The Top Things to Do and See in Bath

The Holburne Museum was Bath’s first public art gallery, and today displays a glittering variety of fine and decorative art. Home to traditional works by painters such as Thomas Gainsborough, Francesco Guardi and Johan Zoffany, the Holburne also showcases modern works by artists such as David Fisher. And its location in Sydney Gardens, at the end of the lovely Great Pulteney Street, makes it a convenient stop-off while soaking up the city’s architecture and green spaces.

Just a few yards from the Roman baths is another tourist hot spot: Bath Abbey. It was founded in the seventh century BCE by the Anglo-Saxon king of the Hwicce, Osric, then sporadically rebuilt and renovated over the years. The abbey is particularly striking to architectural enthusiasts especially for its gothic features, while its huge stained-glass windows and stone sculptures are engaging to even the most casual of observers. Still functioning both as a place of worship and as a museum of regional heritage, the abbey is well worth a look.

It takes a bit of a steep walking route up Bathwick Hill to reach the American Museum from the centre. Take your time, but do it, though, and you can explore this wondrous little museum in an old Georgian manor house. The American Museum boasts one of the most extensive collections of American artefacts anywhere outside the States, including Civil War weapons, an arboretum of native North American trees and a collection of textiles dating back to the colonial era.