The zone waves you in, the ticket machine does not
The sign says Clean Air Zone and most drivers from abroad brace for a charge that never comes. The bill arrives later, at a machine that has already decided your car is a top-band polluter. Bath's honey-coloured stone is the backdrop; the real argument is your number plate.
£18 for the wrong house, and £31 at the Roman Baths door
The Jane Austen Centre sits at No. 40 Gay Street and charges £18 for an adult. Austen herself lived further down the same street, at No. 25. The centre is an exhibition about her time in Bath, not her home. I would walk past No. 25 for free and spend the £18 on a spa session instead.
The second trap is walking up to the Roman Baths on a Saturday. The September–October advance price is £26.50 on weekdays and £29 at weekends, and the museum says tickets bought on the day cost £2 more. That is £31 at the door for the same visit you could have booked on a Tuesday for £26.50.
Guildhall Market before the coaches
Guildhall Market calls itself the oldest shopping market in Bath and opens Monday to Saturday, 08:00 to 17:00, closed on Sunday. Go at eight, when stallholders are still setting out and the High Street is quiet. My route is straight through to the second-hand books at Paperbacks, then out the back towards the river.
Ride the bus back the same day, or pay for the privilege
The three Park & Ride sites, Lansdown, Newbridge and Odd Down, are open 24 hours. Parking there is free if you take the bus in and back the same day. Stay overnight or skip the bus and it is £2 for three hours, and since 1 October 2026 £4 for 24 hours (it was £3).
Bring £4 for the bus. TravelWest's fare table from 1 January 2026 lists the adult return at £4.00; a First Bus page dated July 2024 still says £3.70, and I would not count on it. Mind the roofs: Newbridge is 2 m, Odd Down 2.2 m, Lansdown has no height limit.
Spa water, a crescent built backwards and a bridge of shops
The Roman Baths keep the curse tablets. About 130 people scratched their grievances onto metal, often over stolen clothes. On 2 October it opened 09:00–18:00, last entry an hour before.
Bath Abbey runs a 212-step tower tour. It takes an hour, Monday to Saturday, and passes behind the clock face. Book at the welcome desk if online is full.
The Royal Crescent is best seen from behind. Buyers bought a length of uniform façade and built whatever they liked at the back. I walk the lane behind for the mess.
No. 1 Royal Crescent was the first house finished. Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–17:30 (last entry 16:30), adult £16; closed 16–28 November 2026.
The Circus has stone acorns along the parapet. Look up, not at the plane trees.
Pulteney Bridge is one of four bridges in the world with shops along its full span on both sides.
Thermae Bath Spa is £44 for two hours on weekdays, £49 at weekends. Minimum age 16. The rooftop pool at dusk is the reason to go.
The Assembly Rooms are closed for National Trust works until 2027.
A bun with a borrowed story, and a biscuit that vanished
The Sally Lunn bun is a big, light brioche-style bun, served at Sally Lunn's, open daily 10:00–21:00. The house says a Huguenot refugee called Solange Luyon brought the recipe in 1680. There is no evidence for her; the first Bath mention I can source is a 1780 guidebook. Eat the bun, skip the legend.
The Bath bun is a different thing: a sweet bun with sugar-coated caraway seeds. Around a million of them were eaten at London's Great Exhibition in 1851. The Bath Oliver, the doctor's dry biscuit for cheese, is gone: its maker said in February 2025 it was discontinued. Old guides still list it as a souvenir.
For afternoon tea, the Pump Room serves it daily, and you can taste the hot spa water at the fountain; Searcys says it holds 43 minerals. One sip is enough for me.
Stalls by the Abbey, and two thousand bonnets
Bath Christmas Market runs Thursday 26 November to Sunday 13 December 2026: 10:00–19:00 Monday to Wednesday, to 20:00 Thursday to Saturday, to 18:00 on Sunday. I would not drive into the centre on those weekends; the Park & Ride is the way in.
The Jane Austen Festival is set for 10–19 September 2027, opening with the Regency Costumed Promenade, which holds a record for people in Regency dress. The Bath Half marathon is Sunday 14 March 2027, starting from Royal Victoria Park, on traffic-free streets; expect closures across the city that morning.
What's on
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 26 November – 13 December 2026 | Bath Christmas Market around the Abbey; 10:00–19:00 Mon–Wed, to 20:00 Thu–Sat, to 18:00 Sun |
| 14 March 2027 | Bath Half marathon from Royal Victoria Park on closed roads |
| 10–19 September 2027 | Jane Austen Festival, opening with the Regency Costumed Promenade |
| 2027 | Assembly Rooms reopen after National Trust works (date not announced) |