Travelling to Bath
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. Bath is also just 19 miles from Bristol Airport and well connected by regular bus services. Bath Spa Railway Station and the coach and bus stations are all in the heart of the city centre.
A charging clean air zone is now operating in the centre of Bath. Charges apply 24/7 to all higher emission vehicles, except private cars. To check if charges apply to your vehicle, go to www.bathnes.gov.uk/BathCAZ or plan your visit here.
Please note, current Government regulation stipulates that you must wear a face covering when you travel by public transport.
You can find out more about the latest travel advice for England here.
Travelling by train
Bath Spa Railway Station is conveniently located in the heart of the city centre, just a short walk from Bath’s shops and attractions, including the historic Roman Baths and Thermae Bath Spa.
Visit Bath’s travel partner, Great Western Railway, serves the city and South West region with regular high-speed services from London Paddington taking just 80 minutes to deliver you to the heart of the World Heritage Site city. A taxi rank can be found immediately outside the main exit of the station, and Bath bus station is located just a minutes’ walk along Dorchester Street.
Travelling to Bath from Bristol
Due to planned engineering works at Bristol Temple Meads, there will be disruption to rail services between Bristol and Bath from 7th August to 3rd September 2021, with buses replacing trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa. On certain dates trains will still run between Bath Spa and Oldfield Park, Keynsham, Filton Abbey Wood, and Bristol Parkway. Further work between Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa is planned for 25th and 26th September. Click here for more information.
Click here to find out more about GWR's current safety regulations.
Click here to watch GWR's Safety Guidance video pertaining to COVID-19 (coronavirus) regulations.
Travelling by coach
Bath is easy to reach by coach with regular services providing good value travel between all major towns and cities in Europe. Frequent services run from London Victoria coach station, London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport to Bath bus station.
Private coach operators can drop visitors at the Riverside Coach Park. Stay times are limited to a maximum of 30 minutes, free of charge. After unloading, all vehicles are required to exit the coach park (after a maximum of 30 minutes) and relocate to either the agreed coach parking layover site at Weston Island, or to uncontrolled parking areas outside of the city.
Higher emission (pre euro 6 diesel and pre euro 4 petrol) coaches and minibuses are subject to a daily charge in Bath’s Clean Air Zone. To check if charges apply to your coach or minibus, go to www.bathnes.gov.uk/BathCAZ
For further information about coach parking in Bath, click here.
Travelling by park & ride
Bath is now operating a Clean Air Zone in central Bath. While private cars are not charged in the zone - and you may be able to apply for an exemption or discount if you’re travelling in certain motorcaravans - we advise all visitors to consider using the Park and Ride.
The city has three Park and Ride services, which operate seven days a week. Buses run into the city from all three Park and Ride sites at least every 15 minutes, with a journey time of just ten minutes. All buses are wheelchair and pushchair friendly.
You can view a live update of the spaces that are currently available at Bath's main car parks, including the three Park and Ride sites.
Visitors with motorhomes are advised that the Newbridge Park and Ride has a height barrier of 6ft 6", Odd Down Park and Ride has a 7ft 2" barrier, but there are no barriers the Lansdown Park and Ride.
Travelling by bus
There are several bus operators that provide regular services in and around Bath.
First Bus is the largest, operating from the main Bath bus station in Dorchester Street, adjacent to Bath Spa railway station.
You will find excellent bus links to Bath from our neighbouring towns and cities, as well as a regular bus service direct from Bristol Airport. You can plan your journey to Bath by bus and search for local timetables on Traveline.
Explore Bath using the hop on hop off City Sightseeing Tour bus. The buses stop at over 20 locations around the city, covering all the most popular sights and attractions within the centre and across Bath Skyline.
There are frequent departures from all over the city, and all buses provide an audio guide in ten languages, as well as a live guide in English on some buses.
Travelling by car
Bath is located just ten miles from junction 18 of the M4 motorway, which runs directly from London and Heathrow Airport. There are also excellent motorway links from the north, Devon and Cornwall via the M5 motorway, and Wales is just a short drive west on the M4 motorway.
