Pulteney Bridge in Bath

Even its constant swarm of tourists can't detract from Bath's inherent charm.

Only 12 miles from gritty, bustling Bristol, this compact Georgian city looks and feels worlds away.

Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bath has been attracting tourists since the Roman Empire harnessed local hot springs here to feed a grand bathhouse. Today, the Roman Baths Museum is the city's prime attraction and includes the excavated passages and chambers of the former bathhouse.

If the museum whets your appetite for the real thing, the new Thermae Bath Spa complex offers some serious pampering. Complete with an outdoor rooftop bath and body treatment facilities, it takes Bath back to its 18th and 19th century heyday when it was England's prime health resort.

Alternatively, you could easily spend an entire day wandering around Bath's lovely Georgian streets, strolling the shop-lined Pulteney Bridge (inspired by the Ponte Vecchio in Florence) or embarking on a Jane Austen tour.