Bath was the first stop on our little road trip; somewhere we had heard so many good things about but had never had the chance to visit despite only living a couple of hours away.

From the moment we arrived both of us loved the city, its streets lined with Georgian buildings, with pretty courtyards and squares where people sat outside pavement cafes listening to buskers playing music and watching the sun set over the city. Bath is only small so walking around was easy and gave us a chance to stumble across little side streets full of cute tea houses (which there are lots of) and quirky independent shops.

We arrived in the evening and, after checking into our gorgeous hotel, headed straight out to explore the city.

Sotto Sotto

Our first stop was Sotto Sotto, Bath’s number 1 Italian restaurant, where we had decided to have a fancy meal to celebrate our anniversary. The restaurant definitely lived up to expectations, from the friendly smiling staff to the seriously delicious 3 course meal, all in the romantic candlelit ambience of an underground cellar. The meal ended perfectly with a happy anniversary message written in chocolate sauce on our dessert plates and a shot of limoncello!

In fact, I loved Sotto Sotto so much that I had to write about it separately just so I could tell you all about the place!  You can read all about the deliciousness here!

Sub 13

After dinner we headed to Sub 13 to end the night with a few cocktails. Inside, the bar is small and dark but outside there’s a lovely garden decorated with twinkly fairy lights and heaters for when it gets chilly. I took my time choosing what to have from the long cocktail list and then watched as the barmen, all with big beards and wearing white shirts and braces, shook up our fresh tasty cocktails.

Despite being a popular city, Bath is only small and there weren’t many people around even on a Saturday night apart from a few couples hiding in the corners and groups of girls dressed up for a night of girly fun. This made for quite a refreshing and relaxed evening as we’re used to the crowded streets of London and having to push and elbow our way to the bar to get a drink!

Royal Crescent and the Circus

The next day we explored some more of Bath and took a walk up to Royal Crescent and the Circus to see the arch of old beige buildings that line the streets. We imagined what it would be like to live in one of the pretty houses with your own private lawn at the front of the buildings to relax on in the summer.

While the streets are nice to look at, to be honest it’s just a row of houses, so if you don’t have time to squeeze everything in then, personally, I don’t think seeing this is a necessity.

Roman Baths

Probably the most popular attraction in Bath, the Roman Baths are a must see as they’re kind of the essence of the city.

We visited the Baths twice – once during the day when we listened to the audio guide telling us all about how the Baths came to be, the people who would have frequented Britain’s only natural hot springs and the temples built around them. We then visited again in the evening, when they’re open for longer hours during the summer, and the Baths are lit up with the orange glow of torchlight and the water glows a bright turquoise colour giving the place a magical feel.

Bath Abbey

The Abbey is on the same pretty little square as the Roman Baths which makes it easy to see them both in the same day. We had a wander around inside looking at the colourful stained glass windows and sitting in the peaceful atmosphere of the church.  You can take a tour of the tower, where you climb the stairs to the top of the Abbey to see some great views over the city, along with a glass of champagne if it takes your fancy.  But we decided not do this and instead went in search for some more of Bath’s scrumptious food!

Sally Lunn’s

Whether you pop into Bath’s oldest house for a savoury meal or just a light snack, don’t miss out on Sally Lunn’s, even if the queue is long.

Mr Ayla and I clearly both have an extremely sweet (and chocolatey) tooth, as we both went for a sweet bun topped with milk chocolate butter and a Bailey’s hot chocolate. Because seriously, who wouldn’t want to try this?! I was expecting the place had been way overhyped seeing as it is, after all, just a bun they serve. But I did not realise that a bun could taste so delicious and leave us so stuffed!  This is the sort of food that you take your first bite of and you just have to close your eyes and moan at the yumminess of it.  Food porn indeed.

Pulteney Bridge

Said to be one of the world’s most romantic bridges, we stood on the bridge opposite for a great view of Pulteney Bridge on our way walking to and from our hotel. Unfortunately, it was pouring with rain every time we crossed it (because we were still in England after all) but the view was still a pretty one.

Thermae Bath Spa

Bath is the perfect place for pampering yourself, full of spas and, quite literally, baths, making the city perfect for a romantic break or a girly weekend away.

Thermae Bath Spa is by far the most popular and you’ll queue for ages for good reason. The spa has several different areas including the Minerva Bath – an indoor pool with flowing waters and a whirlpool; the Aroma Steam Rooms – with 4 steam booths all with varying temperatures and scents which meant I could actually tolerate the heat for a change. But the naturally heated bubbling rooftop pool overlooking the city is the main draw and, wow, it was a lovely setting!

Yes, we queued for a while to get in and yes the spa was busy even later on in the evening, but I do think it was worth it. Floating in the naturally warm waters of the rooftop pool and watching the city start to light up at night was pretty magical, and a lovely way to relax at the end of a long day of sightseeing.

Dukes Hotel

A fabulous places to stay, Dukes has the feel of a bed and breakfast with its homely vibe and extremely friendly staff, but the place was so stunningly beautiful that it felt like a plush hotel at the same time.  Our gorgeous Georgian style room with huge comfy bed to sink into (that I did not want to leave), a bathroom so big it could have been a suite of its own, a separate living space with cosy armchairs and a TV, and breakfasts that were more out of a fancy restaurant than a B&B…well you can see why we wished we had stayed for longer!

These were the main things that we loved in this great city, but Bath has so many other things to see and do including a huge amount of museums, but neither of us are really fans of museums so we preferred to just wander around the city taking in the beautiful architecture and lovely atmosphere, stopping in a couple of Bath’s many book shops along the way to stock up on my already large book collection.

From other people’s wonderful comments about Bath, I knew we would enjoy ourselves, but I loved the city even more than I was expecting. I’ve always been a city girl but Bath was quieter, more relaxed and friendlier than London which made it the perfect romantic weekend escape and I’m already edging to go back. I may have to take a trip back just for the food!

Have you visited this lovely city? What did you enjoy the most?  Let me know in the comments below or find me at:

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We were guests of Visit Bath but all opinions are my own. However, I am a girl who’s very easily pleased so you won’t find much negativity from me here 🙂