When it was founded in the 1st century AD, the Roman city of Aquae Sulis was a destination for its natural hot springs.
What is Aquae Sulis? Aquae Sulis was the name the Romans gave to what is now Bath, England. It literally means “the waters of Sulis”, and Sulis was a local Celtic goddess associated with healing and sacred springs. When the Romans arrived in Britain, they identified Sulis with their own goddess Minerva and built a grand bath complex and temple at the site of the natural hot springs. The site was both a spa and a place of pilgrimage, where people came for healing and to dedicate offerings to the goddess.
Today, Bath continues to draw visitors for its renowned spa heritage, as well as its extraordinary history.
Unique among British cities, Bath’s wealth of Roman history and landmarks has earned it a UNESCO World Heritage distinction and made it a beautifully evocative destination. On your next tour of the Roman Baths, get up close and personal with the area’s millennia-old history at these five key landmarks.
The Roman Baths
It’s no Roman tour without a visit to Bath’s number one attraction. The beautifully preserved ruins of the Roman Baths are among the world’s finest and offer a beguiling glimpse into how the citizens of Aquae Sulis lived some two thousand years ago.
The Great Bath is the complex’s highlight, while the companion King’s Bath, added in the 12th century, is hardly less striking. When not gazing into the steaming waters, dip into the site’s museum, which displays a range of artefacts uncovered at the site, from Roman coins to a bronze head of the goddess Sulis Minerva.
The Pump Room Restaurant
While you’re no longer able to bathe in the Roman Baths themselves, enjoy a bit of historically minded indulgence at the Pump Room Restaurant. Located within the Roman Baths complex, the elegant restaurant hosts a destination-worthy afternoon tea.
Between your sips of Champagne, wander over to the restaurant’s spa water fountain — you’ll recognise it for its four leaping fish — and try a sip of the famous mineral water, long reputed to have curative properties.
Thermae Bath Spa
Until recently, you couldn’t take a Roman-style bath in Bath. However, fortunately, that has changed, thanks to the Thermae Bath Spa, which reopened in 2006. Here, you’ll be bathing in the very same toasty waters that the Romans and Celts enjoyed — the only such waters in the whole of the UK, in fact.
Take your pick between the open-air rooftop pool, which has lovely views overlooking Bath’s city centre, or the large indoor Minerva Bath, which is accompanied by a whirlpool and lazy river features.
Stonehenge
Any visit to Bath should include a side trip to Stonehenge, one of the world’s wonders, which is just a short distance away.
While the landmark’s origins stretch back to the Neolithic period, some historians hypothesise that it was used as a Roman temple. Related artefacts—including Roman coins and pottery—have been found on-site.
Museum of Bath at Work
Aquae Sulis wasn’t just a place where people came to relax. During your Roman Bath tour, brush up on a different side of the city’s history at the Museum of Bath at Work. The museum tells the story of the town through the people who built it and made it run. Beginning 2,000 years ago, the museum’s exhibits show how ancient Aquae Sulians earned a living.
Discover Britain’s Roman heritage and UNESCO-grade landmarks during our Stonehenge and Bath tour.
