Overview
This corner of England packs 5,000 years into a small area. Stonehenge and Avebury are among the most important prehistoric sites in Europe. Bath grew up around the only hot springs in Britain, first as a Roman spa and then as the Georgian resort where Jane Austen set two novels. Salisbury has the tallest cathedral spire in Britain and the best-preserved original Magna Carta, and Bristol is a lively port city with Brunel's great iron ship and a street-art scene that produced Banksy.
Bath makes the best base: it is about 80 to 90 minutes from London by train, compact enough to walk and full of places to stay and eat. From there, Bristol is 15 minutes by train, Wells and Glastonbury are an easy drive or bus ride, and Stonehenge is about an hour by road. Salisbury, on a different rail line, works as a second base or a stop between London and Bath.
Many Americans see Bath and Stonehenge on one long coach tour from London (see day trips). Two or three nights here are far more rewarding: Bath after the day-trippers leave, and Stonehenge at opening time.
Bath: the Roman Baths and the Georgian city
The whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built in the same pale gold limestone as the southern Cotswolds. It is small: the Roman Baths, the Abbey, Pulteney Bridge and the shopping streets are within a 10-minute walk of each other, and the Royal Crescent is 15 minutes uphill.
The Roman Baths
Hot water, about 115°F (46°C), still bubbles up into the Great Bath the Romans built nearly 2,000 years ago. The site includes the temple remains, the steaming Sacred Spring, a museum of finds including the gilt bronze head of the goddess Sulis Minerva, and the curse tablets Romans threw into the water asking the gods to punish thieves. You walk on Roman paving; the terrace above, with its statues, is Victorian. Allow two hours. You cannot bathe here: for that, go to Thermae Bath Spa (below).
| Roman Baths, booked ahead (Nov 1–Dec 18, 2026) | Weekday | Weekend or bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (19+) | £23.50 (about $31) | £26.50 (about $35) |
| Senior (65+) or student | £22.50 (about $30) | £25.50 (about $34) |
| Child (6–18) | £16.50 (about $22) | £19.50 (about $26) |
| Family (2 adults, 2–4 children) | £59 (about $78) | £69 (about $92) |
Tickets bought on the day cost £2 (about $3) more. Through October 31, 2026, prices were higher (adults £26.50 weekday, £29 weekend). Prices change by season, so check romanbaths.co.uk for your dates. A shared guided tour costs an extra £8 (about $11) a person. The baths were open 9:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00) in late October 2026; they close December 25 and 26, have an early last entry on Christmas Eve and open late on New Year's Day.
Watch out
Tickets are sold only at romanbaths.co.uk; the baths warn about lookalike sites selling "discounted" tickets. Book a timed slot for summer and weekends, and go at opening or after 16:00 to avoid the midday crush.
Next door, the Pump Room, the 18th-century hall where Georgian society came to drink the waters, serves lunch and afternoon tea (including a Jane Austen tea); you can taste the warm spa water. Book ahead.
Bath Abbey
The Abbey, beside the Roman Baths, is a late medieval church famous for its fan-vaulted ceiling and the stone angels climbing ladders on the west front. Admission is £9 (about $12) for adults, £7.50 (about $10) for students and £5 (about $7) for children 5–15, with an audio guide for £3.50 (about $5); families get 10% off. It is open Monday to Friday 10:00–17:30, Saturday 10:00–18:00 and Sunday 13:00–15:30, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. It closes for services and events, including all day on Sunday, November 8, 2026, for Remembrance. Tower tours, bookable online, climb to the bell chamber and the roof for the best view in the city.
The Royal Crescent, the Circus and Pulteney Bridge
Walk up Gay Street to the Circus, a ring of 33 townhouses by John Wood the Elder, and on to the Royal Crescent, a 500-foot curve of 30 houses finished in the 1770s by his son. No. 1 Royal Crescent is a museum furnished as a wealthy Georgian household; check its site for prices and days. Bridgerton fans will recognize several streets, and the Holburne Museum played Lady Danbury's house (see film locations).
Pulteney Bridge, by Robert Adam, is one of a handful of bridges in the world lined with shops on both sides; view it from Grand Parade. The Fashion Museum, formerly in the Assembly Rooms, has closed while it moves to a new home.
Save money
The Mayor of Bath's Honorary Guides, a volunteer group, have run free two-hour walking tours of the city for decades, starting outside the Pump Room. They're excellent, and no tipping is expected. Check their current schedule before you go.
