Visiting The Roman Baths at Bath - what to expect
Make an informed visit to the Roman Baths at Bath
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The Roman Baths at Bath |
Roman Baths overview
The Roman Baths at Bath are the single biggest attraction for visitors coming to Bath. If you visit as part of a tour group the Roman Baths will normally be included in your itinerary. The Roman Baths are right in the centre of Bath within the main shopping area and next to Bath Abbey and the Tourist Office.
The Baths are only about 5 minutes' walk from the train and bus stations. Tour buses drop off very close to the Roman Baths behind Bath Abbey. You can walk to all the major other attractions in Bath within minutes.
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Why go to The Roman Baths?
Around Britain's only hot spring, the Romans built a magnificent temple and bathing complex that still flows with natural hot water. You will see the water's source and walk where Romans walked on the ancient stone pavements and of course see the baths themselves.
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You are provided with an audio tour device with admission so you can visit at your own pace. The audio devices are available in eight languages, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish and Russian.
The Roman Baths is below the modern street level and has four main features, the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman bath house and finds from Roman Bath. The Georgian Pump Room is on the ground level with its restaurant that is separate to the visitor attraction.
Note: It is not possible for you to take a dip in the Roman Baths, there is a modern Bath Spa almost next door. In the Pump Room Restaurant you can sample the water freshly pumped by drinking it.
How long you will need for your visit and best time to visit
The Baths can get very crowded, especially in the peak summer months. Most of the coach tours from London start arriving around lunch time and through the afternoon. If you're visiting independently it's thus quite a good idea to make for the Baths early morning as soon as you arrive. In July and August the Roman Baths are open until late evening.
For the average person you will be in the Baths around an hour or less. If you listen to every possible commentary on the audio device it could extend to perhaps 90 minutes.
You have to follow a defined route through the complex. Unusually, the highlight for many is right at the start. Most photos you see are from the terrace looking down into the Baths, (like the one at the top of the page). The Terrace is the first place you come to on the tour route.
A lot of the Roman Baths extend under the modern ground level, beneath adjacent streets and squares, so many visitors are surprised when they discover just how big the site really is. You then descend through the complex from the terrace, finishing in the Pump Rooms where of course there is the obligatory gift shop.
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Audio Guides at Roman Baths
An audio tour is part of the admission price and available in eight languages, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish and Russian.
You simply key in the number of the room or place you are in and a full commentary is given. There are many optional commentaries within some commentaries that go into great detail about individual items.
The Pump Rooms
Long after the Romans, Bath became a very fashionable place to hang out, (see our Georgian Bath page). If you were anyone of note in the 18th Century, Bath is where you came to for the season. The architecture and many of the attractions at Bath originate from this time when high society decamped to Bath.
The Pump rooms relives this golden age. Although physically in the same building as the Roman Baths it has a separate entrance, very close to the entrance of the Baths.
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Elegant: The Pump Room Restaurant, Bath |
If you don't want to eat in the Pump Rooms you can still enter. There is a window which anyone can enter and view the steaming Roman Baths below free of charge, (see video link above).
You can also take a glass of drinking water from the springs here for a very small fee - the taste is an acquired one.
The restaurant in the Pump Room provides you with an opportunity to relive those refined times of old. English food served in elegant surroundings with linen tablecloths, table service, fresh flowers. Fresh food prepared on the premises, cooked to order using local produce.
The restaurant is open daily for morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea. The Pump Room Trio plays every day, (violin, cello and piano) throughout the year to add to your enjoyment while having morning coffee or afternoon tea in the Pump Room.
