About Bath

Bath is a World heritage City. It ticks pretty much all the boxes for a perfect short break. With sweeping, honey-stone Georgian crescents and terraces spread over a green and hilly bowl, it’s a strong contender for England’s most beautiful small city.

It has a fascinating and easily accessible history, from the Roman Baths to the life and times of one-time resident Jane Austen. Its state-of-the-art Thermae Bath Spa complex, which opened in 2006, allows visitors the pleasing continuity of wallowing in the hot, mineral-rich spring-waters in much the same way the Romans did 2,000 years ago.

Attractions

· For a general guide to Bath go to: visitbath.co.uk - lots of ideas and deals, and a good "What's on" section.

· The Bath Visitor Information Centre is at Abbey Chambers, Abbey Churchyard, Bath, BA1 1LY; open 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun.

· The Roman Baths, constructed around 70 AD as a grand bathing and socialising complex. It is now one of the best preserved Roman remains in the world. This great temple and bathing complex still flows with natural hot water.

· The Bath Abbey is one of the largest examples of Perpendicular Gothic architecture in the West Country.

· The Royal Crescent: it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom.

· The Pulteney Bridge crosses the River Avon in Bath, England. Designed by Robert Adam in a Palladian style, it is exceptional in having shops built across its full span on both sides.

· Pulteney Weir is a triumph both visually and acoustically. Its steps, three great crescents cascading across the Avon, are rims of foam in sparkling contrast to the quiet water above them reflecting Pulteney Bridge.

· The Circus is an example of Georgian architecture in the city of Bath.

· Museums and galleries

· Jane Austen Centre, for a snapshot of life during Regency times and explore how living in Bath affected Jane’s life and writing.

· The Pump Room, was built in 1795, remains at the social heart of the city.

· The assembly rooms, elegant public rooms at the heart of fashionable 18th-century Bath life.

· Prior Park, one of only four Palladian bridges of this design in the world can be crossed at Prior Park. The garden is set in a sweeping valley where visitors can enjoy magnificent views of Bath.

· Stonehenge is one of the most iconic prehistoric monuments in Europe. This imposing and fascinating stone circle was built in the late Neolithic period around 2,500 BC.

· Longleat, go wild in the UK’s No.1 Safari Park.

· Lacock: the village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trust, and attracts many visitors by virtue of its unspoiled appearance. The village has been used as a film and television set, notably for the 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice, the 2007 BBC production of Cranford.

Travel and Transport

· Bath is compact, though hilly. If you stay somewhere reasonably central, you may well decide to walk everywhere. Abbey Taxis (01225 444444) is a reliable taxi firm. Fares on regular buses (firstgroup.com) have recently come down, but can still be annoyingly expensive.

· For a lazy overview of the city, take a hop-on, hop-off open-top bus tour: bathbuscompany.com.

· Bath has a new self-service bike rental scheme, with pick-up/drop-off points at nine locations: see nextbike.co.uk.

· There are several free walking tours of Bath. The Mayor of Bath’s Corps of Honorary Guides (bathguides.org.uk) offers guided two-hour walks, at least once a day, they are very positively reviewed. You can also download audio walking tours of Jane Austen’s Bath and the city’s highlights from visitbath.co.uk on to an iPod, iPhone or MP3 player.

· Bus or train