Day Trip to Bath from London

We get this question a lot. And the answer is yes, it's doable. I've done it. Catch an early train to Bath in the morning, make it a full day, and take an evening train back.

There will be people here who say one day is not enough...they may be right...but if one day is all you have, you can see quite a bit.

The other option is to get a bus tour which may also stop at Stonehenge or Blenham Castle.

Occasionally, London Walks does a tour to Bath.

Bob - I agree with Frank. Take a early train. You can get a cheap return fare for about 20 gbp. Once in Bath do the Guide Friday bus tour to get the lay of the land(you can hop on hop off all day). The Bath Cathedral is nice to see. Check out the Roman baths, and the Costume Design museum. They also have a nice walking tour at night.

We did this trip several years back and had a great day.

It surely is! In fact many people go for a day tour to Bath, Windsor and Stonehenge at once.

I've done it but Bath is worthy of more than a day. I returned and stayed several days. There are Bath tours from London via train and or coach (bus). The tour may take you to Stonehenge and Salisbury in the same day.

Bath in a day is definitely doable. Get your tickets in advance which we did and it was 19.50BPS for a return (round trip) ticket. We did this two weeks ago and then took a Mad Max tour of the Cotswolds while our two other traveling companions did Stonehenge and Avery.

Bath is definitely worth of a longer stay but if all you have is one day make sure to get a tour of the Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths.

Have a great trip!

Last summer my daughter and I took a day trip to Bath from London. We caught a train around 9 and arrived about 10:30. The train station is right at the end of the main street, about a 5 minute walk to the Roman Baths. We went to the Roman Baths and spent about 90 minutes exploring. We really enjoyed them. We also "took the waters". Took the Skyline Bus Tour followed by the shorter Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour and discovered a great playground in one of the big parks. Picked up a takeaway lunch and walked through town to the playground. Spent an hour or so in the playground and then caught the bus back to town. Wandered around the outside of the cathedral and then headed back to the train station. All in, we were in Bath for 6 hours or so. We could have seen more but I had my young daughter to consider.

We saw the Roman Baths, the countryside, the main city sights (from the bus) and just enjoyed the ambience. Once back on the train we just relaxed and enjoyed the scenery.

We are planning on returning to Bath in August for two nights so we can also include the all day Mad Max tour to Stonehenge and Lacock Village. There is also a beautiful river to wander along, costume museums to explore, Sally Lunn's tea house, etc. But if all you have is one day, it is definitely easy to do using the train for transportation.

Bath is delightful. I am glad we spent 3 nights there and used it as a base for tours of the Cotswalds and Stonehenge and Avebury by Mad Max Tours, recommended by Rick. We loved the MM tour guides and meeting people from all over the world.

I walked along the canal for a while. It is just up the hill from the recommended B&Bs "east of the River." I walked along the river at night. Great views of the Pulteney Bridge and the Cathedral all lit up.

We traveled to Bath on March 5th to hook up with the Mad Max tour of the Cotswolds. We left London Paddington at 6:30am and arrived at Bath Spa station a little before 8am.

Bath is certainly deserving of a few days but if you only have one day it's still worth the journey.

Don't forget there are 2for1 offers in Bath which include the Bath Abbey, Roman Baths, Jane Austen Center, Bath Aqua Glass, Bath City Sightseeing bus and the Herschel Museum of Astronomy.

We purchased our tickets in advance and paid 19.00BPS roundtrip per person. I highly recommend that Mad Max tours as well.

We did the Bath, Windsor and Stonehenge tour a couple of years ago. There was not enough time for all three. We felt jipped timewise for Bath and for Windsor. Definitely spend at least one day in Bath. Wished we had had time for a whole day in Bath, it was awesome!

a day trip to Bath from London was one of the best things that I did while in England. The train ride is so beautiful early in the morning and a good way to meet commuting locals. The train passes some beautiful fields and I was lucky enough to see bunnies in the fields as well as deer. Several commuters on the train gave me ideas of things to do when in Bath. And it was a great way to pass the time. Once in Bath, I just strolled around (very easy place to walk). The Roman baths were great as was the cathedral. I also visited the crescent where people were out enjoying a nice day. I was able to take a 1/2 day Stonehenge tour which I combined with my Bath visit. My only regret is that I had to go back to London at the end of the day. Would much rather have stayed in Bath!

My sister and I did a day trip to Bath from Oxford via train last year, and we really enjoyed our day.

We visited the Roman Baths, had tea (and some of the mineral water) at the Pump Room, toured Bath Abbey, walked over to the Pulteney Bridge, did some shopping and then walked up to the Royal Crescent and The Circus, then finally toured the Fashion Museum. It's a lovely city to walk around, and the Roman Baths are fascinating.

Both the Roman Baths and the Fashion Museum admission costs were covered with our British Heritage pass, although the pass doesn't cover many sites in London so if the main portion of your trip is in London, it might not be worthwhile.

And, here are some photos of our day in Bath.

Have a great trip!

I have to second the opinion that Bath was one of our highlights. We enjoyed our two weeks in England last year, but Bath stands out. Although we were there 2 days, we ran into a few on our MadMax tour that day tripped by train from London for the tour. We did the MadMax tour of Stonehenge, Avesbury, Lacock, & Castle Coomb, which is part of why I feel it was a highlight. Madmax is a great tour company that makes you feel like you are touring with friends. There is so much to see, but getting a taste of it will make you want to come back and spend more time next time... and thinking about coming back is pretty fun too. Either do just Bath for the day or a MadMax tour of the Cotswold or the tour we took, you wouldn't be disappointed with this day trip.

I agree that Bath is worth more than a day, but if a day is all you have, then by all means do it.

My first visit to Bath was a day trip from London in late November, and a wonderful day it was.

Enjoy!