Thermae Bath Spa
Thermae is the place to bathe in Bath's natural thermal water. A two-hour "Thermae Welcome" session costs from about £42.50 (about $57) on weekdays and £48.50 (about $65) on weekends, including towel and robe hire, the indoor Minerva Bath at about 96°F (35.5°C), the steam rooms of the Wellness Suite and the open-air rooftop pool with views of the Abbey. The minimum age is 16, and you'll need proof of age. The spa opens 9:00–21:30 (pools close at 21:00) and closes on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Book online for weekends; midweek you can often walk in. Go after dark in winter, when steam rises off the rooftop pool. A technical problem closed the spa briefly in late October 2026, so check the website on the day.
Jane Austen's Bath
Austen lived in Bath from 1801 to 1806 and set Northanger Abbey and Persuasion here. The Jane Austen Centre on Gay Street, open daily 10:00–17:30 (last entry an hour before closing), is a small exhibition with costumed guides and a Regency Tea Room upstairs; book tickets on its site. The annual Jane Austen Festival fills the city with bonnets and promenades each September (in 2026 it ran September 11–20); check the 2027 dates on the centre's site. For a self-guided walk, follow the Royal Crescent, the Assembly Rooms, Milsom Street and Sydney Place, where her family lived.
Eating and drinking in Bath
- Sally Lunn's: in one of the oldest houses in Bath, serving the large, light Sally Lunn bun, sweet or savory. Touristy, and fun anyway.
- The Star Inn: a historic pub on the Paragon with old wooden settles and beer from the local Abbey Ales brewery.
- The Bell Inn: a community-owned pub on Walcot Street with live music most nights.
- Walcot Street and Green Park Station: independent cafés, delis and a Saturday market under the old station roof.
Bath is a popular weekend break for Britons, so book Friday and Saturday dinners several days ahead. Restaurants commonly add a 10–12.5% discretionary service charge; if it is on the bill, you don't need to tip again. See food and pubs.
Stonehenge
Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain about 35 miles (56 km) southeast of Bath, is a ring of standing stones raised in stages from around 3000 BC. Some of the smaller bluestones came from the Preseli Hills in Wales, nearly 150 miles away. It is run by English Heritage. The visit has two parts: the visitor center, with an exhibition of finds and reconstructed Neolithic houses, and the stones themselves, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away, which you reach by a 10-minute shuttle bus or on foot. Allow two to three hours.
Different from home
On a normal ticket you walk a path around the stones at a distance, as at a roped-off monument in a US national park, and can't touch them. Many visitors find it smaller than they imagined. Get off the shuttle at the Fargo Plantation stop and walk the last stretch, so the stones rise in front of you.
Tickets
- Book online by midnight the day before to save up to 15%. Prices vary by date, with cheaper "saver" days; on-the-day tickets, online or at the gate, are full price. See the English Heritage prices page.
- Tickets are valid all day: you can arrive at any time within opening hours and stay as long as you like.
- Hours: in late October 2026, 9:30–17:00 with last entry at 15:00. In summer the site stays open later; from late March to late September 2026 the visitor center closed at 18:00. It closes on December 25.
- Parking is £4 (about $5) for non-members, best paid ahead through the RingGo app. Members park free.
- English Heritage and National Trust (England) members get in free. Members can book online and must bring their card; National Trust members enter a code at checkout, shown on the Stonehenge prices page.
Save money
English Heritage annual membership costs £84 (about $112) for one adult, £149 (about $198) for two adults, £72 (about $96) for a senior and £116 (about $154) for two seniors, and you can join online or on the day at Stonehenge. It covers more than 400 sites, including Old Sarum near Salisbury, Dover Castle, Tintagel and parts of Hadrian's Wall. If you'll visit Stonehenge plus two or three other English Heritage sites, compare the cost against individual tickets; for a couple it often pays off. See heritage passes for the National Trust and other options.
Stone Circle Experience
To walk inside the circle, book a Stone Circle Experience: an hour among the stones in the early morning or evening, outside normal hours. Adults (18+) pay from £70 (about $93) and children 5–17 from £40 (about $53), with member discounts. Groups are capped at 52, split into two groups of 26, and you still may not touch or stand on the stones. There are no sessions in October or November, and in autumn 2026 booking was open through March 2027. Places are very limited, so book as soon as you know your dates.
