For so many visitors, Bath is a must-do while in the UK. If you want to see the best Roman Baths near London, there is no better place to do this than in Bath.
Add to that the city’s stunning honey-toned Georgian architecture, many centuries of history and the charming cobbled streets, and it’s easy to see why taking a day trip to Bath from London is such an essential part of the whole British experience.
If you’re wondering whether to take a train from London to Bath Spa and where this would depart from, are considering a trip from London to Bath by car or are considering taking the National Express from London to Bath, then this guide is for you.
These aren’t the only options open to you. Sometimes the easiest way to visit an unfamiliar city is to take an organised small group or private tour where everything is taken care of for you. As well as visiting Bath near London in England, these trips may also whisk you to key sites like Stonehenge, Stratford-upon-Avon, Salisbury, Windsor or the Cotswolds.
Whether you fancy touring the finest Thermal Baths near London, adore Georgian architecture, want to visit a Christmas market or would love to delve into Jane Austen’s world, this guide will take you from London to Bath and back. Let’s dive in!
READ ALSO – Best day trips from London by train
Quick picks – Best tours from London to Bath
| Tour | Type | Discount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private tour to Bath and Stonehenge with My Tailored Tours | Private | N/A | |
| Private trip to Bath and Windsor Castle with My Tailored Tours | Private | N/A | |
| Private trip to Bath, the Cotswolds and Avebury with My Tailored Tours | Private | N/A | |
| Stonehenge, Bath and a Secret Place with the English Bus | Small group | Use code UKTP5 for 5% discount | |
| A Cotswold Village, Bath & Stonehenge with the English Bus | Small group | Use code UKTP5 for 5% discount | |
| Bath, Avebury and Lacock village with Rabbies tours | Small group |
How to get from London to Bath (Train, car or coach)
By train
- At-a-glance: Train from London Paddington to Bath Spa train station (1 hour & 20 min); 2 trains per hour
Getting from London to Bath – and of course back from Bath Spa to London Paddington – involves a journey time of approximately one hour and 20 minutes each way. So you’re looking at two hours and 40 minutes of travel to get there and back to the capital.
Don’t forget that you’ll probably need to take a tube from wherever you’re staying to Paddington as well – and the same when you return. Paddington tube station is on the Circle, District, and Hammersmith and City lines and lies some way north of Hyde Park.
Trains from London to Bath and Bath to London call at several places en route – these are Reading, Didcot Parkway, Swindon and Chippenham. None of these are of particular interest to tourists – unless of course, you happen to have family or friends living there.
The good news for those travelling by train is that Bath Spa station is centrally located in the city, fairly close to key sites like Pulteney bridge, the Thermae Bath Spa and the Roman Baths.
The Jane Austen Centre, Royal Crescent and Circus are a little further away, but can be reached on foot if you don’t mind an uphill walk.
By coach
- At-a-glance: Bus from London Victoria to Bath Spa bus station (2 hours & 35 min+); up to 9 coaches per day
Another option is the coaches to Bath from London Victoria. It’s a fairly convenient way to travel, but it is also very time-consuming. The fastest coaches take almost twice as long as the train, and some take much longer if they make a lot of stops or there’s more traffic on the roads.
On the plus side, tickets are cheap and the bus station is also located in central Bath; in fact it’s near the train station. National Express says the average journey time each way is 2 hours and 50 minutes, however, so it’s not the best choice for those in a hurry.
You’ll also need to factor in the time it will take to get to and from Victoria coach station. The underground station is on the District, Victoria and Circle lines, and the coach station is about 300 metres from here.
By car
- At-a-glance: Use postcode BA1 1TP for Southgate Shopping Centre Car Park (110 miles, paid parking)
If you want to drive rather than taking a coach or train from London Victoria or London Paddington to Bath Spa, then expect your journey each way to take around two to two-and-a-half hours.
You’ll also need to consider parking in Bath. There are sufficient car parks, but due to narrow streets it’s not the easiest city to negotiate behind the wheel. Parking fees vary but will have to be added to your budget on top of any petrol and car rental costs.
For experienced drivers, taking the car is certainly an option but it’s not the quickest or cheapest way to get to Bath from London (nor the best way to get to Bath from London in our opinion). It’s not really practical to drive around the city once you’re there, so it will mean paying to leave your vehicle in a car park all day.
How will you travel to Bath from London?
As you can see there are lots of ways to visit Bath near London in the UK. You might choose to go from London to Stonehenge to Bath as part of a guided tour that may also take in other destinations, or opt for getting to Bath from London by train.
Whichever you choose, have a wonderful time. Our top tip is not to miss the Roman Baths while you’re there, as it’s so easy to imagine the people from centuries ago taking a dip in the natural thermal waters. There’s nowhere else quite like it!
Read more about Bath
