A few weeks ago George and I had a festive break in Bath and I thought for my first blog post of 2024, I'd share some of it. I still love looking back on blog posts from trips we took years ago so I think this type of post is something I'll always try and keep up with.
We actually visited Bath for the first time in July 2022 and we absolutely loved it. When we left we didn't think we'd plan a trip back anytime soon as it's quite a drive for us but then when we were thinking of places for a Christmas trip last year, Bath was somewhere that kept coming up again and again. We thought it would be really nice to see the city in a completely different time of year, get to experience the Christmas markets and also return to some of our fave places.
We ended up making really good time on the way there so once we checked in, we headed straight back out and went to one of our top places from last time, Mrs Potts Chocolate House. I have thought about their cakes and milkshakes numerous times over the last year as I definitely didn't appreciate them enough last time. We grabbed a slice of their Dream Cake and some sort of brownie chocolate milkshake and both were insane.
We walked it all off via the Christmas markets which were so pretty in the dark but to be honest over the 3 days we were there, it was always chaotic, I can't even really remember getting a proper look at any of the stalls bar a few because it was just so mad. I know you expect it to be busy - we'd already done a few Christmas markets by then which weren't quiet but the Bath ones which are actually spread out over most of the centre, were next level.
After working our way through the crowds though, we headed to Joya for a lovely meal. This is such a lovely independent restaurant in Bath. The steak is amazing (we had pasta last time and that is also gorgeous), the focaccia is perfectly salted and the desserts are beautiful.
The next day, after a delicious breakfast at Rosarios, we had a day of wandering around the shops, mainly some of the really nice homeware shops which we don't have at home. I picked up some more little Christmas decorations that we definitely didn't need and we also spent a good amount of time in Toppings and Company which is basically book shop heaven. After a visit to Bath Abbey that afternoon which is a really nice calming escape from what's going on just outside, we were both shattered so had a chilled evening in the hotel with pizza from Dough and some baked goods we'd picked up that day.
After a chilled evening the night before, we were much more awake and ready to explore on our final full day in Bath. After starting our morning with another delicious breakfast and coffee, we walked upto the The Circle and then headed down to the Royal Crescent. Unfortunately we got caught in the rain whilst we were there but it was still beautiful to see and we found some really cute little side streets with independent book shops and cafes all decorated for Christmas. 
That afternoon we took in more of the Christmas markets, made a final visit to Mrs Potts for hot chocolate this time, took lots of photos of the gorgeous tree at the Abbey and the surrounding views and then that evening we headed out to Bandook. This is the restaurant we went to on our final night last time so we thought it would be special to do that again this time as it's genuinely one of, if not the best restaurant we've ever been too. It's an Indian restaurant and the food is just out of this world. In fact, everything about it is - the service, cocktails, atmosphere, all of it. We had an array of different foods which were all just as good as we remembered and then we had a slow walk back to the hotel and saw Bath lit up for the final time. 
The next morning we pretty much just grabbed some coffees and pastries and then set off on the long journey back. We left having done everything we wanted to do and I think now we've been twice in 2 years, it will probably be a while before we add Bath to our travel plans again. It's such a picturesque city and full of so many amazing independent shops and restaurants, there's so many museums we've not even had chance to do yet too. I do think I preferred it in Summer just because of how busy it was this time, it was hard to take things in sometimes but I'm still so glad we went and I know it'll be a trip I remember for a long time.
I'd love to know if you've been to Bath before? or do you have any recommendations of where we could go next Christmas for a festive trip?
