Bath Activities

Surrounded by parkland and rolling hills, situated on a bend of the River Avon and graced by some of the most beautiful city architecture in Europe, Bath has the unique distinction of being Britains only city with World Heritage Site status. It is also the site of Britains only hot springs, around which the Romans built a magnificent temple and bathing complex that gave the city its name and still flows with natural hot water. Bath has around 5,000 buildings listed for their architectural merit, and some of the finest Georgian architecture in Britain is found here - the Royal Crescent, the Circus, the Pump Room, the Assembly Rooms and the Pulteney Bridge are all Georgian masterpieces. Yet the city is far more than museums and old buildings. It has a lively cultural scene with several festivals and all kinds of shows, concerts and exhibitions filling up the events calendar. Being a university town, it also has a vibrant nightlife, and the dining scene equals that of almost any other British city.

Adding to the attractiveness of Bath is its surrounding countryside and the Cotswolds area with its gentle hillsides and pretty towns and villages, and the ubiquitous local golden sandstone (found in the most stately city building and the tiniest cottage) is a visual reflection of the citys links with its environs.

For many years now a project has been underway that promises to make Bath an even greater international tourist destination and at the same time to reconnect the city with its origins the development of a modern thermal and therapeutic spa complex (website: www.thermaebathspa.com) using natural thermal waters from the same springs that gave rise to the Roman baths nearly two millennia ago. The project has had a troubled start, but it is expected that Baths new spa will open in August 2006.

Bath Tourist Office

Address: Abbey Chambers, Abbey Churchyard, Bath, BA1 1LY

Email: tourism@bathnes.gov.uk

Phone: +44 (0) 906 711 2000 (50p/min), +44 (0) 870 444 6442