Things to do in Bath when it rains
Bath’s rainy-day kit is the best in the West: the Roman Baths, the Thermae Spa with its warm rooftop pool, the Abbey, the Holburne and the Jane Austen Centre are all minutes apart under cover.
13 picks that fit, best first. The order assumes the conditions in the title; the live forecast only nudges it.
Roman Baths
Abbey Churchyard
The steaming Great Bath and the temple complex around it, two thousand years old and still flowing.
Mostly under cover.
- Over £25
- In and out
- Half a day
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Thermae Bath Spa
Hot Bath Street
Bathe in the natural hot water on a rooftop pool with the Abbey in view, steam rooms below.
Mostly under cover.
- Over £25
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
Bath Abbey
Abbey Churchyard
The fan-vaulted abbey with the angels climbing its west front, and a tower tour over the city.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Donation; tower tour ticketed
Jane Austen Centre
Gay Street
Austen’s years in Bath, told by costumed guides in a Georgian townhouse, with a Regency tea room.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Sally Lunn’s
North Parade Passage
The Sally Lunn bun, served in one of the oldest houses in Bath, with a kitchen museum in the cellar.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
The Holburne Museum
Great Pulteney Street
Gainsborough and Georgian silver in a grand villa at the end of Great Pulteney Street, with a garden café.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Victoria Art Gallery
Bridge Street
The city’s own gallery beside Pulteney Bridge, with Bath painters and Gainsborough, free upstairs.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Permanent collection free; exhibitions ticketed
Beckford’s Tower
Lansdown
An eccentric’s gilded tower on Lansdown hill, restored and reopened, with a view over the city.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Limited opening days
Herschel Museum of Astronomy
New King Street
The house where William Herschel discovered Uranus from the back garden in 1781.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Komedia
Westgate Street
Comedy, gigs and club nights in a former cinema in the middle of town.
Comes alive in the evening.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
The Bell Inn
Walcot Street
A community-owned pub with free live music most nights, a garden and a proper local crowd.
Comes alive in the evening.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Theatre Royal Bath
Sawclose
A Georgian playhouse that gets West End productions before London, plus a studio and a children’s theatre.
Comes alive in the evening.
- Over £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Bath Farmers’ Market at Green Park Station
Green Park
One of the first farmers’ markets in the country, every Saturday under a Victorian station roof.
Runs on Saturdays.
- Under £10
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
Good to know
What can you do in Bath on a rainy day?
Head indoors. Bath has 13 rain-proof picks on this list, from free museums and galleries to covered markets and food halls. The list is re-ordered for the live forecast, so the strongest indoor options come first when it is actually raining.
Are there free indoor things to do in Bath?
Yes. Look for the "Free" label on the cards. The crescents, Pulteney Bridge, the Skyline walk, the Victoria Art Gallery, Alexandra Park and the canal cost nothing, and the Abbey asks only for a donation.