Things to Do in Bath: 19 Attractions, Prices and Tips
Things to do in Bath, from The Roman Baths and the Abbey tower tour to free parks and the Skyline walk: all 19 attractions with adult prices, opening days, booking advice and what is free for children.
In short: the best things to do in Bath start with The Roman Baths (book online: it is £2 less than on the day), then the 212-step tower tour at Bath Abbey and a walk up to the Royal Crescent and Royal Victoria Park, which is free. On a wet day, the Holburne and Herschel museums let under 18s in free. Prices checked on each attraction's own site on 21 October 2026.
Things to do in Bath, as of October 2026: all 19 attractions in our directory, with the ticket price, opening days and booking advice from each one's own website. Twelve charge for entry and seven are parks, streets and walks. Where a site does not say how long a visit takes, we have not guessed.
What are the best things to do in Bath?
The Roman Baths, Bath Abbey and No. 1 Royal Crescent are the big three, all a short walk apart in the city centre. This table has the adult price and the one fact to know before you go.
| Attraction | Adult | Time needed | Know before you go |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Roman Baths | £23.50 to £29 | Not stated | Book online, £2 off |
| Bath Abbey | £9 (tower tour extra) | Not stated | Sundays 1pm to 3.30pm only |
| No. 1 Royal Crescent | £16 | Not stated | Closed 16 to 28 Nov |
| The Holburne Museum | £16.50 | Not stated | Ticket lasts all day |
| Victoria Art Gallery | £9, £12 from 20 Nov | Not stated | Closed Mondays |
| The Jane Austen Centre | £18 | Not stated | Booking highly recommended |
| Herschel Museum | £12.50 | Not stated | Closed most Mondays |
| House of Frankenstein | From £10.94 | About 1 hour | May not suit under 12s |
| Museum of Bath at Work | £10 | Not stated | Weekends only in November |
| Beckford's Tower | £10 | Not stated | Weekends to 13 Dec |
| Prior Park | See NT site | Not stated | Check the National Trust site |
| The Cross Bath | £40 | 1½ hours | Tuesdays only, book by phone |
Which Bath attractions are worth paying for?
All twelve below, if you have the days. With one day, pick the Roman Baths, the Abbey and one museum that suits you.
The Roman Baths
One of the best preserved Roman remains in the world, by its own account, with the head of Sulis Minerva. The water in the Great Bath is untreated, so look, do not touch.
- 💷 £23.50 weekdays, £26.50 weekends from 1 Nov
- ⏰ Daily 9am to 6pm to 31 Oct
- 🎟️ Timed entry, book online
- 📍 City Centre
Good to know: October prices are £26.50 and £29. A one-hour guided tour is £8 extra (free for under 6s). Discovery Card holders go free. Closed 25 and 26 December.
Bath Abbey
The city's great church, with a great east window and a floor of memorial ledgerstones. The guided tower tour climbs 212 steps and includes Abbey entry.
- 💷 £9, children 5 to 15 £5
- 🔔 Tower tour Mon to Sat, price on the Abbey's site
- ⏰ Mon to Fri 10am to 5.30pm, Sat 10am to 6pm, Sun 1pm to 3.30pm
- 📍 City Centre
Good to know: free for BA1 and BA2 residents with proof of address. The tower is reached by 212 steps, so it is not step-free. The Abbey closes for some services, so check its site on the day.
Royal Crescent and No. 1 Royal Crescent
No. 1 Royal Crescent is the house museum in the terrace, furnished as it might have been between 1776 and 1796, upstairs and downstairs.
- 💷 £16, under 18s free with an adult
- ⏰ Tue to Sun 10am to 5.30pm
- 🎟️ Book online for your time slot
- 📍 City Centre
Good to know: closed 16 to 28 November and on Mondays outside school and bank holidays. Prams cannot go through the house.
The Holburne Museum
Bath's first art museum, with a glass garden extension. Eric Ravilious and the Artists of the Chalk Downs runs to 10 January 2027, included in the ticket.
- 💷 £16.50, 18 and under free
- ⏰ Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm, Sun 11am to 5pm
- 🎟️ Not timed, valid all day
- 📍 Bathwick
Good to know: the collection displays are free on Wednesdays after 3pm, and 19 to 25 year olds pay £8.
Victoria Art Gallery
The city's public art museum. The permanent collection is free to everyone; the ticket is for the exhibitions.
- 💷 £9, £12 from 20 Nov, under 6s free
- ⏰ Tue to Sun 10.30am to 5pm
- 🖼️ Japanese Prints to 22 Nov
- 📍 City Centre
The Jane Austen Centre
An interactive exhibition with costumed character actors and Regency dressing-up, plus a tea room upstairs. Mr Darcy's Afternoon Tea is £31.50 a head.
- 💷 £18, child £9.95, family from £30.45
- ⏰ From 3 Nov: 10am to 4.30pm, Sat to 5.30pm
- 🎟️ Pre-booking highly recommended
- 📍 City Centre
Herschel Museum of Astronomy
The house where William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781. His sister Caroline became the first paid female astronomer. Children have the Star Vault and a free trail.
- 💷 £12.50, under 18s free with an adult
- ⏰ Tue to Sun 10am to 5pm
- 🎟️ Door or online
- 📍 City Centre
Mary Shelley's House of Frankenstein
A self-guided museum about Mary Shelley and Frankenstein in a Gay Street town house, with escape rooms and seasonal horror events.
