Calibre 100 Guide to Bath

Restaurants, cafés, shops, tours, attractions, parks, hotels, B&Bs and year-round events for locals and visitors

Bath is small enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes, yet big enough to surprise you every time. Georgian crescents. Thermal waters. A food scene that punches well above its weight. Independent shops with proper character. And a calendar that bounces from street carnivals to candlelit concerts. Whether you live here or you’re in for a flying visit to one of our Calibre 100 meet-ups, this is your go-to, straight-talking guide to the best of the city right now.

Eat like you mean it

Michelin-star moments. For a special occasion, book The Olive Tree under The Queensberry Hotel. Chef Chris Cleghorn’s tasting menus are elegant, inventive and rooted in the West Country. Olive Tree holds Bath’s Michelin star and four AA rosettes, and it remains a benchmark for service and finesse.

Tasting menu theatre. Menu Gordon Jones is a cult favourite with locals. Expect a surprise tasting menu that changes constantly, playful flavour combos and a dining room that feels like you’ve landed a seat at the chef’s table. The vibe is intimate. The food is bold. Book early.

Modern, plant-led plates. OAK proves that vegetable-driven cooking can be indulgent. Think small plates, natural wine and ingredients from organic and biodynamic farms. A brilliant choice for mixed groups where some want fully plant-based and others just want great food.

Italian, but make it Bath. Sotto Sotto is a longstanding city crush. Arched stone cellars, polished service and a menu that lives where comfort meets care. If you can’t get a table, put your name down and enjoy a pre-dinner wander by the river.

Seafood that sings. The Scallop Shell is a local institution for responsibly sourced fish and proper chips, cooked with pride. Sit upstairs on a sunny evening and it feels like a mini-seaside holiday.

New classics. Beckford Canteen brings seasonal, British plates with clever flourishes to a chic former Georgian greenhouse. For a winey evening, drift to Beckford Bottle Shop nearby for small plates in the bistro and excellent retail therapy for your rack at home. Corkage is another superb option for wine lovers who want thoughtful plates and staff who love to chat terroir without being tiresome.

Vietnamese with heart. Noya’s Kitchen delivers bright, fresh flavours and warm hospitality. It started as supper clubs and still feels personal. Great for a business lunch that doesn’t weigh you down.

Date-night staples. The Circus Restaurant sits between The Circus and the Royal Crescent and nails the sweet spot between classic and modern. Green Park Brasserie does steak, seasonal dishes and live jazz, funk and soul several nights a week. Book if you want the buzz that only live music brings with dinner.

Insider tip: if your diary is loose, ask restaurants about weekday lunch deals. You’ll often get a smaller version of the evening experience at a friendlier price.

Coffee and casual bites

Bath takes its coffee seriously, and so should you.

Colonna & Small’s is a pilgrimage for coffee people. Pioneering single-origin menus, a rotating line-up of espressos and filters, and a freezer menu that lets rare coffees shine beyond harvest windows. Go if you’re curious about flavour. Talk to the baristas. Leave a little more caffeinated and a lot more informed.

Society Café runs two bright city-centre shops that balance speciality quality with a cosy, everyone’s-welcome feel. If you’ve got a laptop and an hour between meetings, these are handy bases.

Mokoko Coffee & Bakery near the Abbey and at Newark Works serves pastries still warm from the oven, which is exactly how pastries should be.

Good Day Café has a loyal following for upbeat brunches and gooey bakes. Green Bird Café is your petite pit-stop between The Circus and the Royal Crescent for proper coffee and award-winning breakfasts. Café Lucca inside The Loft makes people happy at lunch with big salads and Italian-leaning plates.

Independent shopping and business gems

If you believe, as we do at Calibre 100, that independents are the heartbeat of a city, Bath will make your day.

Mr B’s Emporium is a destination bookshop with hand-sell magic. Topping & Company is a temple to reading with floor-to-ceiling shelves and regular author events. Pop both on your rainy-day list.

The Fine Cheese Co. on John Street is a lesson in British and European cheeses, with crackers and chutneys to match. Independent Spirit of Bath stocks small-batch spirits and staff who love to guide you to something new. Bath Aqua Glass sells glittering handmade glass and runs live blowing demonstrations.

Walcot Street is Bath’s “artisan quarter” with antiques, design studios and one-off boutiques. Bartlett Street Antiques Centre pulls collectors like a magnet. The Bell Inn on Walcot is a community-owned pub and music venue, which tells you a lot about local spirit.

Markets worth your morning. Green Park Station hosts weekday markets and the Bath Farmers’ Market every Saturday with local producers under its vaulted glass roof. It’s an easy way to taste the region and chat to people who make things with their hands. Bath Guildhall Market is the city’s oldest shopping spot and full of indies from delis to leather goods.

Headline attractions

The Roman Baths. One of the best-preserved Roman sites in the world. Walk the Great Bath, meet characters from Roman life, and take in two thousand years of story. Twilight sessions are magical.

