Locals’ pickCoeur de Lion
A pub of one narrow room with a stained-glass window and Abbey Ales on the bar, just off the High Street
Places
Where do locals actually go?
Places in and around Bath: old pubs, small museums, tunnels, towpaths, stages and the market stalls people shop at every week. The ones marked Locals’ pick are where Bath people go back to. Opening times and prices are patterns, so check before you set off.
Places
Food and drink
Bakeries, coffee, old pubs and a brewery tap.
Locals’ pickCoeur de Lion
Locals’ pickColonna & Small’s
A small speciality coffee bar where the staff talk you through the beans and the queue is mostly regulars
Locals’ pickGreen Park Station farmers’ market
Farmers' and makers' stalls under the old station roof, where people do the weekly shop rather than browse
Locals’ pickHare & Hounds
A hilltop pub on Lansdown with a long view over the city, where walkers end up after the Skyline
Locals’ pickLandrace Bakery
Sourdough from grain they mill themselves, cinnamon buns that go early, and a proper restaurant upstairs
Locals’ pickLarkhall Square
A village centre inside the city: two delis, a farm shop, a butcher and a bookshop round the square, with…
Locals’ pickThe Old Green Tree
A panelled three-room pub with no music and a short, well-kept real ale list, where people actually talk
Locals’ pickThe Packhorse, South Stoke
A community-owned village pub south of the city, on the walkers’ way round the Limestone Link and quiet on…
Locals’ pickThe Star Inn
An unspoilt pub first licensed in 1760, with beer poured from the jug and a long bench in the small bar the…
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Chai Walla
Vegetarian Indian street food from a handful of tables on Monmouth Street, cheap and quick, and not set up for tourists
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Electric Bear Brewing Co
Bath's own craft brewery, tucked on a Twerton trading estate, with a small taproom by the brew kit and a second bar, The Cub, in the centre since late 2025
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The Beckford Bottle Shop
A wine shop with a small bistro on Saville Row: buy a bottle to take home or drink it there with a plate of something
Places
Walks and outdoors
Hills, towpaths, tunnels and quiet green corners.
Locals’ pickAlexandra Park
A terraced park on top of Beechen Cliff where Bath people take visitors for the view over the rooftops at…
Locals’ pickBath Skyline
A six-mile loop of woods, meadows and views that Bath people walk after work without leaving the city
Locals’ pickBeckford’s Tower and Lansdown Cemetery
A 120-foot tower on Lansdown Hill with a spiral stair and, on a clear day, a view to Wales, set in a quiet…
Locals’ pickKennet and Avon towpath to Bathampton
A flat canal walk from Sydney Gardens past moored boats to Bathampton meadows, with a pub at the end
Locals’ pickLittle Solsbury Hill
A flat-topped Iron Age hillfort above Batheaston: a short, steep climb and a wind that blows the week out
Locals’ pickPrior Park Landscape Garden
A Georgian garden with a Palladian bridge, lakes and a view down to the city, and a steep path up from…
Locals’ pickPulteney Weir
The curved weir below Pulteney Bridge, seen at its fullest from the riverside path on the Bathwick side…
Locals’ pickRoyal Victoria Park Botanical Gardens
A free botanical garden with a rock garden and pond at the western edge of the park, quieter than the lawns
Locals’ pickSham Castle
A castle front with nothing behind it, on the hill above the university, built in 1762 to be seen from town…
Locals’ pickSmallcombe Garden Cemetery
A wooded Victorian cemetery looked after by volunteers, with leaning headstones, bluebells and benches few…
Locals’ pickTwo Tunnels Greenway
A mile and more of old railway tunnel under Combe Down, dimly lit and fitted with a sound installation…
Locals’ pickWarleigh Weir
A weir and pool on the Avon where locals swim from late spring; come by the footpath from Bathford and mind…
Locals’ pickWidcombe Locks and Deep Lock
A flight of locks climbing from the river to Deep Lock, about 19 feet of drop in one go; boats, gongoozlers…
Places
Culture and oddities
Small museums, odd buildings and free rooms.
