Roman Baths

Ever since the Romans arrived in Bath, life in the city has revolved around the three natural springs that bubble up near the abbey. In typically ostentatious style, the Romans constructed a glorious complex of bathhouses above these thermal waters to take advantage of their natural temperature – a constant 46°C. The buildings were left to decay after the Romans departed and, apart from a few leprous souls who came looking for a cure in the Middle Ages, it wasn't until the end of the 17th century that Bath's restorative waters again became fashionable.

The 2000-year-old baths now form one of the best-preserved ancient Roman spas in the world. The site gets very, very busy in summer; you can usually dodge the worst crowds by visiting early on a midweek morning, or by avoiding July and August. Multilingual audioguides (including an optional one read by the bestselling author Bill Bryson) is included in the price.

The heart of the complex is the Great Bath. Head down to water level and along the raised walkway to see the Roman paving and lead base. A series of excavated passages and chambers beneath street level leads off in several directions and lets you inspect the remains of other smaller baths and hypocaust (heating) systems.

One of the most picturesque corners of the complex is the 12th-century King's Bath, built around the original sacred spring; 1.5 million litres of hot water still pour into the pool every day. You can see the ruins of the vast Temple of Sulis- Minerva under the Pump Room, and recent excavations of the East Baths give an insight into its 4th-century form.