As Bath is a small city, the roads can become congested at busy times. To avoid traffic, we recommend using one of the city’s three Park and Ride services. Take care when driving around the city, as there are a number of one-way streets and bus lanes in operation.
Download our handy parking map to find your nearest car park in Bath.
Bath’s historic Cleveland Bridge is closing from June 28 for essential repairs & work could take around three months. Plan your journey & consider alternative routes or ways to get around http://bathnes.gov.uk/clevelandbridge
Please note that as of April 2021, The Podium (encompassing the Hilton Hotel, Waitrose and Bath Central Library, plus the multi-storey car park) are starting some major on-site development projects. They are temporarily dropping from 520 parking spaces down to around 168. There is a traffic management process in place to minimise waiting times and queues at the entrance and at Northgate and Walcot Streets.
Clean Air Zone
Bath is currently operating a charging Clean Air Zone to urgently tackle air pollution in the city. It means that owners of all higher emission vehicles – except private cars and motorbikes – will need to pay to drive in the city centre.
A higher emission vehicle is a pre-euro 6/VI diesel vehicle (euro 1 to 5/V or earlier), or pre-euro 4 petrol vehicle (euro 1 to 3 or earlier).
You can check whether charges or exemptions apply at www.bathnes.gov.uk/BathCAZ
If charges apply, you must declare your journey and pay at www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones within 6 days of your journey (7 days, including the day of travel) or you could receive a penalty charge notice.
If you’re driving into Bath in a motorcaravan or larger motorhome, we recommend that you check whether charges apply to your vehicle.
Owners of some higher emission motorcaravans (pre euro 6 diesel or pre euro 4 petrol) may be able to apply for a local exemption in Bath’s CAZ, but some will have to pay, depending on the motorcaravan’s vehicle type/category. If you drive a larger motorhome (classed PHGV) you can apply for a discount to travel in Bath’s CAZ, but you should do this within 14 days of your trip.
To check if you need to pay or to apply for an exemption or discount, go to www.bathnes.gov.uk/BathCAZ.
Plan your visit at www.bathnes.gov.uk/planyourvisit.
Travelling by air
Travelling from Bristol Airport to Bath
Bristol Airport is just 20 miles from Bath, making it the city’s closest airport. It currently serves over 100 destinations worldwide.
The Air Decker bus service provides a direct link between Bath and Bristol Airport, with stops at various points in Saltford, Keynsham and South Bristol and a total journey time of approximately one hour.
Alternatively, the Bristol Airport Flyer express coach service will take you from the airport to Bristol Temple Meads railway station, where you can catch one of the many frequent train services into Bath. The coach service runs on a regular basis, seven days a week with a complete journey time of approximately one hour.
Or, for an easy arrival or departure, you can pre-book a private airport transfer to or from Bristol Airport with K&I Cars Taxi and Private Hire Services, Roman Bath Private Hire, or ExecFirm – Executive Travel.
Travelling from Heathrow Airport to Bath
Heathrow Airport is 100 miles east of Bath on the M4 motorway.
A regular coach service runs directly from the airport to Bath with a total journey time of 120-to-180 minutes.
For an easy arrival or departure, you can pre-book a private airport transfer to or from Heathrow Airport with K&I Cars Taxi and Private Hire Services, Roman Bath Private Hire, or ExecFirm – Executive Travel.
A Heathrow Express train service runs between the airport and London Paddington, where you can then pick up a direct train service to Bath Spa railway station. The complete journey time for this is around 135 minutes.
Travelling from Gatwick Airport to Bath
Gatwick Airport is 140 miles east of Bath.
You can take a train from the airport to Reading train station where you can pick up a train service to Bath Spa railway station, with a total journey time of approximately 180 minutes.
For an easy arrival or departure, you can pre-book a private airport transfer to or from Gatwick Airport with K&I Cars Taxi and Private Hire Services, Roman Bath Private Hire, or ExecFirm – Executive Travel.
Alternatively, catch a coach from Gatwick Airport via Heathrow Airport to Bath with a journey time of approximately 270 minutes.