Things to Do in Bath: A Former Local’s Guide (2026)

I lived in Bath for four years, and one of the side effects of living in Bath is that everyone you know comes to visit. Over those years I settled into a fairly well-worn version of the city tour: the sights that live up to the hype, the timings that dodge the worst of the crowds, and the free viewpoint I’d march everyone up to at the end whether they liked it or not. This guide is that tour, written down. I moved away in late 2023, so the judgment calls here come from years of actually living in the city, and I’ve checked every price, opening time and closure note against the official sources for 2026. Where something has changed since my time there, I’ve said so. Bath deserves the attention, by the way. It’s the only city in the UK designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its entirety, the whole city rather than just a historic core. Since 2021 it also carries a second inscription as one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, which puts it in a very small club of double-listed places worldwide. One thing this article isn’t: an itinerary. If you want a day-by-day plan, I’ve written a separate 2 day Bath itinerary that puts these sights into a sensible order, and if you’re coming down...