Sally Lunn's Historic Eating House
What to order: half a Sally Lunn bun, with something sweet (cinnamon and butter) or savoury, and a pot of tea.
No bookings during the day, except the 15:30 tea; for dinner and groups of 12 or more, yes
geocalia
Day itinerary · 51.38° N · 2.36° W
Bath in a day from London, from the Roman Baths to the rooftop pool.
1 h 20 by train from Paddington: the Roman Baths first thing, the abbey, a Sally Lunn's bun, the Royal Crescent and a hot rooftop soak at dusk.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Bristol fromBarcelona 2 h 15Madrid 2 h 15Alicante 2 h 30Palma de Mallorca 2 h 30Málaga 2 h 45Sevilla 2 h 45Fuerteventura 4 h 15Lanzarote 4 h 15Gran Canaria 4 h 30Tenerife Sur 4 h 30
Part of BathHarry Potter filming locationsBridgerton filming locations in England
Add to my trip
Total time12 h
By car2 h 30 each way
Train1 h 20 from London Paddington
Roman BathsFrom £23.50
No. 1 Royal Crescent£16
SpaOver-16s only
DifficultyEasy, on foot
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
-
Leave London 1 h 15 by train
GWR train from Paddington · you reach Bath Spa around 9:05
-
1
The Roman Baths of Bath
first slot bought online · 2h with audio guide
- 2 min on foot
-
2
Bath Abbey and its tower
£9 · the tower, booked separately
- 2 min on foot
-
3
Sally Lunn's Historic Eating House
the bun with something savoury · no daytime booking · open every day
4 North Parade Passage, BA1 1NX Bath · +44 1225 461634
Café €€Book - 15 min on foot
-
4
Royal Crescent and the No. 1 house museum
£16 · under-18s free · Tuesday to Sunday
- 13 min on foot
-
5
Pulteney Bridge and the Avon weir
walk down via The Circus and the river
- 8 min on foot
-
6
Thermae Bath Spa: thermal bathing with a rooftop pool
booked slot · over-16s only
-
Back home 1 h 15 by train
train to Paddington · you arrive around 21:00
Approximate cost
About €20–35 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
The Roman Baths of Bath
Bath is 1 h 20 by train from Paddington, just right for a long day, starting early and coming back at night. It is the day trip from London with the most contrast: the Roman Baths in the morning, the Georgian city in the afternoon and, at the end, the one thing the Roman Baths do not let you do, bathing in the hot spring water, in a rooftop pool with the abbey in front of you.
The day, hour by hour
7:45 · Train from Paddington. Book the outward and return trains in advance for a reasonable fare. Bath Spa is a five-minute walk from the Roman Baths.
9:30 · Roman Baths. Take the first slot: the Great Bath, the Temple of Sulis Minerva and the museum, with an audio guide (children's too). Allow two hours. In November and December 2026, from £23.50 per adult on weekdays.
11:30 · Bath Abbey. Right next door, with its fan vaulting and the angels on the facade. Entry costs £9; the tower tour is booked separately. It closes at times for services: check its website.
12:30 · Sally Lunn's. The house bun, with something savoury on top, in one of the oldest houses in the city. By day it does not take bookings: arrive before one o'clock.
14:00 · Royal Crescent and No. 1. Walk up Gay Street and The Circus to the Georgian crescent and go into No. 1, a furnished eighteenth-century house. £16; under-18s free.
15:30 · Pulteney Bridge. Walk down towards the river to see the bridge with shops on it and the horseshoe weir from Grand Parade.
16:30 · Thermae Bath Spa. The thermal bath, with the rooftop pool lit at dusk. Book your slot and bring a swimsuit. Over-16s only.
19:30 · Back. Five minutes to the station and a train to Paddington; you arrive around 21:00.
With children
The spa does not admit under-16s. With children, swap it for Bath Skyline, the National Trust hills above the city, with a play area, or for a long walk beside the river. The Roman Baths, with their children's audio guide and Roman characters, and No. 1 Royal Crescent, free for them, work very well.
Time2 h
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
The Scallop Shell
What to order: battered cod or haddock with hand-cut chips, or the grilled fish of the day; on weekdays at 16:30, the Fisherman's Tea.
Sunday lunchtime only, from 12:00 to 15:00 · book online
The Abbey Deli, the dressmaker's shop
What to order: the Modiste Afternoon Tea, with sandwiches, a scone with jam and cream, sweet treats and the house tea.
Afternoon tea by email reservation only, from 13:30 to 16:00, for 2 to 10 people, with a 50% deposit
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Bath
All year. In summer there are queues at the Roman Baths; in December, a Christmas market. No. 1 Royal Crescent closes on Mondays and from 4 January to the end of January.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Buy the Roman Baths with a time slot
At weekends and in the holidays, the queue without a ticket is long.
- 2Book the spa before the train
Weekend afternoon slots fill up.
- 3If you can, stay a night
And leave the next day for Stonehenge.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is Bath in a day from London worth it?
Yes, if you leave early: 1 h 20 by train and everything is on foot.
How much does the day cost?
The Roman Baths, the abbey and No. 1 add up to about £50 per adult; the spa and the train are extra.
Can you go to Stonehenge the same day?
Not with this plan. Stonehenge needs another day, as a trip from Bath or by car.
Can children bathe in the thermal water?
At Thermae Bath Spa, no: it is only for over-16s.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/england/bath/itineraries/roman-baths-and-royal-crescent
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.