Solstices
English Heritage opens the stones free for "managed open access" at the summer solstice (around June 20–21) and the winter solstice. The winter solstice gathering in 2026 is on December 22, with parking booking details released from November 2. Expect crowds, drumming and a party atmosphere at sunrise; check the access rules well ahead.
Getting there
- From Salisbury: the Stonehenge Tour, a hop-on hop-off bus run by Salisbury Reds, leaves Salisbury rail station and the city center for Old Sarum and Stonehenge. The journey takes 35 minutes. In the winter 2026 timetable (from September 7), buses leave the station from 10:05 to 14:05, roughly hourly, and the last bus back leaves Stonehenge at 17:15. In summer 2026 they ran 10:05–15:05 with the last return at 18:15. The all-in-one ticket includes the bus, Stonehenge admission and entry to Salisbury Cathedral. Book at thestonehengetour.info.
- From London: train from Waterloo to Salisbury (about 1 hr 30 min), then the tour bus.
- From Bath: small-group minibus tours run daily, often adding Avebury or Lacock; or take the train to Salisbury (about an hour).
- By car: the site is off the A303 and A360; the satnav postcode is SP4 7DE. About an hour from Bath and two hours from central London in light traffic.
Insider tip
Be on site at opening time, take the first shuttle, and you'll have the stones with far fewer people for half an hour before the London coaches arrive. Salisbury Plain is open and exposed: bring a windproof layer and a hat, even in summer.
Avebury and the ancient landscape
Avebury, about 25 miles north of Stonehenge by road, is the largest stone circle in Britain, so large that a village, a manor house and a pub sit inside it. Unlike Stonehenge, you can walk among the stones freely, and the circle is open dawn to dusk with no ticket. Many visitors find it the more moving of the two.
The National Trust runs the site. Guided tours of the stones cost £6 (about $8) for adults. Avebury Manor and garden cost £14 (about $19), or £15.40 (about $20) with a Gift Aid donation, and the Alexander Keiller Museum of excavation finds £7 (about $9). Parking is £8 (about $11) all day or £5 (about $7) after 15:00, free for National Trust and English Heritage members. The Red Lion pub inside the circle is the lunch stop.
Nearby are Silbury Hill, the largest prehistoric mound in Europe (view it from the roadside viewpoint; climbing is not allowed), and West Kennet Long Barrow, a chambered tomb you can walk into, reached by a 15–20 minute footpath from the A4. Both are free.
Getting there: without a car, take the train to Swindon (about an hour from Paddington), then Stagecoach bus 49 toward Devizes, which passes Avebury twice an hour Monday to Saturday and hourly on Sundays. Bus 42 links Avebury with Marlborough and Calne. Show a bus ticket for £1 (about $1.30) off manor and museum entry.
Salisbury Cathedral and Magna Carta
Salisbury Cathedral was built mostly between 1220 and 1258, which gives it an unusual unity of style, and its 404-foot (123 m) spire is the tallest in Britain. It stands in the largest cathedral close in the country, a lawn ringed by historic houses. Inside, look for the medieval clock in the north aisle, among the oldest working clocks in the world.
The cathedral holds one of only four surviving original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta, generally considered the best preserved. It is displayed in an enclosure by the Chapter House with a multimedia exhibition, and entry is included in the cathedral admission ticket. Visiting hours vary with services, but on a typical day first entry is 9:30, last entry 16:15 and sightseeing ends at 17:00. Book online to save on admission.
- Tower tours climb past medieval timber scaffolding to the base of the spire, several times a day (on a late October 2026 day, at 10:15, 11:15, 12:15, 13:15 and 14:15). They involve a lot of narrow stairs and sell out, so book ahead and check the age and fitness rules on the cathedral's site.
- Choral evensong, usually at 17:30, is free and open to all.
- Old Sarum, run by English Heritage on a hill 2 miles north of the city, is the Iron Age fort and Norman castle where the first cathedral stood. The Stonehenge Tour bus stops there.
The charter market fills the Market Place on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and hotels cost less than in Bath, which makes Salisbury a smart base for Stonehenge.
Bristol
Bristol, 12 miles west of Bath, is a working city of about half a million people, with a creative, slightly scruffy energy that contrasts with Bath's polish. Its wealth came from the port, including the transatlantic slave trade, which the city's museums address directly. Bristol Temple Meads is about 1 hr 40 min from Paddington and 15 minutes from Bath by train.
