London to Bath by Train

A car-free trip from London to Bath by train: from what to do, which attractions to avoid and where to eat based on several visits (the last of which spanned 2 full weeks!)

Bath is one of my favorite trips from central London! I prefer it to places like Windsor Castle as although there's lots to do and see, it feels less "touristy"/ manufactured for tourists. The city dates back to Roman times and is a UNESCO World Heritage site AND it was once home to one of England's most famous authors, Jane Austen. (Admittedly, she hated living there, but visit yourself so you can make up your own mind!) 

The travel time is short enough that you can do it as a day trip but there's also enough to do that you could spend the weekend there. (I've actually spent 2 weeks in the city before AND visited several times.)

I'd say you need at LEAST one full day in Bath to have enough time to see the sights. Personally, I would not combine Stonehenge & Bath into a day trip. However. if you're short on time in the UK, this is a popular Bath-Stonehenge tour from London. You can even do a combined trip to Stonehenge-Windsor-Bath!)

Things to See & Do

Take a Tour!

Bath has so many cool tours:

• A highly recommended tour is this Ghost tour of Bath
• Alternatively, fans of Bridgerton may be interested in this Bridgerton-themed tour of Bath!
• Or this Bridgerton filming locations tour

Another is the Royal Crescent: a tour of the city of Bath wouldn't be complete without visting the Royal Crescent. It's a row of Georgian houses, by the architect John Wood, along a 500-foot-long (150 m) crescent but note that there is not much else to be found there besides the houses. (The nearby Circus, which comprises houses in a circle around a large tree, was also designed by John Wood.)

Moreover, it's a bit out of the way- it'll take almost 30 minutes to get there, and some of the journey is uphill.

There is the Royal Crescent Hotel, but I'm not a fan of it, as we experienced extremely unwelcoming service.

Tip: if you're going to the Royal Crescent, you may want to pair it with a visit to Royal Victoria Park, which is nearby.

However, if you only have time to visit 1 park, then I recommend the Parade Gardens (nearer Pulteney Bridge instead.) However, there is a small entry fee.

The Roman Baths

The Roman Baths is another of the city's top attractions and my personal favorite.

You can even try the Baths' water at the Pump Room! Although, I did and it didn't taste great 😛 (Another place you can try bath waters is Tunbridge Wells, which is one of the easiest train trips from London, reachable by train in under 1 hour.)

If you're in UK in July & August, the Roman-built baths open late till 10 pm. (last entry 9 pm.) Highly recommended- having a drink and watching the sunset over the baths is the perfect way to end a long day. Over the Bank Holiday weekend, there is even live classical music!

Allocate some time to enjoy the talented buskers outside the Abbey. The guided tour of the tower alone takes 45-60 minutes. It's a Grade 1 listed building, in the centre of Bath, and notable for its fan vaulting and lovely stained glass.

Day Trip to Frome

If you're in Bath for a longer period of time, you may want to go to Frome on a day trip. It's a lovely small town with many independent shops.

However, I'm not a huge fan of Gloucester, which is also close enough to be a day trip from Bath.

Which Bath attractions to skip?

Here are some of the Bath attractions that I found Hit and Miss:

I'm a huge Jane Austen fan- I even studied her during University- but the centre isn't a must-see in my opinion. (To be honest, I think they could do a better job! I visited on my 1st trip to Bath and did not return on subsequent visits.)

It had some interesting information, and the location is convenient, but the rooms were quite dark when I visited- having said that, they recently refurbed, so it may be better. They are also quite small, so I would be concerned about the crowd if visiting during peak periods.

Those who prefer to be out and about might prefer this Jane Austen tour of Bath.

For the literary minded, there's also the Mary Shelley House of Frankenstein in Bath. (It actually has a higher rating on Google than the Jane Austen centre!)

The Pump Room

After reading Persuasion and Northanger Abbey- 2 of my favorite Austen novels, I was so excited to visited The Pump Room. However, it was a bit of a let down.

It's a direct train journey from Paddington train station to Bath Spa station (via the Great Western Railway. For a list of other train tips from London Paddington, click here. If you're looking for good train reads, try these Gothic-ish novels.

For those travelling with a lot of luggage, there are taxi ranks outside the train station. (And Uber operates in the city- something that cannot be said of every place in the UK!)

Journey time: 1h 14 minutes

Clayton's Kitchen and The Marlborough pub were my 2 favourites. For a full list of what other Bath restaurants to visit, and which to avoid, click here.

Travel Tips

1. Buy advance tickets for cheap train tickets

2. If this is 1 of several train journeys you're making in the UK, look into the Railcard, which gives you discounts on ticket prices

Any questions about taking the train from London to this popular destination? Let me now in the comments!