Bath Hotels

Bath, England - Guide

Bath - General Information

Perhaps the most iconic of all English tourist destinations outside London, Bath has enchanted visitors for centuries now with its lovely Georgian architecture and the remnants of the Roman city that lie beneath – all set amid the beautiful rolling countryside of Somerset.

The Romans founded the city in the valley of the River Avon in the first century AD because it was the site of naturally occurring hot springs (unique in the UK). They built baths and a temple and gave the city the name of Aquae Sulis. Much later, in the 17th and 18th centuries, renewed interest in the health-giving properties of the hot mineral waters brought the aristocracy to Bath and resulted in a significant expansion of the city as a Spa resort. The magnificent crescents and parades of modern Bath date from this period and are mainly the work of architects John Wood the elder and his son John Wood.

Royal Crescent, Bath

Bath’s most notable sights include the Pump Room (a striking neo-classical salon where hot Spa water is drawn for drinking), Pulteney Bridge (one of only four bridges in the world with shops across the full span on both sides), the Royal Crescent (among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom) and Bath Abbey (one of the largest examples of Perpendicular Gothic architecture in the West Country). Its newest attraction is the Thermae Bath Spa, a modern spa complex with two natural thermal baths, a rooftop pool and an indoor pool, a large steam room elegantly glass-partitioned into four circular zones, and body treatment facilities. Though not without delays and controversy, the Thermae Bath Spa has been a huge success and many feel that it has given the city back its original identity as a true spa town.