Bath
United Kingdom
A Roman bathhouse still full of hot water, and a Georgian city built in one colour of stone
Photo by Bradley Pritchard Jones on Unsplash
Photos by Lāsma Artmane, Hulki Okan Tabak, Hulki Okan Tabak and Ifeoluwa B. on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of United Kingdom
May to September, and December for the Christmas market
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 95mm in Nov
Where it is
51.38°N, 2.36°W Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- See the Roman Baths early or late, when the coaches from London are not there
- Book the rooftop pool at Thermae for the last slot and watch the city go dark
- Walk the Skyline trail for six miles of fields above the rooftops
- Stand in the middle of the Circus and listen to the echo
- Take the train to Bristol for an afternoon
Bath travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget United Kingdom
ExpensiveCards work everywhere including buses and market stalls, and contactless is the default. There is almost no reason to carry cash.
ATMs & cards
Bank machines at Lloyds, NatWest, Barclays and HSBC are free. The independent ones in convenience shops charge £1.85 to £2.50 and say so on screen — read it before pressing yes.
Avoid these
- the independent machines in convenience shops, which charge £1.85 to £2.50
Use these instead
- Lloyds
- NatWest
- Barclays
- HSBC
Bank machines in Britain are free and say so; the shop ones announce their fee on screen before you commit.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of United Kingdom
Very safeOne of the safest cities in Britain and comfortable at any hour. The centre gets loud on Friday and Saturday nights around Sawclose. The pavements are steep, uneven Georgian stone and genuinely slippery in rain — this is the commonest way visitors get hurt here. The river is deceptively fast under Pulteney weir.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (7 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- the Kennet and Avon towpath after dark — unlit, and between the water and the wall there is nowhere to step aside
- the streets around the station on Friday and Saturday nights — a small centre absorbing a large number of people out drinking
One of the safest small cities in Britain. The only real hazard is the hills, which are steeper than the photographs admit..
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa United Kingdom visa rules
Travel authorisation requiredup to 180 days£16
An Electronic Travel Authorisation is required before travel — it is not a visa, but you will not board without it. Valid two years or until the passport expires.
Other passports
Visa required in advancefrom £115
A Standard Visitor visa applied for online before travel.
How to get it: Apply for the ETA through the official UK ETA app or the gov.uk page. It usually comes back within minutes but can take up to three working days.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Before you fly: travel authorisation
UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)Required£20
Before you fly. Most come back within minutes, some take three working days.
Have these in front of you before you start:
- passport
- a passport photo
Valid for two years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first — it is not per trip.
Use the official link above. Sites that charge a "service fee" to submit one of these for you are not the government, and they want the same passport details the real form does.
Health & emergencies all of United Kingdom
Excellent and cheapRequired to enter
No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Routine vaccinations up to date
Getting treated
Emergency treatment in A&E is free to everyone regardless of nationality. Follow-up care, admission and repatriation are not, so insurance still matters. Pharmacists can treat many minor problems without an appointment.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
Very goodThe Sally Lunn bun is a sweet brioche served since the 1680s and is more historical than delicious. The better answer is the Saturday farmers market in Green Park Station, and Somerset cheddar and cider from anywhere that names the farm.
Getting around
Easy- UberWorks here
- BoltWorks here
- FREE NOWWorks here
FREE NOW black cabs and private hire in one app
- Against a taxi
- A black cab is metered and costs more; the apps are cheaper everywhere except short central hops.
Outside the cities the coverage thins quickly — in a small town the local minicab firm on the telephone is still the answer.
Time zone and your working day
Europe/London — 5 hours ahead of you
3 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–12:00 your time, 14:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 04:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 04:00–12:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
Internet speedall of United Kingdom
Why these are United Kingdom's numbers and not Bath's
Home broadband — Fast. Several people on calls at once, large uploads, 4K. Broadband here runs at 1.4× the global median of 130 Mbps.
Mobile data — Fair. Maps, calls and streaming; tethering a laptop works for an hour, not a day. Mobile runs at 69% of the global median of 109 Mbps.
Ookla publishes no separate figure for Bath, so these are medians for all of United Kingdom. Cities usually beat the national number and remote islands and national parks fall well below it — treat this as the country's shape, not as a measurement of the street you will be staying on.
A median is the middle of every connection tested there, old copper and new fibre together — so in a country part-way through laying fibre it sits well below what a fibre line actually delivers, and a rental on one can run several times this number. Half of the connections are slower; a fibre flat is rarely one of them. It says what a place can do, not what your rental does, so every listing on Holistay carries its own measured speed and the date it was tested.
Getting online: Airalo or Holafly — a data eSIM for United Kingdom, installed before you fly and working the moment you land.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured June 2026
Must-see
Nearby day trips
Say a few words
British English — local usage
- Hello, informallyYou alright?
- ThanksCheers
- Yes, definitelyYeah, no worries
- That is expensiveThat is a bit steep
4 more phrases
- The bill, pleaseCould we get the bill, please?
- Sorry (used constantly)Sorry
- Very goodBrilliant
- A drink before dinnerA swift half
Religion
Church of England, and largely secular
The Anglican church is established by law with the monarch at its head, while actual attendance is low. Cathedrals often charge entry but are free during services.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Queue, properly and without comment — jumping one is the closest thing to a national taboo
- Say sorry constantly, including when someone else bumps into you
- Stand on the right on escalators
- Buy a round if you are drinking in a group, and buy yours in turn
Don't
- Do not skip your round; it is noticed and remembered
- Do not ask what someone earns or what their house cost
- Do not take "we must do this again sometime" as a firm plan
- Do not expect table service in pubs unless the sign says so — order at the bar
Where to stay in Bath
No Holistay rentals in Bath yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Bath on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Bristol BRS
50 minfrom the airport· 25 km as the crow flies
50 min on the A4 Air Decker bus.
Also worth pricing: London Heathrow LHR — 2h by direct coach, and far more flights.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
