HelloItsMe

I will be in the Bristol area for a Friday-Monday weekend in July.
Would like to visit Bath for a few hours but I hate crowds. Should I shelve this idea?

exilencfc

Depends where you want to go in Bath I suspect. The Roman baths tend to be pretty crowded in my experience but otherwise it isn't too bad. And even then youmay find that if you go very early or late it's quiet.

Raffles

Frankly it depends what you want, having spent 4 years at the uni. Saturday will be a shoppers nightmare. Fri, Mon and Sun AM will be quieter. The main crowding is not tourists but locals shopping in a city which is quite tightly laid out.

Apart from the baths, there is no 'must see' attraction - the whole city is the attraction. Wander up to the Circus or Royal Crescent and it is very quiet.

MAN Pax

If you got at the start of July you'll miss the School Holidays. Going later more and more children will be out of school and the crowds will build.

Watch out of the seagulls - one crapped on me big time from on high last time I was in the city!

Mizter T

I wouldn't miss a trip to Bath.

Just a general observation (not specific to Bath) - when it comes to shoppers on Saturdays, many don't get going until later in the day, so Saturday mornings needn't be too hectic in shopping areas. Ditto Sundays for that matter - also to bear in mind is that on Sundays, larger stores can only open for a maximum of 6 hours (in England & Wales) - on the high street this is often 11am - 5pm (supermarkets are more commonly 10am - 4pm).

HelloItsMe

Thanks to all of you!
Not a shopper at all, but rather interested in a few hours of walking and viewing the main sites.
I feel reassured and will plan to visit on one of the mornings.
Oh, and I will indeed watch for the seagulls. I'm a bird crap magnet!

big_mac

I've found that you can avoid the crowds and visit some nice places; from the station head through the tunnel and away from the city. You can walk along the canal up to Sydney Gardens, or along the river to either Pulteney Bridge or Victoria Park. It's across the park to Royal Crescent, along the gravel walk, visit the Georgian garden, round the corner to the Circus, over to the Assembly Rooms, etc.

If you are going to be in the area around the shops / Abbey / Roman Baths, it will be busy and there isn't much you can do about that.

The trains can be very crowded between Bath and Bristol; a Bristol to London train is probably best (it's a big train, and won't be as busy as trains from further afield) - or go early at the weekend.

flatlander

It's busy in July but not awful. The city centre gets crowded at weekends as the tourists reach maximum and the locals all go to town as well. I would recommend going there on non-Saturdays, so for you, Friday or Monday. Then it's fine.

Things to do: Visit the Roman Baths and the Pump Rooms, visit the Abbey, walk into the market in the Guildhall (pasties and sausage rolls to your right, used books to your left, what more do you need?), find some lunch in the centre possibly at Sally Lunn's, then walk onwards towards the Circus (architectural, it's a circular block of buildings) and up to the Royal Crescent. You can picnic in the park area next to the Royal Crescent, perhaps eating the things you bought at the market.

The new baths, where you can actually bathe, are pretty spiffy too; not entirely budget but they're fun.


If you're by car, the surrounding countryside is very pretty, drive north up to the downs above Lansdown, or south-east towards Claverton Down or past Bathford and Monkton Farleigh. There are nice walks up the National Trust land above Bathford/Bathampton with excellent views.

Anything in particular that you're after?

I lived there for 12 years, it's a lovely place - as long as you don't want a good career in IT or to buy an affordable house :-/

Bonehead

Finding parking can be a nightmare, so if you can avoid driving that would make for a more stress-free experience.

gspurr

It will see a lot of foot traffic, especially on the weekend. However, it is a short walk to the centre of Bath from the train station and if you find it all too crowded you can always hop on one of the frequent trains back to Bristol.

flatlander

Yes, if you're coming from Bristol, take the train to visit the centre of Bath.

To explore the surrounding countryside, go on another day by car from Bristol (if you are with car).

Mizter T

Though if one is driving, Bath has a good park & ride service with three car parks to the north, west and south of the city.

louie-m

I'd second that. Like Raffles, I was at uni in Bath, but that was long before the new baths opened. Went back for a weekend last February and booked a day at the baths, not expecting that much - and certainly not expecting to spend a whole day there, but we did - and loved it (and spas are not my thing at all). It's brilliant in the rooftop open air bath, overlooking the roofs and the hills. Busy though, even in Feb.

HelloItsMe

Love love love all these great responses!
Thanks to everyone!

EXPLAT

We're planning on 3 night in Bath and 3 nights in London. The plan is to soak and get massages while in Bath. Is 3 nights too long?