Things to do in Bath when the sun is out
On a fine day walk the Royal Crescent and the Circus, climb to Alexandra Park or the Skyline for the view, and follow the canal out to Bathampton for a pub lunch.
14 picks that fit, best first. The order assumes the conditions in the title; the live forecast only nudges it.
Royal Crescent and the Circus
Upper town
The two great Georgian set pieces, five minutes apart, with a museum house at No. 1.
Clear skies, and this is best outdoors. Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
Free; No. 1 Royal Crescent ticketed
Alexandra Park
Beechen Cliff
The viewpoint on Beechen Cliff that puts the whole city in one frame, ten minutes from the station.
Clear skies for the view. Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
Bath Skyline walk
Claverton Down
A six-mile National Trust loop through woods and meadows above the city, with the whole of Bath below.
Clear skies for the view. Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
Pulteney Bridge and the weir
Grand Parade
One of only four bridges in the world lined with shops, above a horseshoe weir on the Avon.
Clear skies for the view. Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
Roman Baths
Abbey Churchyard
The steaming Great Bath and the temple complex around it, two thousand years old and still flowing.
- 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.
- Over £25
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
Prior Park Landscape Garden
Ralph Allen Drive
A Palladian bridge over lakes in a valley garden, with the city framed at the bottom.
Clear skies for the view.
- £10 to £25
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
Bristol and Bath Railway Path
Brassmill Lane
Thirteen flat, traffic-free miles along an old railway line to Bristol, by bike or on foot.
Clear skies, and this is best outdoors. Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Free; bike hire if needed
Kennet and Avon Canal to Bathampton
Sydney Gardens
A flat towpath walk from Sydney Gardens to a canalside pub in Bathampton, and back by the river.
Clear skies, and this is best outdoors. Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Parade Gardens
Grand Parade
Formal gardens below the Abbey on a bend of the river, with the best view of Pulteney Bridge.
Clear skies for the view.
- Under £10
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Small charge in summer
Walcot Street
Walcot
Bath’s artisan quarter: reclamation yards, independent shops, good restaurants and the Bell pub.
Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
American Museum and Gardens
Claverton
Period American rooms, a quilt collection and gardens with a valley view, in a manor above the city.
- £10 to £25
- In and out
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Dyrham Park
Day trip: Dyrham
A baroque house in a deer park on the edge of the Cotswolds, twenty minutes north of the city.
- £10 to £25
- In and out
- Half a day
- 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
Where should I go in Bath when it is sunny?
On a fine day walk the Royal Crescent and the Circus, climb to Alexandra Park or the Skyline for the view, and follow the canal out to Bathampton for a pub lunch. This page keeps 14 outdoor and open-air picks, with viewpoints and parks pushed up the list when the forecast is clear.
What if the weather turns?
The list is re-ranked with the live forecast. If rain is on the way, mixed indoor-outdoor places move up and the fully outdoor ones move down, so you can still pick something that works.