The New York Times has ranked Bath, a city in the south west of England, as the best place to visit in the world in 2025, topping a whole host of global contenders.
A prestigious newspaper ranking has placed a UK city loved by Brits as a world first. Bath, in Somerset, sits at the top of a 52-point annual list from the New York Times. It dubs Bath as the “best destination” and encourages its readers to explore the area, given it’s prominent links to Jane Austen, with this year marking her 250th birthday. This is a big deal for the city, as the author lived there for years and is said to have been inspired by her surroundings when penning some of her famous works.
Naming Bath as “Jane Austen’s England”, the NY Times said: “Jane Austen fans have a good reason to explore the southwest of England this year: It’s the 250th anniversary of her birth, and celebrations abound. Hampshire was both Austen’s birthplace and a source of inspiration; as a novelist, she was most prolific in this bucolic setting.” People can visit her former cottage, where an exhibition has been created. Bosses in Bath are also planning some commemorative events this year to mark Austen’s 250th birthday.
Bath, in the south-west, is loved by Brits and has many tourist attractions in its centre. One of the most popular is the Roman baths, historically used as a public bathing site in the 5th century. Visitors can also see popular TV series Bridgerton’s filming spots when marvelling at the period architecture, and unwind in the natural hot spring water of the Thermae Bath Spa – which in some ways aims to replicate the Roman baths experience.
The NY Times places Bath ahead of Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands, New York city museums and the hilly state of Assam in India. But do all Americans love Bath as much as this prominent newspaper? One Brit took to Reddit to say the city is often filled with American tourists, and they all seem to love it.
Reviewing the Roman Baths on TripAdvisor, one user was very complimentary of their UK visit. They said: “This is one of the most unique and beautiful historic sites in the UK. I am beyond impressed by how much of the baths they have unearthed so far, and how much is still waiting to be excavated from under the city. I took so many amazing photos and learned so many interesting facts about both Roman and British culture. This is a must-see when you visit Bath.”
Another who visited the landmark Royal Crescent, a semi-circled haven of period homes, said: “This was a long walk from downtown but cool to view. The architecture is neat and makes for great pictures. The pretty lawns on the front of it were also great for pictures and letting kids run around and play. It is close to the circus (architecture) about a 5 min walk. It’s also a 7 minute walk to Victoria park which our kids loved.”
On visiting the Thermae Bath Spa, one New Yorker said his experience was marred by the behaviour of others. He added: “The facilities were good but our entire experience was sadly marred by the behaviour of other visitors. Namely large groups of women whooping, laughing, constantly chattering and screaming, particularly in the area where the steam rooms and saunas were located. There were no staff around and no visible signage telling people to be respectful of others’ experience so we were left to just put up with it.
“It’s sad that people do not have the common sense to consider others in what is supposed to be a relaxing environment but ultimately it is the Spa’s responsibility to foster this environment and I did not see this happening at all.” The spa itself responded with a short statement, thanking the reviewer for their comments.
Have you been to Bath? Did you enjoy your experience? Let us know in the comments below.