Roman Baths in Bath

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/is-there-a-best-time-to-visit-the-roman-baths-in-bath-uk

I visited Bath in mid-August last year. Busy? Certainly, but the Roman bath facility was not uncomfortably crowded, nor were exhibits difficult to see and study.

It's a fascinating place. Would recommend it to everyone who travels in the vicinity.

We visited the Roman Baths in mid-July last year and while there were certainly plenty of people there, we had no trouble seeing the exhibits. We did get advance tickets for admission between 9:45 and 10:00 a.m. and were glad to have them since we were able to walk right in. Our visit was on a Thursday.

We visited this weekend just passed, on the Sunday before the bank holiday, at 12.30pm. It was definitely busy, but not to the extent that we couldn't see or enjoy the experience. We did pre-book in the morning, but there was virtually no queue to buy tickets. Having passed the entry a few times in the days preceding, it looked busiest in the mornings with tour groups, and quieter in the afternoon.

A couple of other spots in Bath we really enjoyed were Bath Abbey (a definite highlight) and the Holburne Museum.

We got there first thing in the morning on a September weekday and it was crowded to get in, but the majority of people rushed right through the exhibit space to go directly to the Baths. The exhibit space can take a couple of hours to get through if you're interested.

I visited in August of 2023 and prebooked a 9:15-9:30 entry time. There was virtually no wait to enter. It was certainly busy, and the relatively small interpretive area was pretty crowded, but flowed reasonably well. But beyond this, in the more spacious areas overlooking the Baths and at the level of the Baths themselves, it was pleasantly uncrowded and a pleasure to enjoy.

We were just there in May and it was one of our favorite things that we did on our trip. We had tickets right when it opened at 9:00 and it wasn't too crowded and we didn't have any problems seeing everything. It is timed entry, but there is no time limit, so I imagine you have lingerers who start to accumulate as the day goes on. We always go to the first entry of anything popular.

I also highly recommend the Mayor's Free Tour of Bath. It is offered at 10:30 and 2:00. It worked out perfectly after our visit to the Baths, it starts right next door. No reservations are necessary, you just show up and go and they divide you into groups of about 15.

I just did a walkup, granted it was December, it wasn't especially crowded and frankly I didn't find it especially fascinating either. It's one of those setups where once you start, you're stuck until the end so no shortcuts. I thought the tour was about twice as long as I needed it to be, OK the Romans love baths and hot water and they found them here.

I was on the RS tour last June and we had a timed entry. They kept the groups manageable and it was not too crowded. I arrived a day early for the tour start and was able to take a free quick guided tour of Bath City.

Bath Abbey is next to the Roman Baths and highly recommend the tour.

Yes, Bath Abbey worth a visit. And just so you know, there's either an admission fee or a "suggested donation" but why not, they need to maintain the place.

Thank you all so much for your input, very helpful. Sounds like going for an early entry is a good plan.

One of the reasons I think the Baths felt very crowded when I was there was that everyone used the audio guide so they all stopped at the same places, and it gets congested at those sticking points.

I’m not a fan of audio guides and prefer to read labels, so I was able to work my way through and not stop for ages in front of particular items while listening to the audio guide. Like a motorbike weaving through traffic…