My wife and I and our daughter are visiting the Bath area in April and want to spend a whole day in Bath, and a day visiting Glastonbury and Wells and the area. We will be there for a Sunday and a Monday (April 12-13) (coming in on Saturday night after visiting Stonehenge and Salisbury). The question: Given that there will be more tourists about on Sunday, which day should we do which? Would it be better to do the Bath day on Monday or does it matter?
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8913 posts
This is not in direct reply to your questions, but I wanted to share that when we visited Bath a few years ago one of the highlights was the free walking tour provided by the tourist bureau. A local volunteer guide did an excellent job of taking us around and we learned quite a bit. You may want to consider this option.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
You mention Sunday and Monday. In some European countries (if you consider England to be part of Europe :-), sometimes sights are closed on Sunday or Monday. And buses may run less often on Sundays. So you'll probably want to check that, just to see what sights may be closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14818 posts
Altho I have not been to Glastonbury and Wells, I have enjoyed some time in Bath. I structured my last visit so that I did the Roman Baths and other sites on Monday. It was in early September and there were noticeably fewer people in Bath on Monday than Saturday and Sunday. The Roman Baths are open every day (except Christmas and Boxing Day) including Bank Holidays.
I also found this Bath tourist office website very helpful.
http://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do
I did not do the free Mayor's Walk which was very crowded, but did do a fee-based walk on Saturday afternoon which was wonderful.
As I said, I have not visited your other proposed sites, so do not know what the visitor situation is there on a Sunday vs Monday.
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2456 posts
We went on the free walk on a Monday versus Sunday based on advice from the owner of the B&B where we stayed. When in Wells be sure to walk down the Vicars Close to the left of the Cathedral. It is supposedly one of the oldest purely residential streets in Europe. Delightful.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5466 posts
Monday closure of sights is not a typical thing in the UK. If they take a day off it could be any day.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
I edited my previous post based on Marco's input.
Thanks for the clarification on that, Marco.
Posted by
2599 posts
You may find many shops are closed on Sundays. Public transport is also poorer on Sundays. (Rail lines get closed for engineering work). Assuming you are using public transport, you will need a bus to Wells & Glastonbury. I would check the schedules at www.traveline.info
Posted by
Hampshire, England.
1075 posts
"In some European countries (if you consider England to be part of Europe),"
Well, we are a part of Europe, some would say unfortunately!!!
Posted by
Bristol, UK
619 posts
Although small in population, Bath is a major city in its area. It has two universities and is a business and commercial centre. It therefore attracts large numbers of people for different reasons every day of the week, not just tourists.
My advice would be to decide which is the best day for your visits to Wells and Glastonbury, especially if you will be travelling by bus. The direct bus service from Bath to Wells runs hourly on weekdays, but every 90 minutes on Sundays. Stay in Bath on the other day. Virtually all the shops in the centre of Bath will be open for most of Sunday. Those in Wells are more likely to be closed on a Sunday.