The World Heritage City of Bath is just a quick one and a half hour train ride from central London. It’s steeped in history with both Roman and Georgian delights around every corner. There’s much that Bath offers, but in just a few days, you’ll feel like you’ve walked the city a few times. It’s an ideal long weekend stop.
Stay
No. 15 Guesthouse | ©Nick C. Bumstead
No. 15 by GuestHouse
Staying in a classic Georgian row house on an idyllic Georgian street seemed like the appropriate thing to do in Bath and the No. 15 by GuestHouse fit the bill perfectly. It’s a lovely combination of stylish, comfortable, elegant, alive, but also calm. It’s worth checking their offers for the best price and packages. Between breakfast, afternoon tea, the spa, cocktails, and dinner, you could spend all day taking care of yourself in the hotel, but there’s much to see in Bath.
Eat | Breakfast
Full English Breakfast at No. 15 Guesthouse | ©Nick C. Bumstead
No. 15
There is no better way to start the day touring a city than devouring a full English breakfast. If that’s not your jam, there are other options available: Shakshuka, a variety of Benedicts, and even a Veggie Fry Up.
Drink | Coffee
Espresso & Brownie at Colonna & Small's | Photo Credit: ©Nick C. Bumstead
Colonna & Small's
Seriously focused on coffee — from the sourcing of the beans to the pouring of the coffee. Their brownies and pastries are an excellent pairing with an espresso.
Picnic Coffee
Catch the afternoon sun (if it’s out) sitting in the light and airy café enjoying a cup of coffee.
Society Café was another spot on our list that we didn't get to.
Eat | Lunch
Fish (Fried Gunard) & Chips with Aioli and Homemade Curry Sauce at The Scallop Shell | Photo Credit: ©Nick C. Bumstead
The Scallop Shell
Classics are classics for a reason and there’s nothing is quiet as British as fish and chips. When it is done well fish and chips can be a true delight. Pre-game your lunch by getting in a good walk beforehand and book a table (yes, book a table for fish and chips because this place gets packed). They serve beautiful, high quality, well-sourced, fresh fish. Don’t skip the appetizers: prawn cocktail, sardines on toast, oysters, mussels. Your best bet is to order a couple of appetizers and share a plate of fish and chips with a side of curry sauce.
Landrace Bakery
If you want to grab something on the run, it doesn’t get better than a sandwich, pastry, and cookie from Landrace Bakery. You will not be disappointed. This is a pure gem of a place that will tempt multiple return visits. They use British grains and have their own flour mill. They also have an upstairs restaurant for lunch and dinner that definitely requires booking in advance.
See | Museums & Sites
The Roman Baths | Photo Credit: ©Nick C. Bumstead
The Roman Baths
You might assume, much like we had, that the Roman Baths are a total tourist trap, but think again. Of course the history is impressive: the temple was built between 60 and 70AD, but the scale and preservation is awe-inspiring. Take your time and enjoy the tour.
The Holburne Museum
Even if you don’t venture into the museum, it’s worth walking from the Pulteney Bridge to The Holbourne. Argyle Street and Great Pulteney Street are Georgian treasures. If you are a Bridgerton fan, this classic Grade I-listed building is the façade of Lady Danbury's house. Strolled around the outside and you’ll discover the very modern extension — I personally love the juxtaposition of the old and new. The Holburne Museum was Bath’s first public art gallery and on display is the collection of Sir William Holburne (1793-1874), the fifth baronet of Menstrie. He inherited his family title and lived with his sisters. It was his wish that his collection be enjoyed by the people of Bath.
Royal Crescent & No. 1 Royal Crescent Museum
The Royal Crescent might be the most famous view in Bath: 30 terraced houses lined in a crescent with a park and sweeping views. There is a hotel right in the middle of the crescent, called the Royal Crescent if you want to visit in luxury. At the eastern end of the crescent is the No. 1 Royal Crescent Museum, a restored townhouse showing what fancy life was like in 18th Century Bath.
