The Roman Baths
An absolute must of course! Take one of their hand held audio guides with you – and probably worth trying to get there early to avoid queues (post covid you may have to book in advance). If you have time, go for afternoon tea in the Pump Rooms next door (you may have to book at busy times, but again, mornings are much quieter). Live music in the pump rooms starts at 10.30am. Good for families – something for all ages.
No.1 The Royal Crescent
We love this museum. The entire house has been painstakingly restored to its original Georgian glory and with guides in each room on hand to answer any questions, its surprisingly fascinating. Another good one for families – at least for primary age upwards. A top tip is that just round the corner from the museum you can find a walled Georgian Garden (on The Gravel Walk) which is free to enter (ask someone in the museum to point you in the right direction).
Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein
This is a great new attraction. Especially good for teenagers and above – not really suitable for under 12s. The history is fascinating and the basement quite terrifying. We got a chance to test the escape room recently which was fantastic and worth booking in for.
The Jane Austen Museum can feel a little limited (in our opinion) and there’s not a lot for younger children – but if you’re a big fan of the author it is worth a visit. You can also visit Bath Abbey and even arrange a private tour of the tower (special romantic packages also available).
Visit Welcome To Bath which has good up to date listings of what’s happening in the city each week. The blog is also a good read for tips (written by the city’s welcome ambassadors).
For tickets for shows, concerts and festivals (of which we have many throughout the year), https://bathboxoffice.org.uk is the place to go.
Highlights of the year include the famous Christmas Market (usually the last weeks of November and first two weeks of December), the Bath Fringe Festival (including Fringe Arts Bath Festival) at the end of May, the Bath Festival (combines literature and music) in May but with a finale event in August (usually big name bands play), the Children’s Literature Festival (Sept/ Oct) and the Bath Film Festival (Oct/ Nov).
And if you’re here in rugby season (September to May), grab a ticket for a Bath Rugby home game. The stadium is in the centre of town and there’s a real buzz when its match day.
There is often a market of some sort going on at Green Park on Sundays… but if you’re up for going further afield, head to Frome for the monthly Frome Market as the pick of the bunch.
Thermae Bath Spa
The spa is a must! Unless you have a treatment booked, you cannot book your time in the spa and so try and avoid busy periods so you don’t have to queue. The busiest times tend to be Fridays through to Mondays.
For an alternative to the Thermae Spa, there is The Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa, or else we really like The Bath Priory (Weston Road) which has a spa but also an outdoor pool (open Summer only) and beautiful grounds. They also do a good afternoon tea in their Michelin starred restaurant!
The Holburne should definitely be on your list if you are an arts-lover. Its set in the beautiful Sydney Gardens and a good starting point for a stroll along the canal.
We love the Victoria Art Gallery in the centre of town that has some great exhibitions on. 44AD is a fantastic independent gallery and studio space in the centre of town that always has something original on. There are plenty of other great independent art galleries – we seem to be swimming in them….
The American Museum is a drive or bus ride up to Claverton Down but interesting for both history and art (and a good day out for kids).
We have three cinemas in Bath (including a picture house cinema for independent films) but would highly recommend Tivoli. It is a very special luxury cinema and well worth the slightly higher prices… a very good wet weather ‘to do’ option or a romantic treat.
There are so many options for food – you can’t go too far wrong. And great new places pop up all the time so sometimes worth looking at Trip Advisor, etc. We try to upadte this list as often as we can but things move fast!
The Green Bird (Margarets Buildings) is a lovely little cafe a stone’s throw from the apartment - good for breakfast.
We love The Circus restaurant which is also close by (Brock Street) and consistently good - but a bit more upmarket than ‘mid-range’. My first choice for a special occasion.
We really enjoy The Beckford Bottle Shop (Saville Row) which is not far from the apartment. It serves small plates with great wine. And its sister restaurant The Beckford Canteen calls itself 'modern British dining' and is my new favourite! Again - very close to the apartment.
If you wander over to Walcot Street (stop off at The Bell or The Star for a pint on your way - see 'Pubs' below...) then The Landrace is a new favourite for all our friends. Also on Walcot Street is Walcot House - great cafe, fabulous restaurant and a nightclub in the basement - a good place for a larger gathering.
Another place that serves small plates and is popular is Corkage (Chapel Row). It started as a wine cellar that morphed into a restaurant - so wine takes centre stage.
If you haven’t booked anywhere - Pinxtos is a great tip. Great tapas and because they only do walk-ins (no bookings taken) you are almost guaranteed to get in - even if you have to wait.
