Hey guys, a few weeks ago we took our first and potentially the only holiday of the year. Living in Cornwall means endless beaches and countryside all year so city breaks can be the best trip to take. We stayed for three nights at the Parade Park budget hotel, giving us two full days and an evening on arrival to explore. The Parade Park hotel wasn’t perfect but it was amazing value and the perfect location (2 mins away from the train station and 1 min away from Bath Abby) with beautiful views across the parks and weir.
Bath is famous for many things from the Roman Baths to the Christmas markets. The architecture in keeping with the Georgian period when Bath was at its most fashionable. This iconic architecture has also meant it’s the perfect city to film period dramas in so if you are a fan of Jane Austen’s, Bridgerton and anything in between you will know bath well but there is a lot more to see too. Bath is full of foodie hotspots, independent shops and museums there may be a lot more to see than you first thought.
On arrival, we spent a few hours exploring. Everything you need to see in Bath is so central and unlike other cities, it doesn’t take long to find your bearings. We walked to all the top sites such as Bath Abby, The circus, and the weir while taking in all the shops and noting which ones I needed to go back to look in properly.
For our first evening meal, we were spoilt for choice, I had been recommended so many places and spotted so many wonderful restaurants on our earlier walks. Bath is full of foodie hotspots. We headed down to Green park station which is a renovated old train station now full of street food and hosts flea markets to visit the Bath pizza co. Pizza is a fail-safe option and it’s usually always a winner but this was something special, one of the best pieces I’ve had in a long time. We then headed to Grapes a small bar just off the main streets, a perfect spot for a cider with a record player on in the background, the perfect cool bar.
Due to covid restrictions, our hotel wasn’t offering a breakfast service which gave me an excuse to get out early and try a different bakery for takeaway breakfasts. The highlight was by far Bertinet Bakery for fresh croissants, pastries and coffee.
We began our first full day perusing the wonderful independent shops along the famous Putney bridge and throughout the city centre. Bath has always been a fashionable city and is a dream if you love shopping, especially if you love independent shops like me. Every single shop we stepped in is worthy of a recommendation but a few highlights include Rossiters of Bath which is a traditional department store, you can get lost in the nooks and crannies full of furniture. On Putney bridge, you will find the cool and collected ‘Found’ gift shop full of colourful accessories. I also recommend Magalleria a magazine shop where you can find every cool magazine you can imagine from art to travel, a coffee book lovers dream. Of course, you can find all the usual shops too both down at the Southgate shopping centre and along Milsom street.
Of course, no guide to Bath would be complete without at least a mention of the Roman Baths, the reason Bath has its name after all. It is the most expensive of the tourist attractions in Bath at £20 an entry. If you have never been before it is definitely worth a trip, the Baths themselves are spectacular and to see the ruins inside. Over the years there have been huge amounts of investment making it interactive for children. Due to covid restrictions, you must book in advance at time slots but these time slots were arguably too big as you move through the museum at a standstill traffic jam and most of our time was spent waiting to take a step forward rather than enjoying the sites.
Sally Lunn’s is the oldest house in Bath and has been running since the late 1600s as a tea room with a twist. This is the only place in the world you can have an authentic Sally Lunn bun. Before you think what are you on about, I too was confused about what can be so special about a bread bun, if they were that good surely we’d have them everywhere by now like a scone but trust me. The tea rooms are spread over three tiny floors with a little museum and gift shop on the ground floor. You choose either a sweet or savoury bun with a wide selection of ‘toppings’ to choose from, think an open sandwich. Once they arrived at our table I instantly understood what all the hype was about, it is essentially a bread bun and it’s hard to explain what makes it so special. It is similar to brioche but not as sweet, the bread is also a lot lighter than a traditional bun. You’ll just have to try one for yourself. We loved them so much we got seconds, Michael tried a sweet cinnamon bun, while I was tempted by a sweet by I was swayed by a traditional Georgian cake which had a lavender sponge and a rose buttercream filling. I didn’t expect to enjoy such a traditional touristy tea room as much but I am already dreaming of my next trip to Sally Lunn’s.
Bandook – for our next evening meal we took a trip to the highly recommended Bandook kitchen. Bandook originated as an Indian street food venture in Bristol now with restaurants in both Bath and Bristol. I am a huge fan of street food and being able to choose small plates as I get to sample lots of different dishes in one meal without getting too full. We ordered a random mix of dishes and shared everything including the best curry I think I’ve ever had, a simple panner tikka. We took the waiters recommendations trying some of their specialists the Samosa Chaat and masala tacos which are both twists on traditional dishes made easier to eat on the go. Our highlight was the Amritsari fish dish which tasted amazing and I could have had two small plates. Overall Bandook was great value too, our bill came to less than what I’ve paid in some fancy burger bars.
Our second day in Bath was filled with to the brim of art. We headed back up to the circus and took a trip to the Museum of East Asian art which is fairly compact but still worth a visit to see a vast collection of artefacts mainly focusing on china and pottery, at £5 a ticket which allows you entry for a full year its fab value. After another wander around a few shops, we then headed to the Fashion Museum at the assembly rooms. The fashion museum is a wonderful insight into the rich history of costume. Priced at £10 entry again good value. The main exhibit focuses on 100 items the represent the history of fashion, going through the last 400 or so years. We made use of the optional audio guide headsets which carry a lot more history around society at the time and who would have worn such items. I personally find there isn’t anything more inspiring than a costume collection like this and it always fascinates me to see how trends today still nod to trends from 100s of years ago. My boyfriend on the other hand wasn’t quite as impressed.
After two museums and galleries, I got an ice cream from Swoon Gelato which was also recommended highly and did not disappoint. Definitely try their mango gelato and ice cream filled macaroons if you get the chance.
For our final evening meal, we met up with my parents and wined and dined. The perfect occasion for a Ganni dress (rented via Hurr). We started the evening with a range of gins at The Bath Disterally which is a quaint cocktail bar and hosts a wide selection of gins including their own which was wonderful. We then dinner at Raphael’s an independent restaurant serving seasonal British food. I went for an obvious yet never boring option of the steak which did not disappoint but the real star of the show was their dessert menu all 5 of us had an exquisite dessert like you wouldn’t see on any other menu. The one pictured is a popcorn mouse, with bubblegum meringue popping candy and candyfloss ice cream a dream palate of sweet flavours.
Our final stop before leaving for the train station was our second visit to Good day cafe (previously we had got takeaway iced coffees and cakes) for a fry up in the sun looking on the side streets of shops. A perfect spot for people watching.
I hope you enjoyed this long post and can see a little snippet of what Bath has to offer. I am already planning my next visit and we both fell in love with this wonderful city. Love Charlotte xxx
Looks like a nice place for me to visit some day. Thanks for sharing.