Driving to Bath

A Guide to Bath for Motorists

Map

Directions

How Far

Country: England Capital: London Language: English Currency: Pound sterling

Bath is one of England’s oldest cities, and as such one of the most picturesque. Today the influx of students to Bath University has meant that Bath combines historical architecture with dozens of shops, bars, restaurants and cafes.

The Roman Baths are a definite highlight, with hot springs, a museum explaining the history of the Georgian baths, and a restaurant where you can have a traditional afternoon tea after having sampled warm spa water directly from its source!

The Gothic Bath Abbey is an impressive construction, surrounded by many 18th century buildings. Queen’s Square and the nearby Circus and Royal Crescent are must-sees for those interested in Georgian architecture. Number 1 Royal Crescent was once the home of the Duke of York (son of George III).

There is more history at the Jane Austen Centre, dedicated to the writer who resided in Bath for many years, the William Herschel Museum, and the Museum of Costume, where you can learn about the history of fashion from 400 years ago to the present day.

Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon is another worthwhile sight, this is also close to the home ground of the Bath Rugby team.

There are high street shops aplenty, but there are also numerous independent shops for individualists. There are also cafes galore – try Sally Lunn’s on North Parade Passage, which is adjacent to a museum of the same name and is named after the creator of the Sally Lunn afternoon tea bun.

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Map of the area

Driving and Parking in Bath

Driving into the centre of Bath is relatively straight forward. There is a one-way system through the very centre which should be avoided at certain times of day but otherwise traffic flows through the city quite well.

There are a number of multi-storey car parks in the city and we'd advise that you use these if possible as street parking is very limited.

There is a very efficient park and ride service operating from 3 locations outside of Bath and if you're coming in from Bristol or the South West we'd recommend using these rather than driving into the centre.

Speed limits around Bath

Speed Limits: Motorway: 70 mph Dual Carriageway: 70 mph Rural: 60 mph Urban: 30 mph

Distances from Bath to...

All of these places are within a few hours drive from Bath

Place		Distance km (miles) (Point to Point)
Attraction	Centre Parcs Longleat Forest, England	23 km (14 miles)
Attraction	Stonehenge, England	43 km (27 miles)
Town	Cardiff, Wales	58 km (36 miles)
Town	Stratford, England	101 km (63 miles)
Attraction	Silverstone Circuit, England	121 km (75 miles)
Attraction	Thorpe Park, England	128 km (79 miles)
Town	Birmingham, England	128 km (79 miles)
Town	London, England	155 km (96 miles)
Attraction	Alton Towers, England	182 km (113 miles)
Attraction	Centre Parcs Sherwood Forest, England	218 km (135 miles)
Town	Manchester, England	234 km (145 miles)
Attraction	Centre Parcs Elveden Forest, England	236 km (147 miles)
Town	Dublin, Ireland	340 km (211 miles)
Attraction	Centre Parcs Whinfell Forest, England	363 km (225 miles)
Attraction	Centre Parcs Les Bois-Francs, France	376 km (233 miles)
Town	Lille, France	388 km (241 miles)
Town	Bruges, Belgium	388 km (241 miles)
Town	Cork, Ireland	427 km (265 miles)
Town	Belfast, Northern Ireland	429 km (266 miles)
Attraction	Centre Parcs Port Zélande, Netherlands	432 km (268 miles)
Town	Paris, France	440 km (273 miles)
Attraction	Disneyland Paris, France	460 km (286 miles)
Town	Antwerp, Belgium	470 km (292 miles)
Town	Brussels, Belgium	472 km (293 miles)
Town	Rotterdam, Netherlands	475 km (295 miles)
Attraction	Centre Parcs Belle Dune, France	476 km (296 miles)

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