- 💷 From £10.94 online
- ⏰ Mon to Fri 11am to 4pm, weekends to 5.30pm
- ⏳ About 1 hour
- 📍 City Centre
Good to know: cards only, and no buggies, prams or wheelchairs. The site says it may not suit under 12s.
Museum of Bath at Work
Bath's working history in a 1777 real tennis court, with a 1914 Horstmann car and the story of Plasticine, invented here in 1897.
- 💷 £10, child £5, family £20
- ⏰ Nov weekends 10.30am to 5pm
- 🗓️ Closed December and January
- 📍 City Centre
Beckford's Tower and Museum
A tower on Lansdown with 154 steps to the top. The museum is frank about Beckford's wealth from the slave trade.
- 💷 £10, under 18s free with an adult
- ⏰ Sat and Sun 10am to 4pm, 31 Oct to 13 Dec
- 🚌 Lansdown Park & Ride, or a 45-minute walk
- 📍 Lansdown
Prior Park
A National Trust landscape garden with a Palladian bridge, lakes, a cascade and views over the city.
- 💷 Admission: see the National Trust's page
- 📍 Widcombe
Good to know: we could not read the National Trust's own page, so check prices, opening and how to get there on its site before you go.
The Cross Bath
A small open-air thermal bath run by Thermae Bath Spa: the way to actually bathe in Bath's spring water.
- 💷 £40, residents £10 off
- ⏰ Tuesdays, five sessions from 10am
- 📞 Book on 01225 33 1234
- 📍 City Centre
Good to know: Thermae Bath Spa's minimum age of admission is 16. Spas with pools and day passes are in our spa hotels guide.
What can you do in Bath for free?
Royal Victoria Park, the Botanical Gardens and Pulteney Bridge are free by their own pages. Parade Gardens has charged a summer fee in past years, so check the council's page; the Circus, Alexandra Park and the Bath Skyline walk list no entry charge.
Royal Victoria Park
Bath's largest park, opened by Princess Victoria in 1830. The adventure playground has zip lines and an inclusive unit for wheelchair users.
- 💷 Free
- 🛝 Playground, skate park, mini golf
- ⛸️ Bath on Ice from November
- 📍 City Centre
Botanical Gardens
In the park's north-west corner, with a rock garden, a woodland garden and a replica Roman temple shown at Wembley in 1924.
- 💷 Free
- ⏰ Open all year
- 📍 Royal Avenue, City Centre
Pulteney Bridge
Robert Adam's bridge, one of four in the world with shops along both sides. Boat trips leave from the riverside walk beside it.
- 💷 Free to cross
- 📸 Best seen from Parade Gardens
- 📍 City Centre
The Circus
Three curved terraces begun by John Wood the Elder in 1754 and finished by his son. Gainsborough lived at number 17. Stand in the middle for the echo.
- 🚶 A street you can walk round
- 📍 City Centre
Parade Gardens
A riverside garden laid out in 1709, with a bandstand and the best view of Pulteney Bridge and the weir.
- 🎵 Band concerts on summer Sundays
- ♿ Ramp at the Grand Parade entrance
- 📍 City Centre
Alexandra Park
A park at the top of the zig-zag path from Holloway, with a viewpoint, a play area and a patisserie.
- 🐕 Dogs welcome outside the playground
- 🚻 20p toilets by the gate
- 📍 Shakespeare Avenue, Bear Flat
Bath Skyline
A National Trust circular walk on the hills above the city. The full loop has steep hills, steps and a stile.
- 🥾 6 miles, 3½ to 4 hours
- 👶 2-mile family trail suits pushchairs
- 📍 Starts Cleveland Walk, Bathwick
Where are the best views in Bath?
From the top of Bath Abbey's tower in the centre, or Beckford's Tower on Lansdown, with 154 steps to the top. Free alternatives are Alexandra Park and the Bath Skyline walk.
What can you do in Bath with kids or when it rains?
Under 18s go free at the Holburne, the Herschel Museum, No. 1 Royal Crescent and Beckford's Tower. The Roman Baths has a Revolting Roman Remedies trail to 1 December. On a dry day, Royal Victoria Park's playground is the easy win.
Things to do in Bath: questions
How much does it cost to get into the Roman Baths?
From 1 November 2026, an adult ticket booked online is £23.50 on weekdays and £26.50 at weekends; children aged 6 to 18 pay £16.50 or £19.50. Tickets bought on the day cost £2 more.
Is Bath Abbey free to visit?
No. Entry is £9 for adults and £5 for children aged 5 to 15, but it is free for Discovery Card holders and BA1 and BA2 residents with proof of address.
What can I do in Bath for free?
Walk Royal Victoria Park and the Botanical Gardens, cross Pulteney Bridge, and see the Victoria Art Gallery's permanent collection, which is free to view for everyone.
Which Bath museums are free for children?
The Holburne Museum lets in everyone 18 and under free. The Herschel Museum, No. 1 Royal Crescent and Beckford's Tower are free for under 18s with an adult.
Which Bath attractions close in winter?
The Museum of Bath at Work opens at weekends in November and closes in December and January. Beckford's Tower opens at weekends until 13 December, and No. 1 Royal Crescent closes from 16 to 28 November.