The water of the Bath, the 46°C, the 1.2 million litres that rise each day from the Spring of the King Bladud, the 3,000 metres below the Mendip Hills, the 10,000 years of the journey through the carboniferous limestone, and the rain that fell on the Mendip Hills at the time of the last Ice Age, is the reason the Bath exists. The Romans built the Aquae Sulis (the “Waters of the Sulis”) on the site of the Celtic shrine to the goddess Sulis, the hot springs that are the only in the UK, and the Bath is the most beautiful city in the England: the 18th-century Georgian architecture, the Royal Crescent, the Circus, the Pulteney Bridge, and the city that is the UNESCO World heritage site. Here are the top seven reasons to visit.

Top Seven Reasons to Visit Bath

• 1. The Roman Baths, the essential British-Roman experience: The Roman Baths are the best-preserved Roman religious spa in the world: the Great Bath (the open-air, the water, the steam, and the most beautiful Roman pool in the northern Europe), the Temple of the Sulis Minerva (the pediment, the Gorgon’s head, the most famous Roman carving in the UK), the Sacred Spring (the source, the water rising from the ground, the 46°C, and the sense of the 2,000 years of the worship), and the archaeological museum (the coins, the 12,000 Roman coins thrown into the Sacred Spring as the offerings to the Sulis Minerva, and the curse tablets, the 130 curse tablets, the Latin, the “May he who has stolen my cloak become the as liquid as the water”, and the best Roman collection in the UK). ~£25 for the adult (the £18 for the child), and the essential strategy: the first entry at the 9am (the Baths are the busiest at the 11am-3pm, and the 9am entry is the chance to see the Great Bath in the relative quiet). The essential gift: the bottle of the Bath water, the £3, the most unusual souvenir in the UK. More UK →
• 2-3. The Thermae Bath Spa and the Royal Crescent: The Thermae Bath Spa is the chance to bathe in the same water as the Romans: the rooftop pool (the open-air, the steam, the view of the city, the Abbey, the hills, and the best view in the Bath. The £40 for the 2-hour session, and the essential strategy: the sunset session, the 7pm, the summer, the sun setting over the Crescent, and the best £40 in the England. The essential: book online at the least 2 weeks in advance). The Royal Crescent: the 30 identical Grade I listed terraced houses, the 1767-1774, the John Wood the Younger, the lawn, the view of the Royal Victoria Park, and the most beautiful street in the England. The essential Bath experience: the walk from the Pulteney Bridge (the 1774, the Robert Adam, the shops, the fourth-most-photographed bridge in the world, and the most beautiful on the River Avon), up the Pulteney Street, past the Jane Austen Centre (the 40 Gay Street, the museum, the £12, the essential for the Austen fan), to the Circus (the John Wood the Elder, the 1754-1768, the 3 segments of the circle, the 105 metres in the diameter, and the architectural model for the Royal Crescent), the Royal Crescent, and the return via the Bath Abbey (the 7th century, the fan vaulting, the most beautiful ceiling in the England, the 52 windows, the “Lantern of the West”, and the £6 for the tower tour, the 212 steps, and the best view in the Bath)
• 4-7: The Bath Abbey (see above), the Pulteney Bridge (the shops), the afternoon tea at the Pump Room (the 1795, the Roman Baths, the live classical music, the £35, and the best afternoon tea outside the London), the Sally Lunn’s (the oldest house in the Bath, the 1482, the Sally Lunn Bun, the brioche, the sweet, the savoury, and the best small café in the England. ~£8 for the bun and the tea).

Making the Most of Bath

A weekend is sufficient for Bath’s highlights, but three or four days let you settle into the city’s rhythm. Book ahead: the Roman Baths, the Thermae Spa, and top restaurants require reservations weeks in advance. Beyond the major attractions, Bath rewards the wanderer. The Kennet and Avon Canal offers a peaceful walk from the city centre into the countryside. The Holburne Museum houses a superb collection of fine arts in a building combining Georgian elegance with a striking modern extension. Bath is not a city to be conquered but to be absorbed, one Georgian terrace and one steaming pool at a time.