Bath car rental comparison

The old Roman city of Bath, with its iconic pale gold limestone buildings and elegant crescents curving around Georgian structures, blends its rich heritage with the cosmopolitan nature of its present inhabitants. Set in the rolling Somerset countryside, Bath features a ton of historic attractions and fun days out that suits people from all walks of life. HAPPYCAR is here to help you find the best car hire Bath has to offer so you can take full advantage of this leisure city. We check the prices of international and local providers so that you don’t have to check each website and provide you with the best deals to make your money go further on a rental car that fits your specific vacation needs.

General Information

Bath is the oldest of the UK's principal tourist destinations and has been welcoming visitors for almost 2,000 years. The city is named for its three hot springs, upon which grew a large network of baths during Roman occupation. During the Georgian period, Bath reached its zenith with Beau Nash ruling the social scene and rose into a neoclassical treasure, with stately avenues, streets and crescents populating the city. Literature has a storied history in Bath and has inspired the likes of Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Roald Dahl, Christopher Lee, Peter Lovesey and Paul Emanuelli.

To Do

A visit to Bath wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the Roman Baths. Just across the road you can soak in the Thermae Bath Spa, a more modern spa that uses the healing waters of the springs to help soothe and relax, with amazing views and a great afternoon out. Thanks to its rich heritage Bath also offers many guided tours around different parts of the city, such as the 'Mayor of Bath Honorary Tour Guide', which has been running since the 1930's. Bath has a lively theater scene, and the Theatre Royal, established in 1805, is still a great place to watch a play. Bath deserves as much time as you can give it, with a rich concentration of museums and galleries to soak up, but perhaps the greatest enjoyment comes from meandering around the streets and letting the city impress itself upon you with its beautiful churches.

Attractions

Visitors will be presented with a complete Georgian city with a majority of its architecture intact. Of course, a visit to the Roman Baths is imperative, where you can learn about the history of the Bath Spa and wander the rooms that make up the baths. Around the bath area you can find Bath Abbey, the last Gothic church in England that was built over the ruins of a Norman cathedral. A little further out and you will discover the Royal Crescent, a magnificent crescent of houses completed in 1774 by John Wood. Check out the Jane Austen Center, a fantastic testament to her lasting appeal and the Hershel Museum of Astronomy, to learn about the history of astronomy music and culture in the city’s heyday.

Eating

Bath’s popularity and cultural charm has attracted a litter of award winning restaurants, tearooms and cosy pubs, alongside better-than-expected fast food in Kingsmead Square. For some truly fine dining head to Tides Restaurant at the Hinton Charterhouse – it is one of the finest restaurants in the city. Bath is well known for its quintessentially English reputation, and afternoon tea is serious business. The Jane Austen Center Regency Tea Rooms is a great place to experience what it would have been like in Georgian times, with its established menu. With a Bath car hire you can also explore some of the iconic country pubs just outside Bath, such as The George at Norton St. Philip, with 700 years of hospitality already under its belt.

Excursions

Bath makes a great base for day trips to the surrounding countryside. There are opportunities to go to Stonehenge and places like Avebury, Lacock, Castlecombe, and other surrounding villages throughout the Cotswolds. Bradford on Avon is a beautiful, picture-postcard town near Bath with good pub food and excellent walking options along the canal. Bristol, with its vibrant energy as a historic trading port, is also a short drive away and is very accessible with a Bath car rental, and Birmingham is just two hours away.