ATTRACTIONS IN BATH SPA,SOMERSET,ENGLAND PART ONE

For a city that bears a striking resemblance to Florence, Tuscany in Italy, the beautiful city of Bath Spa in north east SomersetCounty in England does well to serve as an ancient Roman settlement outside of Italy. In fact, while roaming about in Bath Spa, it is hard to imagine you are still in England – such is the similarity between the Tuscan landscape and the landscape surrounding Bath Spa!

The imposing towers of Bath Abbey, the beautiful river Avon flowing through the heart of the city, the surrounding seven hills with the ruins of a castle, the innumerable gardens dotting the city with fresh bursts of color, the verdant greenery all around and an elegant Georgian facade help to create a unique first impression on tourists.

Bath Spa is often considered as the gateway to the virgin valleys, scenic lakes, colossal gorges (Cheddar gorge and Cheddar caves) and pretty-as-picture villages in north east Somerset – one of the most beautiful counties in England. It also helps that Bath Spa is nestled in the lap of an outstandingly beautiful natural area of Britain – in the downs between the Mendips and the Cotswolds.

For a town as big as a tiny matchbox, Bath Spa has got a surprisingly large number of historic attractions, hidden up its sleeve, along with scenic natural treasures. And the unmistakable Italian charm of this city is hard to miss.

The Great Roman Baths

Of course it goes without saying that Bath Spa’s greatest attraction is the 2000 years old Roman Baths complex that is thronged by tourists round the year. It also happens to be one of the best preserved and well maintained ancient Roman monuments in the whole of Europe. The grandeur of Aquae Sulis will start unfolding before your eyes as you make your way through the complex, down to the deep dark ancient heritage vaults, housing a museum of Bath Spa’s Roman connections and Roman ruins.

But the most fascinating attraction is the great Roman Bath itself, fed by the Sacred Spring waters and surrounded by smaller Roman baths and ruins of ancient spa chambers. The temple of Sulis Minerva lies just before the Sacred Spring and you can watch the water flowing down a gutter to meet river Avon downstream.

There are interactive demos and helpful audio guides to assist you in understanding the magnificence of a glorious imperialistic era gone by. Don’t forget to take a peek into the Georgian setting of the plush Pump Room, where you can sample the taste of a glass of mineral rich spring water.

The Great Bath Abbey

Second on your list of tourist itinerary should be the grand and stately building of Bath Abbey – one of the two iconic symbols of this ancient Roman city. This lovely Anglican place of worship is one of the most easily recognizable magnificent buildings in the city of Bath Spa and the tall spires are the first things to catch your eye as you enter the city. It is the last great medieval church in England that was begun by Bishop King in 1499. Unfortunately it was dissolved in 1539 during the Reformation and has now been reduced to a mere parish church.

The magnificent building that you can see today is more than 500 years old. It was over the site of a Saxon monastery that the Abbey was constructed. In A.D. 973, England’s first king was crowned here. Tourists love to marvel at the wonderful fan vaulting along with its vibrant colors and stained glasses. The Abbey heritage vaults tell the story of the ecclesiastical history of Bath Spa, spanning some 1600 years of Christianity.

Bath Spa Minor Tourist Attractions

A few more minor tourist attractions in Bath Spa that deserve mention are the Guildhall Market, the Pulteney river cruise, Holburne museum, Laura fountain, Herschel museum, the Royal Crescent, Bath at work museum, Fashion museum housing the late princess Diana’s attires, the golf course and of course the shops on Pulteney bridge.

To learn more about the other great tourist attractions in Bath Spa, please refer to my other article – GREAT ATTRACTIONS IN BATH SPA, SOMERSET, ENGLAND PART TWO.