Holiday rentals and lettings in Bath

Table of Contents

• At a glance: What should you know about renting a holiday letting in Bath?
• Holiday lettings in Bath: find your perfect retreat
• Exploring Bath: our top recommendations
• Activities: What are the top things to do and see in Bath?

• Georgian city living: Self-catering flats, cottages and townhouses in honey-coloured stone sit within walking distance of Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent and the Circus.
• Central or hillside: Stay in the city centre for the Roman Baths, or in Widcombe, Bathwick and Lansdown for quieter streets and long views.
• Guests love the character: Our top-rated Bath properties earn scores above 9.0+ for period detail, spotless kitchens and walkable locations.
• Best in spring and autumn: May, June and September bring mild weather and thinner queues than the busy summer months.
• Plenty to fill a week: These major landmarks are all within a short stroll.

Bath's accommodation is shaped by its Georgian terraces, so most stays are self-catering homes carved out of listed buildings. Central apartments suit couples and city breaks, while holiday cottages and townhouses work for families and groups. On the hills above the city you will also find log cabins for a greener base. Bath B&Bs and guesthouses are suitable for shorter stays, while the most adventurous could chose from a wide range of glampings around Bath. Most properties come with the practical extras that make a longer stay easy.

• Fitted kitchens for self-catering after a day in the city centre
• Wi-Fi throughout, useful for longer or working stays
• Washing machines in most flats and townhouses
• Gardens, courtyards and terraces, common in many self-catering properties
• Parking permits or off-street spaces, rare and worth booking early

Book early for weekends: Bath is compact and its best-placed homes go quickly.

What are the best areas to stay in Bath?

For a first visit, stay in the city centre, where the Roman Baths, the Abbey and Pulteney Bridge are minutes apart on foot. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests staying in Bath consistently praise how walkable the city is: almost every review mentions reaching the Abbey or the Roman Baths on foot within minutes. Period features, well-equipped kitchens and generous space for the price also come up again and again, with the best-reviewed homes holding scores of 9.0+ and above across the past year.

Here are our top-rated holiday lettings from the past year:

1. Elegant Georgian Flat in Historic Bath with Garden - 9.9+: A period flat with its own garden in Bath, praised for space, light and an easy walk into the centre.
2. Georgian Townhouse with Garden near Royal Crescent - 9.9+: A large townhouse in Bath with a garden, minutes from the Royal Crescent and Royal Victoria Park.
3. The Art Studio - stylish city accommodation - 9.9+: A stylish studio in Bath for up to three, with Wi-Fi and a central setting guests call effortless.

Bath sits in a bowl of hills in Somerset, on the River Avon at the southern edge of the Cotswolds, roughly 20 kilometres south-east of Bristol.

✈️What is the best way to get to Bath?

The train is the easiest option: Bath Spa station sits in the middle of the city, so no car is needed once you arrive. Here are the most common ways to get to the city:

• Train: Direct Great Western Railway services run from London Paddington to Bath Spa in about 90 minutes, and from Bristol Temple Meads in roughly 15 minutes. Trains also connect from Cardiff, Salisbury and the south coast via Westbury. Bath Spa station is a five-minute walk from the Abbey and the Roman Baths, and taxis and local buses wait outside, so most guests reach their holiday letting without a car.
• Car: From the north and east, leave the M4 at junction 18 and follow the A46 south for about 15 kilometres into the city. From the south-west, the A4 runs in from Bristol and the A36 from Salisbury. Be aware that Bath operates a Clean Air Zone and that central parking is limited and expensive, so the park and ride sites at Lansdown, Newbridge and Odd Down are usually the sensible choice.
• Plane: Bristol Airport is the closest, around 30 kilometres away, with a coach and rail connection via Bristol city centre taking roughly an hour in total. London Heathrow is about two and a half hours by direct coach, which drops passengers close to the city centre.

🥗Where to eat in Bath?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, Sarthi- Authentic Indian Restaurant Bath is the best rated restaurant in Bath. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest traveller Charlotte recommends the The Pump Room Restaurant in Bath: morning coffee and afternoon tea beside the Roman Baths, with a pianist playing and a glass of the famous spa water to try.

