Bath Christmas market

[Star2015]

I've just booked to stay in a lovely hotel about 8 miles out of Bath... still costing £155 for one night but this was MUCH cheaper than comparable hotels in the centre of Bath for the last weekend of the Christmas market (lots were £300 mark.. some even £400+).

Our family consists of just me and DH and we are going abroad this Christmas so I wanted to do something nice and Christmassy just the two of us.

I've only briefly been to Bath, DH has never been so I'm really really looking forward to this.

Our situation means it's just the two of us in our family, and we're fine with that now we've come to terms with it.. so we enjoy taking advantage of being able to splash out now and again and I think this will be lovely!

Anyone else been to Bath at Christmas, any tips?

They are lovely and very Christmassy!

What area is your hotel in? If you can get public transport in I'd recommend that as traffic and parking are a nightmare when the markets are on. There are park and rides but you'd need to get their early in the day.

Sorry for typo!

We live in Bath, so have had many trips to the Christmas market.

It is always busy, try and go in the evening as the Abbey will be lit up and it tends to be a bit quieter. There has been a lodge where you can get hot drinks, including mulled wine, the last few years; and also an ice rink.

The stalls are somewhat overwhelming, I would recommend visiting Bertie and Jack they do lovely art prints and drawings of Bath - perfect place to pick up a souvenir! You can look online or pick up a map to check out stalls in advance to make sure you don't miss any "favourites".

You could also visit the Roman baths and the spa, spa is expensive but the outdoor pool is lovely at night.

Also if your in the area you could consider going to Longleat Safari Park for their festival of lights too.....

Bath is lovely at Christmas, you'll have a fab time!

The market can get very busy, but when it's dark and with all the lights etc it can be quite atmospheric. The abbey is right nearby too, and worth a look round. And of course, there are lots of other shops, and places to eat. Hope you have a fab time!

Second the recommendation to visit the Thermae spa if you get the chance. Depending where you are staying, you may find it easier to travel in by train, so park at a local station.
It's also worth looking at what's on at the Theatre Royal, it's a beautiful theatre and often has plays showing before they transfer to the West End.
Depending where you're staying, and what you're interested in, a visit to Avebury on the way home, is very atmospheric in the winter, and a great contrast to the hustle and bustle in Bath.

The abbey does shoppers carol services st the weekend - check those out!

Bath is wonderful and great on foot. Make sure that you make dinner reservations ahead of time as restaurants tend to be busy.

Ooh, we have booked to go to Bath the first weekend of December.

It's a very rare weekend for just the two of us so I've got lots in mind.

My itinerary looks a bit like this:

Travel up early on Saturday arrive 11am(ish), park at B and B (have checked and it's fine). Walk (15ish minutes into Bath) potter around market, have lunch, head back to B and B to check in and relax for a bit.
Head back into Bath for a trip to the thermae spa for a twilight session (I've heard it's likely to be very busy for walk-ins so I'm tempted to book the session even though it's quite expensive. Sotto Sotto for dinner at 8pm (already booked). Drinks, back to B and B.

Saturday:
Lie in!
Visit to the royal baths which I have been told by friends is well worth a visit.
Maybe a little wander around.
Afternoon tea at 2/3pm. I'm not sure where yet. I'm tempted by the royal crescent but it's pretty expensive.

Just come back from Bath, found it absolutely delightful. We did a Treasure Trail which was great fun (solving clues etc).
We stayed at Bath Mill Lodge Retreat, just outside the city centre. It offers luxury lodges for one night- worth a look.

It gets totally rammed.
Book the thermae baths in advance. It's £35 each for 2 hours.
Book restaurants in advance.
I prefer bath when it's quiet!

I've never been able to justify the Christmas prices for hotels in Bath either.

But I've never had a problem getting parked as I like to get there for 9am. Is it possible to do that ?

Have a fabulous time. It's been a couple of years now since we've been there at Christmas. Going for Brighton this year for a change.

For afternoon tea you can't beat the Pump Rooms - but definitely pre-book

YY to the spa

Wow thanks everyone for your responses!

We're staying here -

themethuenarms.com

It's 8 miles out of Bath... we'll most definitely look at getting public transport into Bath. We're about 2.5 hours away so will head to the hotel to park up first.

I'm not sure I'm going to book anywhere to eat as I like the idea at having a few nibbles from the Christmas market.

I'll have a look into the Baths though.

Thanks so much everyone!

Park and ride is your best option

Bath is our favourite city. At Christmas it's fab.

Enjoy enjoy enjoy!!

And, yes, the spa is fab too 😊

Methuen Park is in Corsham - really pretty town (actually in most of the country it would be called a large village)
From there, it's very easy to drive to Bradford on Avon or Chippenham and get the local train (takes15-20 minutes) which drops you right in the centre of Bath.

Or there's a bus from Corsham, which might be better than the train as there's always enormous queues for trains departing in the evening.

I like the Pump Rooms and would definitely prebook as much as you can at that time of year. Including Thermae, I've never been to Thermae without booking but the queues look horrendous on occasion!

Agree with going to the actual market at night time and also attending the carol service in the Abbey. When I went everywhere was very busy, including the train in, so take some biscuits and drink in case you don't get into a coffee shop when you need a drink. But it's so beautiful, you'll have a lovely time!

Thanks error and pocket for the travel tips... I'll do some more research nearer the time!

Thanks so much everyone

I had a lovely birthday "weekend" (was actually mid-week) last year in Bath. It's a beautiful city. As well as the Roman baths and Thermae, I also really enjoyed visiting No 1 Royal Crescent and the Herschel museum of astronomy, something slightly more unusual. Have been to the xmas markets before and they do get ridiculously busy! Lovely atmosphere though, just like the ones in Cologne.

Another vote for the thermae spa - that roof top pool and the view from it at dusk is beautiful!

From Corsham you're also super close to Lacock Abbey - National Trust, stunning, great place for a lovely winter walk (take your wellies) and they make a huge effort decorating the Abbey (especially the great hall and the Christmas tree festival) for Christmas. It would be a lovely contrast - you'll have an awesome but very busy and city-ish time in Bath, Lacock would then be calm and beautiful and also lovely and festive.

Hope you have a fab break.

Plenty to do in Bath itself including Bath On Ice at Victoria Park if you fancy a spot of ice skating!
But just to mention last year they had a nice Christmas shop and a very good cafe at the American Museum just outside Bath near the University of Bath campus.