While I don’t usually recommend chain restaurants, but The Ivy is very popular with our friends at the moment if you need an all-rounder. It also has a lovely little outdoor terrace. We also believe its one of the best places to get an afternoon tea in Bath – and we sometimes treat ourselves to a breakfast here too!
We recently had a great meal at Raphael’s which is perfect pre-theatre and never disappoints.
Clayton’s Kitchen @ The Porter – Haven’t been for a while but always did impressive food. Check latest reviews.
Our pick of the family friendly pubs has to be The Hare & Hounds on Lansdown (worth the short drive up the hill) which has so much space for kids to run about and an outdoor adventure area. The views are also great from up there and the food fantastic. Worth booking ahead. Good Sunday lunch option.
The Marlborough Tavern is a very short walk from the apartment and equally good (for Sundays or any day actually - very good gastro pub food and has a beer garden).. I haven’t tried The Chequers (opposite the apartment) since it has had new owners post lockdown - but I hear good reports. Let us know what you think!
For something a bit different, Yak Yeti Yak is fantastic Nepalese food albeit at the other end of town. The Scallop Shell does award-winning fish and chips, and we also really enjoy Noya’s Kitchen - incredible Vietnamese food. Also, Budō Bā is a small Japanese-style bar that does Japanese 'tapas' and is open late - well worth a visit for late night nibbles.
Finally - keeping it simple head to The Real Italian Pizza Company. Good quality, simple food and a good place for children. It has an ice-cream parlour next door too (although for the best ice-cream in Bath, head to Swoon which also has lots of vegan options). Another good pizza place is Oven, near the Theatre Royal. And while it is a chain, Bill’s is a good all-rounder if you have children or fussy eaters in tow.
For fine dining, check out The Olive Tree (Michelin-starred) and Menu Gordon Jones (very special taster menus – book well in advance!). And Hudson’s for the best steak (last time we checked).
Also lots of good veggie / vegan places popping up. We like Temptations Indian veggie restaurant. Oak is fabulous veggie/vegan food and well worth the splurge.
To be a proper tourist you should go to Sally Lunn’s and try some buns (there is a mini museum in the basement also). But we don’t really rate the other food served there (although you'll see it consistently has queues of tourists outside!). Another good place for afternoon tea is the Pump Rooms (next to the Roman Baths (live music from 10.30am, quieter in mornings). But a good alternative is afternoon tea at The Ivy on Milsom Street (and they do an option with a Sally Lunn Bun so you can kill two birds with one stone!)
Other good cafes that are very baby and child friendly include Fox & Kit (The Corridor), The Egg (Monmouth Street), Boston Tea Party (the Alfred Street branch is close to the apartment and has room for buggies galore) and St Mike's Cafe is a well-kept secret... a cafe within a church at the bottom of Broad Street (opposite Waitrose supermarket) and so plenty of space for kids to run about!
We’ve already mentioned The Chequers (opposite the apartment), Marlborough Tavern (has garden) and Hare & Hounds above as eateries.
To visit a pub whose pub interior is so unspoiled its officially now of “outstanding historic interest”, stroll down Guinea Lane and at the bottom you’ll find The Star Inn. The pub purposefully has no music, no fancy food menu and no pool table – but you can be sure of a great locally brewed ale and a game of shove halfpenny. It even has a ‘death row’ bench for its elderly regulars!
The Bell is something of an institution in Bath. Owned by its customers (including many a local celebrity such as Robert Plant and Peter Gabriel), it has live music three times a week, serves real ales and pizza in the garden.
The Raven is another old fashioned pub that serves great pies. One of our favourite pubs in Bath.
Hall & Woodhouse is a large impressive pub with more of a party atmosphere (go to the top / roof terrace to see views over Bath from a different angle…). Good for evening or lunch - but gets busy with drinkers on Fri and Sat night so can be noisy.
We like The Salamander in town (cosy and traditional) and also The Crystal Palace which also does pretty good food too and has a covered beer garden. The latter is also a great pit stop when shopping in town (especially during the Christmas market – book in advance and know you can rest your weary shopping legs without queueing!).
The Grapes is also a lovely central pub and does regular Blues, Gypsy, Jazz & Traditional Irish music sessions. There's a great atmosphere in here always and worth a visit.
Do book a table at The Dark Horse. Its officially been rated one of the best cocktail bars in the world! The Hideout is a great little Whiskey bar if you can find it! The Gin Bar is very popular. And we already mentioned Walcot House which has a café, restaurant and late night drinking and dancing all under one roof.
