Bath tour question
Jan 10th, 2011, 03:28 PM
#1
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Bath tour question
Was planning on taking London Walk tour of Bath in March, then saw there is a dbl. decker bus tour of the city. Which would be better for three 50-60 yr. olds? Anyone taken the London Walk?
Jan 10th, 2011, 03:49 PM
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The best tour of all is the VOLUNTARY and FREE walking tour of Bath that goes every day at 10:30 and 2 pm in front of town hall. http://www.dofreestuff.com/somerset.html
It's run by the Mayor of Bath's Corps of Honorary Guides and they are BRILLIANT! Almost all are retired academics. The day we went, a "new boy" gray-haired with Oxbridge accent was doing it under watchful eye of "old hand" (identical retired Oxford-prof type) .. fascinating tales, goes all over town, about 2 hrs ... no tips either. Dont Miss it! As for "50-60 year old".. i think we were both 69 at the time.
Oh, also, go to Royal Crescent separately as well, and #1 I think is the open mansion, and docents inside in each room explain the furnishings & lifestyle in detail, amusing, fact-filled.
It's run by the Mayor of Bath's Corps of Honorary Guides and they are BRILLIANT! Almost all are retired academics. The day we went, a "new boy" gray-haired with Oxbridge accent was doing it under watchful eye of "old hand" (identical retired Oxford-prof type) .. fascinating tales, goes all over town, about 2 hrs ... no tips either. Dont Miss it! As for "50-60 year old".. i think we were both 69 at the time.
Oh, also, go to Royal Crescent separately as well, and #1 I think is the open mansion, and docents inside in each room explain the furnishings & lifestyle in detail, amusing, fact-filled.
Jan 10th, 2011, 05:28 PM
#3
The bus tour is similar to the H-o-H-o buses in London. I've taken it a few times over the years (mainly because I was traveling w/ someone new to Bath/England)
I wouldn't necessarily recommend the bus tour. The main advantage is it takes you high up on the hillside for a panoramic view over the whole city. But most of Bath is totally walkable so the H-o-H-o bus isn't needed to get to all the sites.
So - I'd either 1) do the free walking tour from the Town Hall and explore the rest of the city on your own -- or -- 2) just explore on your own w/o a walking tour.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend the bus tour. The main advantage is it takes you high up on the hillside for a panoramic view over the whole city. But most of Bath is totally walkable so the H-o-H-o bus isn't needed to get to all the sites.
So - I'd either 1) do the free walking tour from the Town Hall and explore the rest of the city on your own -- or -- 2) just explore on your own w/o a walking tour.
Jan 11th, 2011, 04:35 AM
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Just to add another option. I was in Bath last spring and LOVED the Jane Austen walking tour (http://www.janeausten.co.uk/walking_tours.ihtml). Okay, I also love Jane Austen, so it was fantastic to see the spots from her novels and BBC adaptations. However, I was accompanied by friends who weren't as interested in the author and they still loved the tour.
Jan 11th, 2011, 05:58 AM
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What has being 50-60 got to do with anything?
Bath is one of those cities where HOHO buses can't get to the most of the nicest parts, so walking is really the only sensible option for seeing round the town. The one nice place lazy people might think of using a bus or car to get to is Prior Park, which isn't just a great garden but has terrific views over Bath.
We walked up to it a few weeks ago as the beginning of a proper walk across the hills to Bradford on Avon. Very pleasant urban stroll. I'd put the average age of the group in the highish 60s, with the oldest in the lowish 80s. No-one found any of it remotely taxing
Bath is one of those cities where HOHO buses can't get to the most of the nicest parts, so walking is really the only sensible option for seeing round the town. The one nice place lazy people might think of using a bus or car to get to is Prior Park, which isn't just a great garden but has terrific views over Bath.
We walked up to it a few weeks ago as the beginning of a proper walk across the hills to Bradford on Avon. Very pleasant urban stroll. I'd put the average age of the group in the highish 60s, with the oldest in the lowish 80s. No-one found any of it remotely taxing
