Bath day-trip from London with Stonehenge

If your focus is Bath, then I would do as you are planning and have a full day in Bath by train. I say this as Stonehenge isn’t in my top 100 places in Britain, but many on this forum do visit Stonehenge. I get the feeling many visit because they feel they should do, as someone they know has been, rather than because it interests them.

Coach tours will only give you a limited time in Bath, as it takes far longer to get to and from London by coach than by train.

A Windsor/Stonehenge/Bath tour means you spend most of the day on the coach and get little time at each of the locations.

I'm on the record as not being thrilled with the aesthetics of Bath (same-y Georgian architecture), but it definitely has a full day's worth of things to do if you're interested in the museums and the Roman baths. I think it would be shame to take a dual-purpose bus tour to Bath and Stonehenge.

But I'm another person who has little (actually, zero) interest in places like Stonehenge. I'm basically all about the pretty. It sometimes simplifies my traveling life.

If the choice is between spending a day in Bath or visiting Stonehenge, go with Bath. Stonehenge won't take much time at all. If you do opt for Stonehenge, combine it with some time in Somerset. You could go by train to Somerset and from there go out to Stonehenge on one of the local tours.

Well, I do love Bath and I do love Stonehenge and have visited both a number of times, so not basing my opinion on what others say to see. I'd say do one or the other.

If you opt for Stonehenge, I'd take a train to Salisbury. There is a local bus route that leaves from the station and circles out to Stonehenge, back by Old Sarum and returns to 2 different spots in Salisbury - City Centre and the Station. The bus is run by the Salisbury Reds which is the local bus company. It's called The Stonehenge Tour altho it's not really a tour as I would call it. You can pay the driver when you get on and do pay for him to get your entry ticket. It's so much faster. After you've toured Stonehenge, just catch the next bus and head to Old Sarum and back to the start. You'll probably have time to see Salisbury Cathedral, possibly to catch Evensong and walk around Salisbury a bit before you catch the train back to London.

For Bath, I've usually stayed 3 or 4 nights and still haven't seen everything. I love the Roman Baths, the museum at #1 Royal Crescent, Bath Abbey, the Parade Gardens (paid entry of 1.50 £ but a great view of Pulteney Weir and Pulteney Bridge) and Prior Park for a start. If anyone is a Jane Austen fan it's fun to see places that she mentions in her books even though she did not apparently like Bath. I love the juxtaposition of the Georgian architecture and the Roman baths. Doing a walking tour is very interesting as well. I'm not a shopper but there are tons of shops if that is of interest.

Save the one you don't pick for your next trip!

I agree with Pam. Pick one -- Stonehenge or Bath. If you pick Stonehenge, go via Salisbury as Pam described above. I took a day trip to Bath and could not fit everything in but was very happy with my choices including a visit to Thermae for some very enjoyable experiential travel.

Thanks, everyone, for the great advice. If we have to make a choice, then it will be Bath. A couple other questions about a day-trip to Bath:

Does it make sense to do the day-trip on a Sunday? That seems to be the best day given the rest of our London itinerary. It seems like train prices are better on a weekend, but I wonder what will be open. Are the shops, museums, etc. all closed on Sundays?

Also, what is the best train line to use to get to Bath? I assume we'd pick up a train at Paddington station in London. Is that right?

Thanks for you help.

Trains to Bath do depart from London Paddington. Prices are cheaper at the weekend as there is no business traffic, so less demand. Check there is no engineering work being undertaken at the weekend when you propose to travel, as a part bus replacement service will add significantly to your journey time.

Shops by law have limited opening hours at the weekend (6 hours) and most will be open 10-4. Cafes and restaurants can open longer. Museums etc will be open at the weekend.

In Bath I liked the Holburne Museum (art) and loved the small but very well displayed Museum of East Asian Art. The city has a really large number of museums for a place of modest size--truly something for just about everyone.

Hi. Depending on when in spring you go, you may want to check out the day trips to Bath and Stonehenge via London Walks. For Bath they take the train there directly. For Stonehenge, they train to Salisbury and then take a dedicated bus to Stonehenge. I have done the Stonehenge tour with them. It ticked a box, but was not super special - not their fault, just that you really are at a bit of a distance, and it just felt blah to me.

Bath, on the other hand, can give you a full day. Read London Walks' itineraries here:
http://www.walks.com/other-tours/day-trips-from-london/.

Looks like the Bath trip leaves circa 8:45 AM and returns around 6:15 PM.

Does it make sense to do the day-trip on a Sunday? That seems to be
the best day given the rest of our London itinerary. It seems like
train prices are better on a weekend...

Rail tickets in my experience can be much less expensive on weekends. That said, if you can, I would recommend doing the day trip on a Saturday.

Too many times I have endured terrible train delays that I have eaten up my day-trip visiting time because of service delays/construction/etc. I have had much better luck on Saturdays with on-time trains; more places are open longer on Saturdays too.

To me Saturdays and Sundays are hugely busy in Bath. I'd probably bite the bullet on train fare (unless it's stupidly expensive) and go on a weekday if that works in to your schedule.

I know you are not staying overnight but many accommodations in Bath have a minimum 2-night stay on Friday and Saturday nights meaning you have a concentrated crowd on Saturdays.

I have to second the recommendation for London Walks. I went on a London Walks day trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge and it was wonderful. The guide was personable and knowledgeable. We enjoyed it very much. We also did London Walks tours in London to Westminster Abbey and The Tower of London. We were very happy with each. I think any tour you do with them would be time well spent.

I THINK, that you can catch a MaddMaxx tour to Stonehenge from near the center of town in Bath. At least I recall seeing info signs last time we were there. Not sure how long the tour took, but I'd think it wouldn't be more than 2-3 hours at the maximum. You could take an early train from London to Bath, see the town, tour the Roman Baths, catch the Stonehenge tour, then return and maybe have time to catch a river cruise (takes about 1 hour) before eating an early supper and taking a late train back to London.

Again, pick one, don't try to do both.
We loved Bath and Stonehenge. Stonehenge doesn't take all day, you can do it in a couple of hours. The Bath Roman Bath Museum is great, don't miss it.

Better to see Stonehenge in connection with Salisbury and its wonderful cathedral.
You could do Windsor Castle and Stonehenge on the same day as well.