top of page

BATH TOURS

Bath is my home patch. I've lived in the city for many years. I am also the resident expert on Bath for the travel section of The Daily Telegraph, so as well as knowing about its history and culture, I am also a mine of information of best places to eat, drink, shop and stay: see more on my Travel Journalist page

I am also up-to-date on what's happening in the city. For example, Beckford's Tower, a remarkable neo-classical folly on a hill just north of the city, reopened in summer 2024 after major renovations. Plenty of filming has taken place in Bath recently, including for the third season of the Netflix hit Bridgerton. Click through to my Bridgerton TV/Film Tour page if you want a tour of the filming locations. 

As well as taking you on a tour of Bath, I can help you get the best out of your whole visit, with advice on how to structure your time, avoid the crowds and what to book ahead.

Looking for a place to stay and a tour combined? I offer walking tours in conjunction with some of Bath's best hotels: The Royal Crescent HotelThe Bath Priory, The Queensberry Hotel, The Gainsborough Bath Spa and The Roseate Villa.

SUGGESTED BATH TOURS

 

Bath Highlights Tour - 2 or 3 hours

Ideal for first-time visitors to Bath with limited time. The walking tour includes the city's major landmarks – Bath Abbey, Pump Room, Spa Quarter, Pulteney Bridge, Queen Square, Royal Crescent, Circus and Assembly Rooms – and much else besides, including a bit of Jane Austen and her links with Bath.

 

You'll finish with a very good understanding of what makes Bath special. The three-hour version can go into a bit more depth.  

 

Bath In Depth Tour - 4 hours or a whole day

With more time, consider booking a half- or whole-day tour. As well as showing you everything covered in the Highlights Tour, I can guide you around the Roman Baths (maximum 6 in a group for a guided tour) and Bath Abbey.

 

With a full day tour, there should also be time to visit other museums such as No1 Royal Crescent, maybe go into Jane Austen in more depth, or perhaps explore off-the-beaten track areas, as described below in the Pulteney Estate and Five Crescents tours.

 

I'll include carefully-chosen stops for coffee, lunch and tea.

 

Spa/Medical History Tour – 2 hours

 

This entertaining and informative walking tour looks at Bath’s 2,000 years as a leading spa destination. You’ll learn about the city’s natural hot springs and the waters’ supposedly therapeutic properties. You’ll hear stories about about Bladud the mythical founder of Bath, and how rich and poor came to Bath seeking cures from bathing in and drinking the thermal waters.

 

The tour will also cover bathing practices through the centuries, explore historic almshouses and hospitals linked to the baths, and reveal details about a doctor who invented a healthy biscuit in the 1700s that is still on sale today!

Five Crescents Tour - 2 hours

 

This largely off-the-beaten-track route around Bath's hilly northern side takes in five of Bath's seven Georgian crescents, each a curving wonder in honey-hued Bath stone, as well the Assembly Rooms and Circus.

 

Magnificent views across Bath, and sometimes sheep, await.

 

Pulteney Estate and Beyond Tour - 2 to 3 hours

 

Another away-from-the-crowds itinerary, focusing on the area of Bath on the eastern side of the River Avon.

 

The walk takes in Bath's fascinating, unfinished Georgian New Town, especially its centrepiece, magnificent Great Pulteney Street. It continues through Sydney Gardens – elaborate pleasure gardens in Georgian times – along a scenic section of the Kennet & Avon Canal, and up on to the meadows of Bathwick Fields, with glorious view over the city.

royal-crescent-3571875_1920.jpg
Aerial_View_of_the_Circus_and_Crescent (
A_61384_Roman_Baths (1).jpg
the_circus_2.jpg
Thermae_Bath_Spa.jpg
Pulteney_Bridge_17_(credit_BTP_-_CH).jpg

Images VisitWest

 

EASY DAY TRIPS FROM BATH

 

There are numerous enticing sightseeing options an hour's drive or less from Bath. See my top suggestions on my Beyond Bath Tours page. Many guests choose to take a day-long guided tour, splitting time in Bath and nearby, maybe visiting one or two of the impossibly pretty villages or Stonehenge. 

bottom of page