If its sunny, go for cocktails at Sub13 which isn’t far from the apartment and has a secret garden out the back (and a seemingly endless happy hour).
Finally, there’s a great little hot chocolate place we’re into called Mrs Potts (York Street). Good for adults and children alike!
There are some great independent shops in Bath. The top end of town (where you are) tends to be where the independents are, with the high street brands towards the bottom end of town (near the train station). Here’s our pick of places not to miss:
Berdoulat is a gorgeous kitchenware shop and wine cellar, a stone’s throw from the apartment.
My Small World is THE place to go for toys. An award-winning independent shop that is worth the walk to the other end of town (near the train station).
There are so many great bookshops, but our top three would be: Toppings (hosts many talks and signings so worth checking their what’s on page), Mr B’s (lovely children’s section and they do a fabulous ‘book spa’ for serious literature lovers) and Persephone Books (recently re-located from London, they publish out-of-print women writers that otherwise would have been lost to history).
Do the Bath Skyline walk, or part of it. There are several trails you can do including a free fairy trail for kids and a woodland play area.
There is also Prior Park Landscape Gardens (National Trust).
If you want to feel outdoorsy but just be on the flat and close to town, go for a walk along the canal to Sydney Gardens (coffee shop at Holburne Museum there is open until 4pm).
You can also hire bicycles, boats and paddle boards on the canal. Some great cycle routes around Bath – but worth doing the two tunnels route.
You can even hire a small row boat or canoe and paddle your way to the pub in Bathampton and back!
On Sundays in the Summer months there are usually bands playing in the bandstands in Royal Victoria Park and Parade Gardens (and you can grab afternoon tea at Parade Gardens).
There is a huge variety of different walking tours in the city centre too – some of them free (look for the Mayor’s walks). Many are on different themes, from comedy walks (Bizarre Bath – highly recommended!) to ghost walks, to architecture-focused walks to film location / Jane Austen themed walks.
If you’re here in a heat wave (or you’re into cold water swimming), head to Warleigh Weir (reachable by bicycle along the canal) for a dip. A quieter, more managed spot is the oldest wild swimming club in the UK: the Farleigh & District Wild Swimming Club (you will need to buy membership). Its a 15 min drive east of Bath – but very accessible and great for all ages.
You can also swim outdoors all year round at the newly opened Cleveland Pools. Sessions are around £6 for an hour and you can register and book online here. Currently the pool isn't heated but there are plans for it to be heated from Spring 2024 onwards.
Do check out the listings for The Egg Theatre– a fantastic children’s theatre. Downstairs they also have a child-friendly café where the kids can run off steam and no one will bat an eyelid!
There are three good cinemas in Bath: Tivoli, the Odeon and The Little Theatre. All screen all the latest blockbusters and the Odeon and The Little have child specific screenings.
Bath Sports & Leisure Centre is fairly central and has a new soft play (‘Zany Zone’), ten pin bowling alley, trampoline park and swimming pool including kids leisure pool with slides.
Just next to the sports centre is the Bath Pavilion which did host family and junior roller skating sessions in the week.
Bath City Farm has free entry and is open Tuesday to Saturday. Its easiest to get to by car or public transport as it is based in Twerton which is on the edge of Bath.
There are several fantastic parks in Bath where the kids can run about and let off steam. Royal Victoria Park is the pick of the bunch and just on your doorstep. Affectionately known as Vicky Park, this is a very popular location with bandstand, huge play area, crazy golf, duck ponds, skate park, cafés, tennis, botanical gardens and the ‘Great Dell Aerial Walkway’. Alice Park is also very good for kids, especially younger children. Its bit less hectic and has a nicer café – but is on the edge of town so harder to get to without a car.
A top tip for a pit stop with young children is Parade Gardens, almost in the centre of town, close to the Abbey. While it has no play equipment, it is a fully enclosed park that locks at night and doesn’t allow dogs (so there are no nasty surprises in the bushes for toddlers to find!). It has a café that does afternoon teas and ice creams and a toilet (20p to use). You do have to pay minimal entry to get in unless you are a Bath resident (£1.50).
Dyrham Park is a National Trust deer park, 17th century house and gardens and has a great play area for children. Avon Valley Country Park is a mix between a farm animal petting zoo and an indoor play centre. Longleat House & Safari Park are an incredible day out if you have the time. Westonbirt Arboretum is worth a visit, especially in the Autumn.
Do let us know your own tips and reviews of anything you discover (or if you don’t agree with any of the above!) so we can keep this list up to date for others!