Bath, Somerset

Stay safe

Overall Bath is a very safe city to visit; the large number of tourists and university students generates a friendly and vigorous feel to the city. Bath city centre is lively and bustling until late on Friday and Saturday evenings, although things get rougher around kicking out time late at night. Women would be well advised to avoid wandering around alone at night. The common problem for tourists is the occasional groups of homeless beggars around the parks and abbey - you may see them drinking lager and shouting abuse, which can surprise many first-time visitors. However, they're not pushy when asking for money, and argue amongst themselves rather than getting passers-by involved. Accept it as a byproduct of a city that attracts tourism (and therefore money), and it's no problem.

The river between Pultney Bridge and the weir looks good for a spot of swimming when you're young and fit. It is actually very dangerous, and every year people die doing it. Warleigh weir is good if you're looking for a swim - about 3 miles along the canal.

If you're a keen cyclist, there's a wonderful Bath-to-Bristol cycle path at your disposal. However, please be aware that there have been robberies and attacks on this stretch of cycle path in 2008. Police have made arrests, but it's something you should consider if planning to make the journey.

Connect

As of April 2022, Bath has 5G from EE and Three, and 4G from O2 and Vodafone. Wifi is widely available in public places.

Bath Library (in the Podium Shopping Centre) offers Internet access at £3.60 an hour for non members.

Go next

Bradford on Avon — a beautiful, picture-postcard small town near Bath; it's accessible by rail and there's a lovely 30-minute walk along the canal to Avoncliff where the Cross Guns pub provides good food in an excellent riverside setting - and you can catch the train back to Bath from there. Trains between Bath Spa and Bradford on Avon take 15-20 minutes and run 2-3 times an hour. Bristol — with its many attractions situated around the floating harbour and Avon Gorge, is 12 miles drive or 15 minutes train journey away, and makes an excellent day trip from Bath. Cheltenham— another historic spa town, which started its journey in the early 1700s with the discovery of healing waters. Swindon — known for its history as the heart of the Great Western Railway, 20 minutes on the train, or an hour by car on A46 and M4 motorway.