Getting to Bath

Getting to Bath usually means coming from Bristol International Airport or from one of the major airports in London, as Bath does not have an airport. Fortunately, Bath is very well served from all over the UK by an extensive road and rail network.

By car

The main road routes into Bath are the M4 and M5. The M4 runs directly from London to Bath, while the M5 comes in from the north, Devon and Cornwall. Bath is about 100 miles from London, and the journey takes about 1 hour 45 minutes by car; from Birmingham (90 miles), it takes 1 hour 30 minutes and from Manchester (200 miles), it takes 1 hour 45 minutes. From Cardiff, you can get to Bath via the M4 in 50 minutes.

By rail

Bath is served by the Bath Spa Railway Station, which has regular connections from London Paddington, Bristol Temple Meads, Cardiff Central, Swansea, Exeter, Plymouth, Penzance, Westbury, Warminster, Salisbury, Reading, Southampton, Weymouth, Swindon, Portsmouth and Brighton. Services are provided by First Great Western National (website: www.firstgroup.com). Train times can be found by calling the National Rail Planner on: +44 8457 484 950.

By bus

National Express (phone: +44 8705 808 080; website: www.nationalexpress.com) operates coach services from Bath to a number of cities. Internally, Bath has a large number of bus routes run by First Group, with services to surrounding towns and cities. The coach station turn-off is opposite the railway station. On leaving the station, the coach station is visible to the left. Getting to Bath by bus from London Victoria takes approximately 2 hours 45 minutes; 5 hours from Manchester; 2 hours 40 minutes from Birmingham, and approximately 35 minutes from Bristol.

By air

Bath has no airport, but the airport nearest to the city is Bristol International Airport. The alternative is to use one of Londons airports and travel on to Bath by train, car or bus. Heathrow International Airport (phone: +44 870 000 0123) is about 2 hours drive along the M4 (westbound) motorway. Alternatively, the RailAir express bus service that runs every 20 minutes connects with the main London to Bath rail service at Reading Railway Station. Expect the total journey to take slightly over 2 hours. Alternatively, National Express coaches run direct buses from Heathrow to Bath Bus Station.

Gatwick International Airport (phone: +44 870 000 2468) is about 3 hours drive from Bath via the M23 (northbound), M25 (clockwise) and M4 (westbound) motorways. Alternatively, a half-hourly rail service from Gatwick connects with the main London to Bath rail service at Reading Railway Station. The total journey takes slightly over 2 hours.

Stansted International Airport (phone: +44 870 000 0303) is about a 3-hour drive from Bath via the M11 (southbound), M25 (anti-clockwise) and M4 (westbound) motorways. Catch a Stanstead Express train to London Liverpool Street Station, the underground train to London Paddington Station and then a train to Bath. Expect the total journey to take around 3 hours 30 minutes.

London Luton Airport is about a 3 hour train ride. Thameslink rail services connect the airport to central London, from where you can catch a train to Bath Spa.

By ferry

To reach Bath from mainland Europe, the closest ferry port is located at Portsmouth, about 130kms (80 miles) from Bath. If you are coming from Ireland, the closest port is at Fishguard, approximately 250kms (140 miles) from Bath. The port of Dover is 305kms (190 miles) from Bath and offers regular ferry services to and from France.

Bath airport

Bristol International Airport (phone: +44 870 121 2747; website: www.bristolairport.co.uk) is 20 miles from Bath and boasts scheduled flights from major European cities including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Paris and Prague. The airport has 31 check-in desks, eight gates and accommodates 3,000,000 people each year. A myriad of facilities are located inside the terminals.

Bath airport transportation

The Flyer bus service from the airport to Bristol Temple Meads Station departs from outside Bristol International Airport. From Bristol, you can catch a train to Bath. Expect the journey to take about 1 hour; longer if you are travelling by car between 16:00 and 18:00, when Bristols roads are congested.