SS Great Britain at Bristol Dockyards
Brunel's iron steamship, launched here in 1843 and the first great ocean liner to combine an iron hull and a screw propeller, sits in its original dry dock. The site now goes by the name Bristol Dockyards and includes the Being Brunel museum. Adult tickets cost £22 (about $29) online or £25 (about $33) at the door, children £14.50 (about $19) online, and every standard ticket gives unlimited return visits for 12 months. An Afternoon Saver from 14:30 costs £13 (about $17) online. Climbing the rigging ("Go Aloft") is an extra.
M Shed
The city's history museum in a dockside transit shed, with working cranes outside and frank galleries on the slave trade, protest and Bristol's music scene.
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
Natural history, Egyptology and fine art. Banksy's "Paint-pot Angel," left over from his 2009 takeover of the museum, still stands in the entrance hall.
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Brunel's bridge, opened in 1864, spans the Avon Gorge 245 ft (75 m) above the river. Walking across is free, and the visitor center explains how it was built. Combine it with the Georgian streets and cafés of Clifton Village.
Banksy and street art
Banksy came out of Bristol's graffiti scene, and several of his works remain on the streets. Well Hung Lover is on Frogmore Street, best seen from the bridge on Park Street; Girl with a Pierced Eardrum is on a wall near the harbor, a short walk from the SS Great Britain; and Mild Mild West, the teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail, is on Stokes Croft. Stokes Croft and Nelson Street have dense, ever-changing murals by other artists, and local guides run street-art walking tours.
Eating and drinking
St Nicholas Market, a covered market in the old city, has some of the best cheap lunches in the region. Wapping Wharf, near M Shed, has independent restaurants in converted shipping containers. Harborside pubs and the bars of King Street are lively on weekend evenings.
Watch out
Central Bristol has a Clean Air Zone that charges older, more polluting vehicles, including some private cars. Most rental cars meet the standard, but check the plate on GOV.UK's vehicle checker, and pay within the deadline if a charge applies. Bath's Clean Air Zone does not charge private cars.
Wells and Glastonbury
Wells
Wells, 20 miles southwest of Bath, is often called England's smallest city: a market town with a full-size cathedral. Wells Cathedral's west front is lined with hundreds of medieval statues, and inside, the 14th-century "scissor" arches under the tower look strikingly modern. Find the astronomical clock in the north transept, where jousting knights charge every quarter hour, and climb the worn steps to the Chapter House. The cathedral is open daily 7:00–18:00 for worship; general visiting runs 9:00–16:30 (Sundays from 12:00 to about 14:00–14:30), and daily highlights tours are offered. Admission is £15.50 (about $21) for adults, £10 (about $13) after 15:30 and £5 (about $7) for children 5–17; there is no charge to pray or attend a service. Check its site before you go.
Next to the cathedral, Vicars' Close is a 14th-century street of houses built for the cathedral choir and still lived in, and the Bishop's Palace has a moat, gardens and the springs that gave Wells its name. The market fills the square on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Fans of the comedy Hot Fuzz will recognize the town. The Wookey Hole caves are 2 miles away, and Cheddar Gorge is about 8 miles.
Glastonbury
Glastonbury, 6 miles beyond Wells, is England's capital of mysticism, all crystal shops and Arthurian legend. Two places justify the trip:
- Glastonbury Tor: a steep, isolated hill crowned by the roofless St Michael's Tower, about 518 ft (158 m) high, with views across the Somerset Levels. It is National Trust land, free and always open. The climb from town takes 20–30 minutes; it is very windy on top.
- Glastonbury Abbey: the ruins of one of England's richest monasteries, set in 36 acres of grounds, and the legendary burial place of King Arthur. It is open daily 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:15), but closed on Mondays from November 2, 2026, to February 15, 2027, for essential works. Children under 16 go free with a paying adult. A free Christmas market runs November 28–29, 2026.
The Glastonbury Festival takes place at Worthy Farm in Pilton, about 6 miles away, in late June (June 23–27 in 2027). 2026 was a fallow year with no festival; for 2027 plans and the notoriously fast ticket sale, see festivals.
Getting there: neither town has a train station. First Bus route 376 runs from Bristol to Wells and on to Glastonbury and Street, and buses also run from Bath. By car, Wells is about 45 minutes from Bath, and Glastonbury 15 minutes further.