☀️When is the best time to visit?

The sweet spot is late spring and early autumn. May, June and September bring mild, mostly dry days, long light over the Georgian terraces and noticeably shorter queues at the Roman Baths than in July and August. Winter has its own draw, with the Christmas Market filling the streets around the Abbey.

Spring

• Best for: Walkers and architecture lovers who want the city at its quietest.
• Weather: Mild days around 12–17°C with occasional showers, so pack a light waterproof.
• Atmosphere: Royal Victoria Park is in blossom and the terraces are easy to photograph without crowds.

Summer

• Best for: Families and first-time visitors keen on festivals and river trips.
• Weather: Warm and often sunny, typically 19–24°C, with the odd humid afternoon.
• Atmosphere: Buskers on the high street, busy museums and the longest queues of the year.

Autumn and winter

• Best for: Couples after spa days, cosy pubs and the Christmas Market.
• Weather: Cool and damp, roughly 5–15°C, with early evenings from November.
• Atmosphere: Lamplit streets, steaming rooftop spa pools and a genuinely festive city centre in December.

⭐Our Hosts' recommendation: Our Bath local expert, the host of 33 Crescent Gardens, recommends coming to visit Alexandra Park at dusk. The short climb from Widcombe rewards you with the whole city laid out below, the Abbey lit against the hills and the Georgian crescents picked out in gold. Bring a flask, walk back down through Beechen Cliff, and finish the evening in one of the small pubs around Widcombe Parade. You can read more about local tips on the host's page.

1. Step into the Roman Baths
2. Soak at Thermae Bath Spa
3. Walk the Royal Crescent and the Circus
4. Follow Jane Austen's Bath
5. Escape to the Cotswolds and the canal

1. Step into the Roman Baths

   The city's founding attraction sits right beside the Abbey, where the Great Bath still steams under open sky. Walk the terrace, then descend to the Roman level to see the temple courtyard, the sacred spring and the curse tablets thrown in by worshippers almost two thousand years ago. Audio guides bring the plumbing and the ritual to life, and the museum's finds, including the gilt bronze head of Sulis Minerva, are among the best Roman objects in Britain. Arrive early or book a late slot to avoid the queue.

2. Soak at Thermae Bath Spa

   Britain's only natural thermal spa lets you bathe in the same mineral water the Romans used, this time from a rooftop pool with the Abbey and the surrounding hills in view. The Minerva Bath below has currents and massage jets, and the aroma steam rooms are a good antidote to a wet afternoon. Twilight sessions are the local favourite, when the city lights come on and the steam rises off the water. Book ahead at weekends, and bring flip-flops and a robe if you would rather not hire one.

3. Walk the Royal Crescent and the Circus

   Bath's Georgian showpieces are a ten-minute walk apart. The Circus is a perfect ring of townhouses around a stand of plane trees, while the Royal Crescent sweeps in a great arc above a lawn that drops to Royal Victoria Park. Number 1 Royal Crescent is open as a house museum furnished as it would have been in the 1770s, kitchen and servants' quarters included. Bring a picnic to the park below, which is also where the city's hot air balloons lift off on calm summer mornings.

4. Follow Jane Austen's Bath

   Austen lived in the city for five years and set much of Persuasion and Northanger Abbey here. Start at the Jane Austen Centre on Gay Street, then walk the routes her characters take: the Pump Room, Milsom Street for shopping, Sydney Gardens for the promenade, and Great Pulteney Street's long Georgian frontage. Round it off at the Holburne Museum, which stands at the end of that street and holds a fine collection of paintings, silver and porcelain in a beautifully restored building.

5. Escape to the Cotswolds and the canal

   Bath sits at the southern tip of the Cotswolds, so green escapes start at the city edge. Follow the Kennet and Avon Canal towpath east from Widcombe past the flight of locks towards Bathampton and, further on, the Dundas Aqueduct. Walkers can pick up the Cotswold Way, which finishes at Bath Abbey after 164 kilometres from Chipping Campden. For a longer stay in the hills, browse cottages in the Cotswolds, or head west to see how the city compares with apartments in London on a day trip by train.