There are a fair number of AirBnB places that are available but if you want to stay in a smart hotel while you’re here I would recommend No.1 Royal Crescent, The Priory or (my preference) The MacDonald Hotel. If you’re looking for something a little more down to earth then I would recommend The Thief which offers rooms and the pub downstairs is never too busy.
Out of town slightly there are a couple of options worth the travel into and out of town:
The Pig is a beautiful hotel and restaurant set about 30 minute drive from town Brittons Farm Estate is closer to town and in beautiful countryside setting a taxi ride from central bath.
Avoid Southgate, the modern (pastiche) shopping area near the station, there is nothing of value to anyone there.
Head instead north and toward George street where the buildings are genuine. If you want an idea of what a Georgian townhouse would be like to live in then go into Brissi on Milsom street. Yes, most of the houses are like that inside :)
The smaller independent places are on or not of George Street. Rostra Gallery has some beautiful art for sale. There are also a lot of gorgeous design/interiors shops on Walcot street along with Sam's Kitchen which is a worthwhile lunch spot if you’re on that street.
There are a fair amount of standard attractions that are worth seeing (Pulteney Bridge, Victoria gallery, Holbourne Museum, The Roman baths, the crescent, the circus, a walk up the abbey) and some that are a little underwhelming (the assembly rooms, the pump house restaurant) anything I haven’t mentioned there isn’t really worth the effort aside from the American Museum which I have still yet to visit.
The one complete rip off that I would avoid is the Thermae Spa, unless you book the Cross-Bath in advance. My advice would be instead to book the spa as the Gainsborough, the MacDonald, No1. Royal Crescent or Homewood Spa (out of town). These are all fine (but pricey) hotels in their own right too but worth it for a night, esp on a Sunday when many have discounts.
Everyone will say you have to do the Skyline walk, and I wouldn’t say that’s not a good idea. But at the top you’ll see on the opposite side: Beckford’s tower which you can walk up to from Weston Park an an alternative. Weston Park is just past (and worth starting or finishing) at the Priory. You an go into Beckfords tower and climb up to the top to look down on the rest of the city. A short walk away is the Hare and Hounds pub which has a lovely view out over the other side of the hill and does a good Sunday roast.
If the weather is hot and you’re feeling a little wild then there are a number of wild swimming spots along the River Avon, best of them is at Clevedon Wier.
There are a fair number of national trust properties within shooting distance. Dyrham Park is accessible by public transport but you’ll probably need a car to get to Tyntsfield, Lacock or Stourhead, all of which all have beautiful buildings and grounds to explore.
A short train ride from Bath is Bradford on Avon which is lovely, walk from the train station, through the carpark and down to the river toward the Tithe Barn, then back up and around the river to the centre of town where the Bunch of Grapes and Sebastian’s Cafe are essential. If it’s warm out then sit alongside the river at The Weaving Shed with a cocktail.
Another option for Bradford is to rent bikes and cycle along the canal toe path from Bath. Doing this will take you over the Dundas Aqueduct which is awe inspiring and past lots of places to stop for a drink or food along the way (the Bathampton Mill, The Angelfish Cafe, The Crossed Guns). If it’s dry out and you’re feeling a little over indulged it’s well worth it, you can take the bikes back on the train if a two way journey is a bit much.
A trip to Cheddar Gorge will be full of tourists and IMO isn’t worth it. Unless you ignore the gorge and take the public footpath from the bottom of the gorge road (right hand side walking down, ask a local for directions) which avoids the hefty fee for walking up a set of stairs. The view from the top is lovely and it’s a good walk.
