How to get to Bath from London: easiest, best and cheapest ways

The city of Bath is often added on to a London trip and for good reason – it’s easy to get to, has something for everyone and is absolutely gorgeous! Add in the healing waters and spas, afternoon tea in historic buildings or learning about the Romans in this part of England and you have the perfect day trip or overnight getaway from the capital!

Bath is one of those places I’d always wanted to visit but hadn’t ever managed to, until very recently, and I have to say, I’m in love! What a place! I’m a huge fan of history as you know but also of Jane Austen’s books as well (oh and don’t forget Bridgerton!)- I could just imagine wandering around this place in it’s heyday and when she was here too! Yup, I’m a bit of a fan of the city and planning my next trip!

If you’re excited by the historic city (a UK UNESCO World Heritage site no less!) and wondering how to get to Bath from London then this post if for you. I promise you that it’s simple no matter which way you decide to do it!

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How easy is it to get from London to Bath?

Bath is a really easy city to get to from London and you have a wide variety of ways that you can do it. It’s not too far away and there are plenty of direct routes there which make it a great place to escape the big city and trade it for a more genteel place!

Getting from London to Bath is also easily done as a day trip if you don’t want to stay over in Bath (although they do have some wonderful Spa hotels there – worth a thought!) and you can do that in many ways too.

Is Bath worth the trip from London

I have just come back from a wonderful trip there and I’m still buzzing about it so I’m going to say a resounding YES!

Bath is so much smaller than London but has that old world feel to it that you don’t really get in the capital city these days. It’s perfect for anyone with interest in history with the Roman baths and Georgian architecture there and literary fans will love the Jane Austen and Mary Shelley connection.

It’s also a place where you can choose to indulge in a bit of luxury with all the spas that are around. Bath is built around thermal spas (hence the name) and people have been enjoying the healing waters here for thousands of years! Why not grab a bit of that too?

Can you visit Bath in a day trip from London?

Absolutely. While Bath feels like a world away from the huge city of London it’s actually not too far away in mileage and time.

It’s easy to do a day trip to Bath from London in all these ways:

• Train – it only takes 1.5 hours
• Car – it’s around 2.5 hours by car
• Organised tour – often these are full on days but will get you to Bath and often some other cool spots in England (like Stonehenge) on a day trip
• Coach – a longer day than if doing it by car but a great budget option!

How to get from London to Bath by train – the quickest way

If you’re wanting to get to Bath from London in the quickest way possible then the train is the best way to do it. It will take you from Paddington Station to the centre of Bath city in just under 1 and a half hours leaving you loads of time to explore.

It’s a quick and easy way to get from London to Bath with no changes to make – it’s a direct train. There are plenty of trains that run throughout the day as well.

Tickets cost around £40 one way or you can do an off peak day return for a little less – around £70. Prices might be cheaper if you book in advance – you can normally book train tickets up to 12 weeks in advance and prices can change all the way up to the day of travel when it’s most expensive. Check out Trainline for times and prices for your dates.

Train is perfect if you want to spend a night or two away from the big and busy city of London – Bath has a number of gorgeous hotels that will entice you to stop over and possibly even enjoy the spa waters!

Organised Tours and day trips to Bath – the easiest way?

Many people don’t want to have to navigate public transport or renting a car and if that’s you then the easiest way to get to Bath is on an organised day trip from London.

The options available are numerous with many adding in some other exciting sites in the area on the way. The most popular spots to add in are the Cotswolds, Windsor or Stonehenge. Some even add in a special inner access tour to Stonehenge – great if you’re wanting a trip to remember!

The downside of these trips is that your time in Bath can be a little limited and that the day is very long, however for ease you can’t beat them! Make sure to check the time you’ll get in the city – thankfully Bath is nice and compact and you can see a lot with just a short time.

Here are some of the best day trips from London at the moment:

• Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath FULL DAY trip
• Stonehenge and Bath Day Trip from London
• Stonehenge INNER CIRCLE and Bath Day trip

Driving to Bath by car – another easy option

If you already have a car, or have rented a car for your UK trip, then you already have an easy way to get to Bath from London, especially if you value your independence and if there’s more than one of you traveling.

Bath is around 2.5 hours from London and a fairly easy drive along the M4 motorway west from the city.

Now, if you do decide to come by car there are a few things you should know as Bath itself is not particularly car friendly.

• Bath has introduced a charging zone for the centre – most cars are ok, but vans and motorhomes can cost. Always check before arriving.
• The streets can be quite narrow, hilly and yet still fairly busy with buses and cars
• Car parking in the city centre can be difficult to find

Ok, I thought it was an easy option? Well it is – if you take the Park and Ride bus as we did!

There are 3 different park and ride areas around Bath, but if you’re coming from London and the M4 you’ll likely use the one at Lansdown. This is the one we used and it was super easy, not too busy and cheap.

The car park is free to park in itself so long as you then go on to use the bus to get into Bath. The bus only takes around 10-15 minutes to get you direct into the centre of the city and believe me, when you see the bus driver navigating the road you’ll be pleased it isn’t you!

The bus costs £3.60 for an adult return ticket or if you’re traveling with someone else you can do two adults for £5.40 with a group return (you must travel after 9.30am though). If you want the cheaper group ticket make sure to ask for it – they tried to just charge me normal prices since I didn’t specifically ask for that ticket.

The bus then goes every 15-20 minutes throughout the day – it doesn’t take long at all to get right in the centre. You get the bus back to the car park at Lansdown from the same spot it drops you off at on Milsom Street

Note – if you want to stay overnight in Bath you can still use the car park. For days you don’t use the bus there’s a £2 car parking charge which is quite reasonable!

Getting to Bath from London by bus – the cheapest way

So we’ve looked at quickest and easiest ways but if you’re wanting to get from London to Bath the cheapest way then you’ll want to take a look at the coaches that go that way.

National Express will take you to Bath from London by coach and they tend to be fairly comfortable ways to travel, if not the quickest. The journey is around 3 hours from central London (Victoria Coach Station).

If budget is important to you then you’ll love that it’s from around £5-£15 for a single ticket, depending on what time of day you take the journey. The cheapest tickets will drop you off in Bath (or back in London) in the middle of the night so be sure you’ll know how to get to your hotel.

It’s also possible to use the coach to do a day trip to Bath from London – it will be a longer day than using the train, but it’s a great way to do the route on a budget.