Bath Assembly Rooms
Designed by John Wood the Younger in 1769 with music and dancing in mind. It’s a Grade I-listed building that has been through some different uses over time: from cinema to concerts and balls. It’s now owned by the National Trust and used for functions. The Bath Fashion Museum can be found on the lower ground floor.
Bath Abbey
This site has been a place of Christian worship for well over a thousand years and the Abbey has evolved from a Tudor church to the first version of the abbey in 1499 to its restoration in 1620. Tour the Abbey to view the large stained glass windows and stare up at the original vaulted ceiling dating from the early 1500s and completed in the 1860s.
Parade Gardens
Two-and-a-half acres gardens right on the River Avon. Take a stroll, sit on a bench, and watch the River Avon flow by. Across the river you can see the grounds for Bath Rugby Club.
The Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon | Photo Credit: ©Nick C. Bumstead
Pulteney Bridge
Bath’s picturesque bridge that spans the River Avon that is lined with shops and cafés. At the eastern end there is a fun little concept store called Found.
Shopping | Food & Drink
New & Old Bond Streets | Photo Credit: ©Nick C. Bumstead
Paxton & Whitfield is a small shop dedicated to all things cheese with the iconic original located in London on Jermyn Street; Fine Cheese Company Bath (you’ve seen their cheese biscuits in fancy shops) for cheese and biscuits; Comins Tea for fine single estate teas; Independent Spirit of Bath for craft beer, whisky, and gin;
Bath also has an Independent Market on the third Sunday of the month and a farmers market on Saturday mornings.
Shopping | Style
Berdoulat | Photo Credit: ©Nick C. Bumstead
Strolling along Brock Street and up Margaret’s Buildings between The Circus and the Royal Crescent, you’ll find some design gems.
Berdoulat
Berdoulat is everything in a shop that I want: elegance, variety, a specific point of view, and beautiful design. Plus, you can have a pastry with a cup of coffee and stay a while. It was gorgeously renovated after previously being Stoffell and Fortt's grocery store, which was known as the Fortnum’s of the west.
8 Holland Street
Both an antique shop / gallery with a stunning selection and a restored guesthouse with the same design aesthetic. This is the second outpost from Tobias Vernon, an interior designer, with a store on Holland Street in London. It was designed with help from the local firm Berdoulat (same as the store above).
Beau Nash Antique Silverware
More old school and classic than 8 Holland Street, but equally as tempting. There are two shops filled with silver, objects, and furniture. If you find that perfect piece you can’t live without, they deliver worldwide.
Bath Old Books
Vintage (used) and antiquarian (antique) books in a classic little shop. Pop in for the quintessential souvenir from Bath: an antique Jane Austen novel.
For more antiques, stroll through Bartlett Street Antiques Centre; for books, stop into Topping & Company Booksellers; and for Italian glassware, French ceramics, and other beautiful things Nām is a must.
Eat | Dinner
Corkage
Sit on the terrace (which is covered in the off season) and enjoy some wine with some small plate nibbles.
No. 15
If you are staying in the Guesthouse and don’t feel like venturing out, a cocktail in the lounge and dinner downstairs can feel comforting and luxurious. The cocktails span the full range from classic to creative to non-alcohlic and the dinner menu is modern British comfort food.
The Elder
We were tempted by the description of wild British seasonal food by chef / hunter Mike Robinson. It’s always hard to fully appreciate a place on one visit, but our overall experience on this dinner was underwhelming, from the service to the food. But they have since revamped The Elder and now seem to only offer a seven course tasting menu focused on British wild food (with vegetarian options available).
For next time: Upstairs at Landrace because their breads and sandwiches downstairs are so ridiculously good; The Beckford Bottle Shop for small plates, snacks, and a notable wine list; Nova’s Kitchen for Vietnamese food, OAK for their focus on ingredients.
The Holidays
Christmas Carousel | Photo Credit: ©Nick C. Bumstead
The city lights up and becomes festive during the Christmas holidays. Visit the Christmas Market from late November to mid-December, the tree in the Abbey church yard, the Victorian carousel, Pulteney Bridge, and Bath on Ice at Royal Victoria Park.