Bath in One Day

Bath England is one of my favorite places in the United Kingdom, it is absolutely charming and it transports you to a time that is romantic and lovely. It's a convenient day trip from London if you're in the city, but it's easily accessible from anywhere in the United Kingdom. I would recommend at least two days in Bath so you can really experience the wonderful city, but if you only have one day here is what I would recommend:

1 Day Trip to Bath 

1. Take the train in the night before (Bath Spa is the train station name). If you're looking for an adorable place to stay, I'd recommend the Kennard or the Windsor Guest House as they are charming and have amazing locations.

2. Get a good nights rest as tomorrow will be a busy day!

3. First things first, go visit the beautiful Bath Abbey. Bath Abbey is free (although they welcome donations) and it's definitely worth the visit- it reminds me a lot of a small Westminster Abbey. Take time to look at all the beautiful stained glass and all the stones memorializing people in the community dating back to the 1600s and before. I would highly recommend paying the few pounds to go to the top of the Abbey, the views of the city are just wonderful and it's not too bad of a climb.

4. After you're done with your tour of the Abbey, go across the courtyard to the Pump Room and make reservations for afternoon tea. They will up so I'd recommend to set it up ahead of time, but sometimes you can get in day-of for tea.

5. Right next door to the Pump Room is the entrance to the Roman Baths. It's a must-see while you're in Bath. There are several discounts such as student, senior, and even if you're staying in the area ask your hotel/inn for a "bath pass" which gets you discounts to local attractions. Plan on spending a good two hours in the Roman Baths. They have a free audio guided tour you can go on, or else there are great group tours as well. 

Don't forget to take a drink of these ancient waters for their minerals and vitamins at the very end of the tour.

6. Go get yourself some afternoon tea at the Pump Room. I'd recommend the Afternoon Tea which comes complete with scones with lemon curd and clotted cream, tea sandwiches, sweets and of course a lovely pot of tea. If you're feeling really snazzy, go for the champagne tea for a lovely flute of bubbly. The ambiance of the Pump Room transports you back in time. They have live musicians playing strings and piano that make you want to get up, put on a ball gown and dance about the room.

7. Once you're done with tea, take time to shop and look around Bath! They have cute boutique shops as well as chain stores. Skip the chains and go for the cute little shops to pick up tea, scarves and postcards. 

8. Make your way towards the Royal Crescent, an iconic grassy semi-circle that held some of the wealthiest people in England summer homes. It's beautiful and a great place to bring a blanket and lie in the grass.

9. If you're feeling really adventurous and have a bit of time left- stop by the Jane Austen Museum. They have a little gift shop in the front of the house if you don't have time for a tour, and you can pick up a "I love Darcy" pin. 

10. If you want a bite to eat before you head out of town- stop by a local pub for my favorite British meal...cheesy chips & a pint of cider!

By this time you've probably run out of energy or daylight, and it'll be time to collect your bags and head to the train to catch the last train out for the night back to London or wherever you'll be. Bath is a lovely town and I hope you get to enjoy the ambiance, charm and quintessential British nature of this wonderful historic town.

Mum's Visit: Bath

The next stop on our journey through England was Bath. I joked that we were just on a Jane Austen tour of England at this point, since she famously moved to England with her family a few years before her father passed away. First off, we stayed at the most beautiful Inn; the Kennard Inn which was literally just a three-minute walk to the center of town. It was a Regency-style Inn complete with chez lounges, gorgeous drapes, chandeliers, and a too-die-for dinning room where they served us a formal English breakfast with fine china, French press coffee, incredible tea and delicious home cooked food.

We only had one day in Bath before we had to head north to Chesterfield, so we tried to hit most of the highlights. First we went to Bath Abbey and did the tower tour, which took us to the very top of Bath Abbey and gave us a fantastic 360 view of Bath. Then we went and toured the Roman Baths which, talk about absolutely magnificent, are so incredibly old it’s hard to fathom. Plus the fact that the Roman Baths went undiscovered for so long is quite remarkable. The details that went into the baths is unbelievable, it’s hard to believe that these have existed for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Afterwards we hopped on a double-decker bus and did a hop-on-hop-off tour of the rest of Bath because I was bound and determined to ride a red double decker bus before I left England. Ha. Anyways, we got out and walked around The Circus, the Royal Crescent, we stopped at the Jane Austen Museum and the gift shop for a bit, and then literally just walked around, shopped and explored Bath. Bath had incredible shopping!! We absolutely enjoyed every single moment of our time there. That evening, after all the shopping was done and the tours were closed, we ate dinner at this extremely old pub where Charles Dickens actually stayed and ate when he was writing the Pickwick Papers! Talk about history. Oh, and for dessert we stopped at Sally Lunn’s, the oldest house in Bath, and got one of the famous Sally Lunn’s buns to go…which was quite yummy I might add. Bath was gorgeous beyond words, and let’s just say I will definitely be looking for a job in Bath after I graduate this spring!!