There are so many restaurants in Bath (over 400) so you’ve plenty of choice! Lets get the top ones out of the way:
- Soto Soto: A highly rated Italian restaurant which I’ve not been to but is a bit of an institution, has a long waiting list though (3 months for weekends)
- Acorn: The vegetarian restaurant started by Rachel Demuth (famous chef) years ago, amazing michelin quality food without the rice tag in a friendly environment
- The Priory, michelin starred restaurant and brasserie just the other side of victoria park, 20 minute walk from the station and on my road. Great food, good fix prix menu choice but a little fussy. Sam Moody took over from Michael Caines and earned himself one star about 3 years ago.
- The King William: A gastro pub with some of the best, well priced food in town. Small pub downstairs but a lovely dining room above, though the view isn’t up to much.
- No1. Royal crescent, bit fussy and bit pricey but if it’s a nice day they have a lovely garden out the back with a fine drinks and nibbles menu if you dont want something heavy
And some of the more everyday variety:
- The Salamander has a nice quiet rom upstairs for rather standard (but acceptable) pub fare
- The Oven and The Stable are the better pizza offerings in town.
- Turtle Bay gets full of students drinking on the weekend due to the 2-4-1 cocktails but if you get there early then the Caribbean food is worth it.
And a couple of out of town choices:
- The Pig, Hamburger Hill, about 15 minute drive from town, I’ve not been but this is a michelin-quality gastro pub in a nice countryside setting
- The Pony and Trap, Chew Magna, 20 minute drive from town. Kinda like Bray, chew valley seems to attract amazing restaurants, this one is a died in the wool all-out michelin effort with prices to match, lovely countryside setting though.
- The Bathampton Mill, about 5 minutes drive out of town (or a 15 minute bike ride along the canal), reasonable food but a lovely environment alongside the river. Can get busy on weekends.
- The Bunch of Grapes, Bradford on Avon, 20 minute drive or short train ride (Bradford might be worth a visit if you’re in the area), gastro pub with reasonable prices a wood fired oven and some of the best french classics I’ve tried, the guy rides with our club occasionally and ran the restaurant in the owners’ Gite in Burgundy for 15 years. Really good veggie selection which is a surprise, unlike the great wine list… which you’d expect!
- Boston Tea Party (the one on Becketts Avenue) does good food all day
- The Loft (Next door to Boston) is a bit more expensive but worth it for lunchtime
- The Whole Bagel: NY style bagel store, good prices and great range
- The Thoughtful Bread Company: amazing though limited range
- Wild Cafe, does an amazing menu of locally produced food serves with car.
- Sam’s Kitchen on Walcot Street does lots of lovely salads.
- Collona and Smalls, just off Queen’s Sq. is run by Maxwell Collona Dashwood, one of the world's best baristas and frequent judge at the world barista championships, having won it multiple times before.
- Cascara was set up by a former employee of Collona’s, the coffee there is great but the rooms are a little compact.
- Society, have two places, one on Kingsmead Sq. the other just opposite the Guild, both are excellent but can get a little busy with keyboard warriors using it for office space.
- The Canary is a gin bar with VERY many gins, inc. Bath’s own all served with love, care and accoutrement!
- The Gainsborough probably has the smartest bar in town at the moment, bit of a dress up affair but worth it.
- If the weather is nice then you should be able to get a drink in the gardens of the No.1 hotel on Royal Crescent.
- If you’re looking for a modern pub with a good range of beers and good food then The Griffin and The Bath Brew House are good choices, the former being much quieter than the later, the Thief is a good choice if you want to get away from the crowds and the King William on London Road is out of town but the food is amazing.
- If you want a classic British pub then The Raven is worth checking out, but only really for the irony :)
- The Nest is probably the best place for local live music, good range of acts on in a very intimate space.
- If you go to Bradford on Avon then you’ll want to check whether Sebastian’s Brasserie has live Jazz which is on regularly on a Tuesday evening. Sitting outside, overlooking the river and listening to some jazz is probably one of the best things to do.
- The Bell is a community owned pub with a lot of local artists playing, and St. James’ wine vaults do too, though they would not be places to go unless you really want to see some live music (bit divey!)
and that is everything!