Thermae Bath Spa

Thermae Bath Spa is the place to actually experience what the Romans came for. Fed by the same hot spring water that fills the Roman Baths, it sits in the heart of the city on Hot Bath Street, with a contemporary glass-and-stone building, the New Royal Bath, standing beside restored Georgian spa buildings. The headline experience is the open-air rooftop pool, where you float in warm water with the abbey, the hills and the chimney pots around you, which is especially atmospheric on a cool autumn or winter day. Inside there are steam rooms, whirlpools and a thermal pool, and you can add treatments if you want a fuller spa day. A smaller, quieter option is the Cross Bath, a Georgian bath building next door with individual sessions on weekday mornings, a robe, towel and slippers included. Sessions are timed, so you book a slot instead of just turning up, and under-12s are not admitted at the Cross Bath. Because it is a working spa with its own booking system, the link here goes to the official Thermae page.

A short history helps. Bath's hot spring has drawn bathers for two thousand years, but after the Georgian era the public baths declined and for decades no one could bathe in the city's own water. Thermae Bath Spa reopened that tradition in the early 2000s, restoring the historic Cross Bath and Hot Bath and adding the glass-walled New Royal Bath. The water is naturally warm and mineral-rich, and the experience is closer to a relaxed spa than to a swimming pool: you float, you drift between pools, and you stop thinking about timetables.

Planning it: book ahead, especially for weekends, school holidays and the Christmas run, when evening and weekend slots fill quickly. The main New Royal Bath sessions are timed, and check-in is a little before your slot so you can change and be in the water on time. The Cross Bath individual sessions run in a weekday morning window and last about ninety minutes including changing time. Bring a swimsuit; towels and robes are hired or included depending on the session, so check the booking page. Avoid a heavy meal beforehand, and allow time afterwards to dry off and warm up before going outdoors in cooler weather.

Who it suits: couples, solo travellers and anyone who has walked a lot and wants to sit down in warm water. It is less suited to small children, as many sessions have age limits, so families should read the rules before booking. Pair it with the Roman Baths for the full story of the springs, since both are a few minutes apart: the Baths tell you where the water comes from, and Thermae lets you enjoy it. A good rhythm is the Roman Baths in the morning and a late-afternoon Thermae session, ending the day with dinner on one of the nearby streets.