We were dropped nearby Bath Abbey and allowed our own free time. My first destination in Bath… the Roman Baths.
The Great Bath of Roman Baths
The Roman Baths complex is now developed into a museum; an audio-guide was provided (with multiple languages to choose from) with a nominal entrance fees.
Mind that the water is not safe to touch or drink because it’s infested with bacteria.
People can drink the spring water at the classy 300-year-old Pump Room Restaurant instead. In fact I was thinking of having lunch there (the price was decent by UK standard) but gave up due to time constraint.
The Great Bath; ruins of the Hippocamp mosaic (bottom left); aqueduct for spring overflow (bottom right) - the stones are reddish because of the minerals from the spring water.
The first settlers at the hot spring were the Celts, who built a shrine dedicated to the goddess Sulis. The area was named Aquae Sulis by the Romans during their occupation of Britain (43AD - 410AD).
The Romans then developed the Roman Baths complex, with numerous huge and small bath tubs, Roman temples and courtyard; at its prime it’s said that the complex could fit in 3000 people in all the bath tubs.
The complex was not properly maintained after the Romans left and many structures were fallen apart. The Roman complex was redeveloped again in 18th century, including some of the current structures.