 townhouses are known for their unusual crescent shape. They were built by John Wood between 1767 and 1775.
Today, it is home to The Royal Crescent Hotel, a museum and a few private homes.
We walked through Royal Victoria Park and back to the city centre…
We had a wonderful lunch at The Jazz Cafe in Kingsmead Square. It’s steps away from the shopping and theatre districts of Bath. We highly recommend this place. The food was excellent and it was so nice to sit at tables overlooking the square.
After lunch, we walked over to Bath Abbey. This magnificent church is next door to the Roman Baths and the site has been a place of Christian worship for over 1,200 years.
On my list of places to visit in Bath was Sally Lunn’s Historic Eating House. Sally Lunn’s is in the center of the city and the building is one of the oldest houses in Bath. Sally Lunn created the first Bath bun which is a regional specialty.
I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday. Bath is a beautiful city and although I would have loved to have stayed longer, one day is really all you need to see everything here. For more information on traveling to Bath, check out VisitBath, the official tourism website for Bath and beyond.
The answer to the trivia question is…
Northanger Abbey and Persuasion 🙂
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Bath looks so serene and picterusque! 🙂 I would love to visit England some day, and Bath has just made my list of must-visit places while I am there. Looks like you all had a wonderful time!
We sure did, Carrie. I want to go back 🙂
This looks like a lovely side trip from London. Amazing! Definitely need to come the next time I’m across the pond!
Bath is a wonderful side trip and not far from London. Hope you have the opportunity to visit when you’re in England again.