Bath is a compact city and easy to navigate on foot, with all of the top attractions situated within walking distance of each other. You'll also find a wide selection of convenient bus and rail connections to nearby towns and villages, including Freshford, Bradford-on-Avon, Frome, Keynsham, and many more.
Find everything you need to help you get around once you arrive in Bath below.
Sustainable Travel in Bath
If you choose to leave the car at home – you won’t miss it in Bath. The city is compact and easily explored on foot or if you’re comfortable on two wheels, by bike. There are excellent public transport links with Bath Spa railway station right in the city centre.
Public Transport
Bath’s railway and bus stations are located right in the heart of the city, so you’ll be perfectly placed to start exploring as soon as you arrive.
Bath has many regular buses that run across the city, as well as to neighbouring towns and villages.
Taxi services in the city are extremely reliable - you can find a list of local taxi ranks here.
You can use the TravelWest journey planner to help find different routes to your destination.
Cycling
Cycling is a great way to travel around Bath, and there are various cycling routes in and around the city. There are also plenty of walking routes for you to take in the scenery.
To find more cycling routes, use this online Route Planner from Better By Bike.
Walking
Bath is a small city with a compact centre, making it great to explore on foot, and we have plenty of suggested routes to help you make the most of your time in the city.
E-Scooters
TIER e-scooters are a fun way to explore Bath. Look out for the e-scooters and e-bikes at parking stands across the city. You can, for example, pick one up at Bath Spa railway station, just one of many Parking Zones in the city, all clearly marked on TIER’s app.
Driving
There are quite a few car parks within the city centre, both long and short-stay, as well as on-street parking in certain areas. There are also three Park & Ride car parks, which can help you to avoid getting stuck in any traffic congestion in the city centre.
Bath is currently operating a Clean Air Zone to tackle air pollution in the city. This means that owners of all higher emission vehicles, except private cars and motorbikes, must pay to drive in the city centre.
A vehicle emission-based parking charge system is in operation at all council-owned car parks in Bath to improve air quality in the city.
The price of parking will depend on your vehicle's emissions, in line with the bands used for DVLA vehicle excise duty. Drivers of non-diesel vehicles with emissions below 131 grams per kilometre will not see prices increase. However, more polluting vehicles such as those with diesel engines will now pay a higher rate.
Motorists will be required to input their registration plate details when paying for parking, in order for their charge to be automatically calculated. Payment is accepted by cash or card at on-site terminals, or online using MiPermit. You can find out whether you may be charged the higher rate ahead of your visit by checking your vehicle’s emissions on the UK Government website.
Parking at Bath's Park & Ride sites is free of charge when using the bus services.
The new parking charge system aims to incentivise owners of more polluting vehicles to use more sustainable transport alternatives when visiting Bath city centre, and encourage a shift to public transport, walking, wheeling and cycling. Find out more on the Bath & North East Somerset Council website.
Some city centre streets are restricted as part of the Bath City Centre Security Scheme. Motor vehicle access is restricted from 10am to 6pm, every day, in the following streets:
Abbey Green, Abbeygate Street, Bath Street, Beau Street, Cheap Street, Hot Bath Street, Lower Borough Walls, Parsonage Lane, Saw Close, Stall Street, Swallow Street, Upper Borough Walls, Westgate Street.
Blue Badge holders will be permitted access to these streets with entry on Cheap Street, find out more on the Council website.
Private Hire
Travel around Bath in style with private hire tours, coaches, buses, minibuses and taxis.
First Travel Solutions are the managed transport division of FirstGroup plc, the UK's leading transport company. They provide coach, minibus and managed taxi travel options from their pre-approved supplier base which numbers circa 1,300 companies.
For more information about coach parking, drop-off and coach services, head to our coach parking page.
Back to top
Special Travel Passes
Visitors to Bath can expand their visit with a Great West Way Discoverer Pass, offering bus and rail travel to all destinations on the Great West Way touring route between Bristol and London. Please note that these passes are only available to international travellers prior to their visit, and cannot be purchased in the UK.
Explore the rest of the country with a BritRail Pass, including travel on the entire railway network of Great Britain, or enjoy unlimited rail travel across 33 European countries, including the United Kingdom, with an Eurail Pass.
Accessible Transport in Bath
There are several initiatives and facilities in Bath to make travel to and around the city as accessible as possible, whether you’re travelling by car or by public transport.
Bath Park & Ride
Located in the South West of England, Bath is easy to reach, just 80 minutes from London by train and a short drive from both the M4 and M5 motorways.
Here's all the info on Bath's public transport network, including bus, train, park and ride, taxi and even e-scooter
Maps and Guides
Travel Information
Special Offers
Enewsletter
Book Tickets