Locals’ pickBath Abbey tower tour
A guided climb of 212 steps past the bells to the roof, about an hour, with Abbey entry included; BA1 and…
Locals’ pickBath Record Office
A free reading room in the Guildhall with old plans and council minutes, where you can look up your own…
Locals’ pickCleveland Pools
A Georgian riverside lido from 1815, saved by a long community campaign; closed to swimming this year, with…
Locals’ pickHerschel Museum of Astronomy
A small Georgian house with its kitchen and garden, where a home-made telescope found Uranus; the volunteers…
Locals’ pickMuseum of Bath at Work
A working-life museum in an old real tennis court, with an engineering workshop and a mineral water bottling…
Locals’ pickSally Lunn’s cellar museum
A small museum in the cellar with Roman and medieval foundations and an old bakery kitchen; locals tend to…
Locals’ pickThe Circus and its plane trees
A ring of Georgian houses round a green of old plane trees; in October the leaves are the reason to go, not…
Locals’ pickThe Corridor
A glass-roofed arcade from the 1820s that locals use to cut between the High Street and Union Street out of…
Locals’ pickThe Holburne garden
A free garden and café behind the museum, backing onto Sydney Gardens; a quiet stop on the walk east
Locals’ pickThe Little Theatre Cinema
A two-screen independent cinema in an old theatre, with a café bar and film club nights
Locals’ pickThe Rec on match day
Rugby by the river in the middle of town, with a crowd that sings and walks home through the park
Locals’ pickVictoria Art Gallery
The council’s gallery at the foot of Pulteney Bridge, free to walk into the permanent rooms, with a good…
Places
Indie shops
Bookshops, salvage and a covered market.
Locals’ pickBath Guildhall Market
A Georgian covered market with a fishmonger, a greengrocer and stalls that have outlasted several city…
Locals’ pickMr B’s Emporium
A bookshop with a reading service: you talk about what you like and the staff build you a stack
Locals’ pickPersephone Books
A shop that reprints forgotten women writers in dove-grey covers, with the books stacked round the room
Locals’ pickTopping & Company
Booksellers in the old Friends Meeting House by the Abbey, with ladders, free tea and coffee, and author…
Locals’ pickWalcot Reclamation
A salvage yard of stone fireplaces, doors and old taps, where walking round is free and nobody rushes you
Locals’ pickWalcot Street independents
The artisan end of town: vintage shops, independent cafés and, on Saturdays, the flea market back on its old…
Places
Live music and comedy
Small rooms, cheap nights and free Sunday gigs.
Locals’ pickChapel Arts Centre
An independent, not-for-profit arts centre in a former chapel, with jazz, comedy and classes
Locals’ pickKomedia Bath
A former cinema turned cabaret room, with comedy, music and a Saturday club night; tables rather than rows
Locals’ pickMoles
The grassroots club on George Street that has given touring bands an early start for decades; small room…
Locals’ pickThe Bell
A Walcot Street pub with free gigs most Sunday lunchtimes and a beer garden; a gig and a pint without a ticket
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Burdall’s Yard
Bath Spa University’s own small venue, where students perform and anyone can drop in on cheap nights
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The Rondo Theatre
A community theatre in Larkhall staging local companies, tribute nights and a January panto, with tickets mostly in the teens
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Widcombe Social Club
A volunteer-run club hall in Widcombe with small theatre, gigs and a cheap bar
Places
Family
Animals, playgrounds and room to run.
Locals’ pickAlice Park
A neighbourhood park in Lambridge with a playground, tennis and a view; where Larkhall children actually go
Locals’ pickRoyal Victoria Park playground
A big play area, a skate bowl and pitch and putt in the park, with room to run for older children too
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Bath City Farm
A working city farm in Twerton with animals, a garden and a café, run by a charity
Places
Traditions and events
The things the city does every year.
Locals’ pickBath Boules
A free boules tournament in Queen Square every July, with food, music and 64 teams playing for local charities
Locals’ pickBath Christmas Market, the locals’ route
Most of the stalls are from the region; locals go on a weekday morning and drift on to the Guildhall or…
Locals’ pickBath Half
The half marathon that closes the city one Sunday each March; neighbours line the route with flasks and signs
Places
Theatres, cinemas and halls
Stages, screens and grounds with listings on What’s on.
Places
Museums
Houses, baths and collections you can walk round.
Places
Landmarks
Buildings the city is known for.
Places
Parks
Big green spaces.
Places
Pubs
Places for a pint.