Close to Bristol and the southern Cotswolds, with the many attractions of Somerset and western Wiltshire on its doorstep, Bath is brilliantly placed for a wide variety of day trips. Within easy reach are unimprovably photogenic villages, enjoyable countryside walks, historic cities with spectacular cathedrals, two of the country’s top prehistoric sites and memorable National Trust properties. Some of the suggestions below, such as Lacock and Castle Combe, Wells and Glastonbury, and Salisbury and Stonehenge, are not far from each other so combine neatly for a busy full day’s outing. Having a car helps being able to explore, but several destinations are easily reachable from Bath by train.
All our day trip recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert. Find out more below or for more Bath inspiration, see our guides to the city’s best hotels, restaurants, bars and nightlife, pubs, things to do and places for afternoon tea.
Find a day trip by type:
Best for history
Best for nature
Best for culture
Best for history
Stonehenge
Britain’s most iconic prehistoric monument is infinitely more rewarding if you understand where the stones came from, the alignment with the solstices and how the monument sits in a landscape littered with prehistoric sites. Information at the stones is very limited, so download the audio guide. To avoid the crowds go early or late in the day. Better still, book a “Stone Circle Experience” visit outside regular opening hours, very early in the morning or in the evening: you go inside the stone circle in a small group with a guide.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R4aekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R8aekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeArea: WiltshireHow to get there: Take the train to Salisbury, then a bus to StonehengeWebsite: english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge
Book a “Stone Circle Experience” to visit Stonehenge outside regular opening hours - danaibe12/Getty ImagesWells
England’s smallest city (population 11,151) packs a big punch. The cathedral, whose highlights include an astronomical clock dating from 1390 and soaring Chapter House reached by deliciously worn steps, is reason alone to visit. Alongside is the Vicars’ Close, England’s oldest purely residential street still with its original buildings. The moated Bishop’s Palace has been the residence of the bishops of Bath and Wells for more than 800 years. The palace’s glorious gardens contain the springs, or wells, from which the city takes its name.
Area: SomersetHow to get there: Drive (40 minutes)Website: wellssomerset.com
Wells is England’s smallest city - joe daniel price/Getty ImagesAvebury
Avebury has the world’s largest prehistoric stone circle, and the bank and ditch encompassing the stones (the henge) is on a monumental scale too. Many stones are missing and roads criss-cross the site. But unlike Stonehenge, you can walk freely among the stones. Also take in nearby Silbury Hill, the largest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe, which has steadfastly refused to give up its secrets, and West Kennet Long Barrow, one of Britain’s most impressive Neolithic tombs.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R4jekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R8jekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeArea: WiltshireHow to get there: Drive (55 minutes)Website: nationaltrust.org.uk
You can walk freely among the stones at Avebury - RichardHayman13/Getty ImagesLacock
Under National Trust ownership since 1944, Lacock is a step-back-in-time village with virtually no modern development breaking the spell. Lacock Abbey, turned into a country house in Tudor times following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, still has medieval cloisters, which served as Hogwarts in Harry Potter films. One-time owner William Henry Fox Talbot produced the first photographic negative image of one of the abbey’s windows – all explained in the Fox Talbot Museum.
Area: WiltshireHow to get there: Drive (30 minutes)Website: nationaltrust.org.uk
Lacock Abbey was turned into a country house in Tudor times - David Askham/Alamy Stock PhotoSalisbury
The bulk of Salisbury Cathedral was built in just 38 years, from 1220 and 1258. Its tower and soaring, pencil-like spire – at 404ft the UK’s tallest – were added the following century. Marvel at the best-preserved copy of the Magna Carta in the Chapter House, soak up the all-pervading serenity of the 80-acre Cathedral Close (its gates still locked at 11pm) and, in the city centre, visit the Odeon cinema’s foyer – a wool merchant’s banqueting hall in the 1400s. A lively market takes place Tuesdays and Saturdays on the handsome Market Place.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R4sekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R8sekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeArea: WiltshireHow to get there: Take the train (one hour) to Salisbury StationWebsite: visitwiltshire.co.uk/salisbury
Salisbury Cathedral has the country’s highest spire - Julian Elliott PhotographyBack to index
Best for nature
Cotswold Way
The Cotswold Way trail extends for 102 miles from Chipping Campden to Bath. A satisfying day out is to take a taxi to Dyrham village, then walk back to Bath along the final, wiggly 13-mile stretch of the trail. A variety of superlative views await: over to Wales and Bristol, of the golden-domed Beckford’s Tower atop a hill above Bath, and of Bath itself, strikingly set in a bowl below its surrounding hills. You could start the day with a visit to Dyrham Park.
