Hotels Near the Roman Baths

Places To Stay Near The Roman Baths

After a busy day exploring everything the Roman Baths has to offer, our nearby boutique hotels are the perfect place to stay the night and treat yourself to a delicious, locally-sourced pub meal and an award-winning pint of Butcombe beer.

The Methuen Arms

Steeped in history and character, The Methuen Arms hotel in Corsham started life as a nunnery before being converted into a brewery and coaching inn in 1608. The inn offers 19 newly-renovated bedrooms, a mouth-watering food menu created with ingredients sourced from its kitchen garden, and a cosy bar area and spacious beer garden perfect for enjoying the inn’s range of hand-pulled ales. Book your room today and stay the night after exploring the wonderful city of Bath and visiting the world-famous Roman Baths.

Broad Street Townhouse

See all that the beautiful city of Bath has to offer with a stay at Broad Street Townhouse hotel, a Grade II-listed building based in the heart of the Roman city and just a stone’s throw from the magnificent Roman Baths. Relax in style in one of 11 luxurious boutique rooms, each with sumptuous king-size beds and en-suite bathrooms. Take a break from exploring the city in the ground floor café/bar, or enjoy a more hearty meal at our sister venue next door, The Pig & Fiddle pub. Find out why The Sunday Times voted Broad Street Townhouse one of the Best Hotels in the South West, and book your stay today.

The Crown

Just a stone’s throw from Dyrham Park and within easy reach of Bath, The Crown inn has 9 welcoming ensuite rooms, perfect for a sound night’s sleep after exploring the Georgian city of Bath and the magnificent Roman Baths. On the menu at the on-site restaurant, you’ll find a cracking selection of hearty pub classics, perfectly paired with a variety of Butcombe beers behind the bar.

The George Inn

There’s nowhere like The George Inn in Norton St. Philip. As a Grade II-listed building, with history dating back to 1397, a stay at The George Inn will surely be an unforgettable experience.
Close to Bath and its wonderful attractions such as the Roman Baths, The George also makes an ideal base for a staycation, business trip, or weekend getaway. Stay in one of the 9 ensuite rooms at one of Britain’s oldest taverns, and enjoy a delicious, locally-sourced pub classic with and award-winning pint of Butcombe beer.

The King’s Arms

The King’s Arms hotel is a charming 18th-century inn set in the heart of Melksham. Featuring 13 modern, comfy bedrooms, a pub-restaurant offering exciting takes on pub classics and an array of award-winning Butcombe beers behind the bar, The King’s Arms is the perfect option for a boutique stayaway that is within close proximity to the wonderful city of Bath and wonderful attractions like the Roman Baths.

The Northey Arms

Situated in Box near Corsham in Wiltshire, The Northey Arms is the perfect base for exploring nearby Bath and the world-class walking, cycling and dog-walking opportunities in and around the Cotswolds. With 13 en-suite rooms of varying sizes, we can accommodate guests for family breaks, romantic getaways or perfect staycations.

We’re close to many of the most popular attractions in Bath, so you can relax at The Northey Arms after your day admiring the magnificent architecture of the Roman Baths.

The Quarrymans Arms

Located in picturesque Box Hill, The Quarrymans Arms hotel is a gorgeous country inn boasting sweeping views of the Box Valley. The inn offers the perfect boutique getaway with four flawlessly-decorated bedrooms, a delightful restaurant serving the finest, locally-sourced seasonal produce, and a fantastic selection of ales, craft beers, local ciders and fine wines to get stuck into. Just a short drive from the centre of Bath, it is the perfect spot to relax after a day visiting the Roman Baths.

The Roman Baths

Nearly 2000 years old, the Roman Baths are some of the best-preserved Roman remains in the world, attracting over a million visitors each year.

A brief history of the Roman Baths

The Romans started building on the site of the hot springs around 60-70AD, first building a religious temple, before developing the site over the next 300 years into a public bathing complex featuring baths, saunas, plunge pools and heated rooms.

Known as Aquae Sulis, the baths attracted visitors from all over the country and even parts of Europe. When the Romans left Britain in the 5th century, the complex fell into ruin due to a combination of flooding and neglect. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that the baths were rediscovered, restored and reopened to the public.

Today, the baths are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are one of the most popular tourist attractions in the UK.

The Great Bath

The Roman Baths’ star attraction is the Great Bath, a massive pool lined with 45 sheets of lead and filled with hot spa water. Now open to the skies, the pool was originally enclosed in a huge, 20-metre high hall, which would have been the largest building many Romans will have seen in their lifetime.

Today, visitors can see the Great Bath from its upper terrace, which is filled with statues of Roman Emperors and statesmen – later additions added by the Victorians ahead of the bath’s grand reopening in the 1800s.

The Sulis Minerva Temple

Before the Romans discovered the natural springs, they were originally a place of worship for the Celts, dedicated to their goddess Sulis. When the Romans invaded, to keep the peace with the locals, they merged the goddess Sulis with their own goddess Minerva and built a temple dedicated to the newly-created Sulis Minerva beside the springs.

Today, you can find the remains of the temple pediment in the bath’s museum, alongside the gilt bronze head of a Sulis Minerva statue which would have once stood inside the temple.

The Sacred Spring

Next to the Great Bath is a smaller room housing the Sacred Spring, where 1,170,000 litres of hot water rises from each day and feeds the entire bathing system.

This was where the Romans thought the spirit of Sulis Minerva dwelt, and they would throw small metal sheets inscribed with curses against specific people into the water for the goddess to act upon. A selection of surviving ‘curse tablets’ can be found in the baths’ museum for visitors to see!

The Pump Room

Dating back to 1706, the baths’ beautiful Pump Room was once the centre of the Georgian social scene. High society would flock here to drink the famous spa water, believing it would cure their illnesses and discomforts. Visitors can still sample the spring water today if they don’t mind its unusual taste!

The Pump Room room is also featured as a setting in two of Jane Austen’s novels – ‘Persuasion’ and ‘Northanger Abbey’.

See pictures of the Roman Baths here.