Bath - Worth It?
 

Hi! I'll be spending a week in London England next March and am thinking about taking a day trip to Bath City. It seems a long way from London, is it worth it for a day only? Also, a friend visited this city last year and said there is nothing much to see - you can't even use the baths and they're not really set up for visitors the way we tend to be in the States (crowded etc). Thanks.

Martha,<BR><BR>I visited Bath in June/99 as part of a trip to England. I thought it was beautiful and the Roman ruins worth every minute! The story behind how they unearthed the ruins was also very interesting. I got some great photos there. I found the city of Bath to be very lovely. Be sure to visit the Crescent and the Plutney(sp) bridge if you go.

Martha,<BR><BR>No one here knows what your interests are so anyone who knows Bath can't answer your question. <BR><BR>Why don't you review the guide books and see if there is anything that attracts you to Bath. If so it's definitely worth a train trip. Otherwise there's plenty in London to keep you occupied.<BR><BR>

Martha:<BR>Folks here seem to be of two minds.<BR>Those that love Bath and people like me. I did not see what all the excitement is about. <BR>It was 7 pounds to get into see the baths (and not worth it IMO)and it was extremely crowded. It is definitely a walking city. It was a long trip and was done in the middle of my stay in London. After I got back, I was sorry I had wasted the day.<BR>I know you will get more opinions.

Since the OP is traveling in March, the baths will probably not be crowded. We spent two nights in Bath (during a 3-week trip) and enjoyed it very much.

I did Stonehenge + Bath tour, it was great.

I am part of the 'loved Bath' group. <BR>We stayed there for 2 nights and if I go back to England - would stay longer. <BR>It is a very relaxing place, with free walking tours given by the historical society. ( they start out from the courtyard in front of the Abbey. we went on the 10 am tour.) They also sell "self walking" tour guides in the courtyard. Gives you a path and explanations of the different places. I bought one for reference, but LOVED the live guide- lots of interesting stories. We were there in March of 98, and did not find it too crowded. <BR>By train - it was only 1 hr from London - not far at all. <BR>Also - it is a good base to see that section of England. <BR><BR>If you need a place to stay - try the Villa Magdala. Just off the Putney Bridge.

I'm always interested in these "is X worth it posts"<BR>Everywhere is "worth it" if you go with an open mind and take an intelligent interest.<BR>If you have to ask if a city like Bath is "worth it" then I would advise you not to go. Also anyone who talks about London, England or Paris, France should seriously stick to Disneyland.

Hi Martha.<BR>YES - visit Bath. The best way to do it is on a 'Day Trip' bus tour. Search google.co.uk for day trips or london bus trips or london tours. You will come across quite a few who do these. I would highly recommend www.london.walks.com They not only do guided 2 hour walks in London but also day trips out of London. Fabulous bunch of people. If you do a tour bus you usually get cheaper entry prices, plus exclusive guide commentary on the way to Bath and in Bath. You will be shown the best parts as well as probably stopping in another village/town on the way to Bath. Visit Bath. Its very Roman English. <BR>Regards. Janie in London

We spent a week in london a few years ago and took a bus trip to stonehedge and bath. It was great. It is nice to get out of london for a day...the scenery is beautiful. We all liked seeing stonehedge. We had a nice lunch in Bath and saw the ruins and shopped alittle.

We enjoyed Bath too especially the Bath Abbey. Skipped the baths as too costly. Enjoyed lunch at the Sally Lunn restaurant said to be the oldest restaurant/building in England(?). In the basement you can see a small museum with the different levels of foundations related to the many years the building has been there. Must say that we (husband, two sons and myself) like travelling so much that we even thought the Bath loos fun with the washing stations that dispense soap, water and drying air all in one!