Trains, buses and driving
| Route | Operator | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| London Paddington to Bath Spa | GWR | About 1 hr 20 min to 1 hr 30 min, usually twice an hour |
| London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads | GWR | About 1 hr 40 min |
| Bath Spa to Bristol Temple Meads | GWR | About 15 min, several an hour |
| London Waterloo to Salisbury | South Western Railway | About 1 hr 30 min |
| Bath Spa to Salisbury | GWR | About 1 hr |
| London Paddington to Chippenham | GWR | About 1 hr 10 min (for Lacock and Castle Combe) |
| London Paddington to Swindon | GWR | About 1 hr (for Avebury) |
Book Advance tickets on the GWR or SWR site, or through a booking app, for the cheapest fares; off-peak returns are the flexible option. A railcard such as Two Together cuts a third off most fares. From Heathrow, the cheapest route to Bath is the Elizabeth line to Paddington or the RailAir coach to Reading, then a GWR train. See getting around for ticket types and flights for airport connections.
Driving makes sense for Avebury, Wells, Glastonbury, Cheddar and Lacock in a day or two. Don't drive in central Bath: streets are narrow, parking is expensive and scarce, and the Park & Ride sites on the edge of the city are easier. Rental cars are mostly manual; ask for an automatic early. See driving in the UK.
Where to stay
Bath is the most expensive place to sleep in the region, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, when two-night minimums are common. Salisbury, Wells and Bristol are cheaper. For booking strategy, see where to stay.
Chain hotels
Premier Inn and Travelodge have central branches in Bath and Bristol; rooms are plain, clean and reliable, and the cheapest midweek.
Georgian guesthouses and B&Bs
Townhouse guesthouses on the slopes around the center, many with breakfast included. Expect stairs, no elevator and rooms of very different sizes behind one front door.
Apartments
Rentals in Georgian buildings suit families and longer stays. Check whether "first floor" means one flight up (it does) and whether there is parking (often not).
Coaching inns
Old inns in the city centers, such as the Swan in Wells, facing the cathedral's west front. Good bases for Stonehenge or the Somerset trips.
Grand Bath hotels
The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa occupies the center of the crescent; the Gainsborough Bath Spa has its own spa fed by the thermal springs; No.15 Great Pulteney is a playful boutique option across the river.
Country-house hotels
Lucknam Park near Colerne and the Manor House in Castle Combe are 20–30 minutes from the city by car, for a splurge with a spa and a long dinner.
Itineraries
Two days in Bath
- Day 1
Romans and Georgians
Train from Paddington. Roman Baths at a booked mid-morning slot, lunch or tea at the Pump Room, then Bath Abbey and a tower tour. Walk Pulteney Bridge and Great Pulteney Street, and end with an evening session at Thermae Bath Spa.
- Day 2
The upper town
A free Honorary Guides walking tour, then the Circus, the Royal Crescent and No. 1 Royal Crescent. Afternoon at the Jane Austen Centre or the Holburne Museum, or a walk on the Bath Skyline footpaths. Dinner and a pint at the Star Inn.
Five days, Bath as a base
- Day 1
Bath
Roman Baths, Abbey and an evening at the spa.
- Day 2
Stonehenge and Salisbury
Early train to Salisbury, the first Stonehenge Tour bus of the morning to the stones, back via Old Sarum, then Salisbury Cathedral and Magna Carta before an evening train to Bath. Or join a small-group tour from Bath that adds Avebury.
- Day 3
Georgian Bath
Royal Crescent, Circus, Jane Austen Centre and a free walking tour.
- Day 4
Wells and Glastonbury
Wells Cathedral and Vicars' Close in the morning, then Glastonbury Abbey and the Tor for late-afternoon light.
- Day 5
Bristol
Train to Bristol for the SS Great Britain, M Shed, the Banksy walls and Clifton Suspension Bridge, then fly home from Heathrow or continue to Cornwall and Devon or Wales, both reachable by direct trains from Bristol.
A car-free loop from London
London Waterloo to Salisbury (one night; Stonehenge and the cathedral), train to Bath (two nights), day trip to Bristol, then back to Paddington. Add the Cotswolds by renting a car in Bath and driving north via Castle Combe and Lacock. For help planning, see the trip builder or our custom trip service.
Add it to a route in the trip builder, or ask us to plan the hotels, trains and guides for you.