Area: South GloucestershireHow to get there: Take a taxi to DyrhamWebsite: nationaltrail.co.uk
The Cotswold Way trail follows a route from Chipping Campden to Bath - Tim Gainey/Alamy Stock PhotoStourhead
Created in the 18th century as an idealised version of nature, Stourhead is one of the finest English landscape gardens. Positioned around a man-made lake to enhance the views are a Palladian bridge, grotto and classical temples, while woodland and banks of rhododendrons provide intended blocks of colour, as in a painting. In the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, a rain-sodden Mr Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth Bennett at the Temple of Apollo. Learn about the estate’s creators, the Hoares, in Stourhead House, a Palladian-style villa.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R57ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R97ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeArea: WiltshireHow to get there: Drive (45 minutes)Website: nationaltrust.org.uk
Stourhead is one of the finest English landscape gardens - Nick Daly/National Trust ImagesBack to index
Best for culture
Bristol
Bath’s much bigger and more cosmopolitan sister has a strollable, regenerated harbourside, home to the SS Great Britain, Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s magnificent steam ship (top attraction for families), and the M Shed, a good free museum about the city. Also head up to the elegant Georgian suburb of Clifton and admire Brunel’s lofty Clifton Suspension Bridge. Bristol has a plethora of street art, including works by Banksy, who has Bristol roots: good street art walking tours are on offer.
Area: BristolHow to get there: Take a train (20 minutes) to Bristol Temple MeadsWebsite: visitbristol.co.uk
Bistorl is home to the SS Great Britain - David NotonCastle Combe
The closest chocolate-box-pretty Cotswolds village to Bath has a giant 14th-century market cross and golden-stone weavers’ cottages by the Bybrook river. Pop into the wool church to admire the effigy of Norman knight Walter de Dunstanville, a baron of Castle Combe, and the displays on filming in the village for Spielberg’s War Horse and the 1967 version of Dr Dolittle. Splash out on afternoon tea at The Manor House, a country-house hotel with oodles of atmosphere adjacent to the village.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R5iekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R9iekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeArea: WiltshireHow to get there: Drive (30 minutes)More information: castle-combe.com
Castle Combe is one of the prettiest Cotswolds villages to visit - joe daniel price/Getty ImagesGlastonbury
Arthurian and Christian legend and history suffuses deeply spiritual Glastonbury. Climb Glastonbury Tor for superlative views over the flat Somerset Levels. Visit the Chalice Well, a serene garden where Joseph of Arimathea is said to have hidden the Holy Grail from the Last Supper. Explore the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, whose monks “found” the tomb of Arthur and Guinevere. Finish with a snoop around the incense-heavy New Age shops on the town’s high street.
Area: SomersetHow to get there: Drive (50 minutes)Website: glastonburyinformationcentre.co.uk
The scenic ruins of Glastonbury Abbey - chrisdorney/Getty ImagesBack to index
How we choose
Every attraction and activity in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from world-class museums to family-friendly theme parks – to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up-to-date recommendations.
About our expert
Fred Mawer has written about travel for The Telegraph for many years, covering consumer issues, many destinations at home and abroad, and hotels. He is Telegraph Travel’s Bath expert. He has lived in Bath for over 20 years, and loves being able to walk from the front door out into the countryside with his dog. As a professional Blue Badge-qualified tour guide, he spends much of his time taking visitors on walking tours around the city – more information on fredmawertours.co.uk.
Fred Mawer, Bath destination expertBroaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