Thermae Bath Spa. Modern spa. Ancient spring. Rooftop pool with 360-degree city views. Book a two-hour session or add treatments for the full reset. It is the only place in Britain where you can bathe in natural thermal waters today.

Bath Abbey. Fan-vaulted ceilings that stop you in your tracks, a living church with choral music and tower tours for the best skyline views in town.

No. 1 Royal Crescent. Time-travel inside a perfectly restored Georgian townhouse to see how Bath’s high society lived. Pair it with a slow lap of the Crescent lawn.

The Holburne Museum and Victoria Art Gallery. Fine and decorative arts housed in two of Bath’s most handsome spaces, with strong temporary shows and community events.

Herschel Museum of Astronomy. The modest Georgian home where William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781. Perfect for curious kids and science fans alike.

American Museum & Gardens. A short hop from the centre with big skies, valley views and a thoughtful collection celebrating American stories, folk art and textiles. The gardens alone are worth the trip.

Tours and experiences

Stonehenge and Cotswolds day trips. Bath is a perfect base. Mad Max Tours runs small-group days to Stonehenge, Avebury and the prettiest Cotswold villages. Scarper Tours is the direct four-hour Stonehenge run if you want a focused trip and to be back for lunch.

Taste the city. Savouring Bath leads food and drink walks that join dots between makers, bakers and brewers. Great for team socials or entertaining clients without sitting still.

On foot, with a pro. Footprints Tours mix history with humour and run Roman Baths and city walks daily. For a DIY option, pick up the free Jane Austen audio walking tour from Visit Bath and potter at your own pace.

On the water. When the sun plays nice, boat trips along the Avon are a lovely reset between meetings. Try Pulteney Weir out-and-back cruises and bring a camera for that famous bridge view.

Laughs guaranteed. Saturday nights at Komedia’s Krater Comedy Club have launched many a household name and come with free entry to the post-show club.

Live jazz with dinner. Green Park Brasserie hosts live bands most weeks, blending steak-night energy with sax and swing. An easy yes for group tables.

Green spaces for headspace

Royal Victoria Park is your classic city lungs with a botanical garden, lawns and a duck-pond loop. Alexandra Park gives the postcard panoramic view from Beechen Cliff. Parade Gardens is the formal riverside garden that feels like stepping into a painting. Sydney Gardens and Henrietta Park are serene if you need a quick reset between calls. Prior Park Landscape Garden is a National Trust stunner with a Palladian bridge and rolling valley frames. For a longer stomp, the Bath Skyline Walk is a six-mile National Trust loop with hills, meadows and big views back to the honey-stone terraces.

Where to stay

Five-star icons.
The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa puts you inside Bath’s most photographed address with a tranquil spa and private gardens. The Gainsborough Bath Spa is the only UK hotel with direct access to natural thermal waters, so you can drift from your room to the Bath House in a robe and feel very pleased with yourself.

Boutique beauties.
No. 15 by GuestHouse brings playful, art-curated rooms to Great Pulteney Street and an indulgent spa. The Bird overlooks the Rec and mixes bold interiors with afternoon tea and a sunny terrace. The Queensberry Hotel is elegant and quietly cool, with the Olive Tree downstairs. The Yard in Bath is a stylish coaching-inn conversion with a courtyard bar.

City-smart and central.
Apex City of Bath Hotel puts you by Green Park with a pool and big meeting spaces if you’re running an off-site. Abbey Hotel sits steps from the Baths and Abbey with comfy rooms and a solid breakfast. Harington’s is a friendly independent on a cobbled street right by Milsom.

Brilliant B&Bs and guest houses.
The Kennard is a Georgian townhouse B&B with polished rooms and gracious hosts. The Ayrlington brings Victorian charm and garden views. Brooks Guesthouse offers boutique style with a generous breakfast. Brindleys is intimate and elegant, a short riverside stroll from the centre. Chestnuts House is a favourite for warm hospitality and off-street parking.

Regular events to pin in your diary

The Bath Festival makes May sparkle with music and books across the city. Bath Fringe brings two creative weeks from late May to early June. Bath Carnival floods the city with colour and rhythm in July. The Jane Austen Festival is the September moment, with Regency dress filling the streets. Green Park Brasserie continues live music nights most weeks and Komedia’s Krater Comedy Club is Bath’s Saturday ritual all year. Runners, note the Bath Half usually lands in spring.

A perfect 24 hours in Bath

Morning
Coffee at Colonna & Small’s or Mokoko by the Abbey. Tour The Roman Baths, then walk to Bath Abbey for a look up at the fan vaulting. Stroll to No. 1 Royal Crescent via The Circus, grabbing a pastry or light lunch at Green Bird Café or Café Lucca.

Afternoon
Choose Thermae Bath Spa for a rooftop dip, or a gallery fix at The Holburne with a wander on Great Pulteney Street. Retail therapy at The Fine Cheese Co., Mr B’s or Topping & Company.

Evening
Tasting menu at Menu Gordon Jones or The Olive Tree. Nightcap and live music at Green Park Brasserie or a late laugh at Komedia.