England Guide
Bristol, Bath and Somerset
The Roman Baths
Opening time: Daily: March– June, Sept & Oct 9am–6pm; July & Aug 9am–9pm; Nov– Feb 9.30am–5.30pm; last entry 1hr before closing
Price: £10.25, £11.25 in July & Aug; £13.50 combined ticket with Fashion Museum
Address: Abbey Church Yard
Although ticket prices are high for the Roman Baths, there's two or three hours' worth of well-balanced, informative entertainment here, with commentary provided by hourly guided tours and audioguides (both free). Highlights are: the Sacred Spring, part of the temple of the local deity Sulis Minerva, where water still bubbles up at a constant 46.5°C; the open-air (but originally covered) Great Bath, its vaporous waters surrounded by nineteenth-century pillars, terraces and statues of famous Romans; the Circular Bath, where bathers cooled off, and the Norman King's Bath.
Among a quantity of coins, jewellery and sculpture exhibited are the gilt bronze head of Sulis Minerva, the local deity, and a grand, Celtic-inspired gorgon's head from the temple's pediment. Models of the complex at its greatest extent give some idea of the awe which it must have inspired, while the graffiti salvaged from the Roman era – mainly curses and boasts – give a personal slant on this antique leisure-centre.
You can get a free glimpse into the baths from the next-door Pump Room, the social hub of the Georgian spa community and still redolent of that era, housing a formal tearoom and restaurant.