Roman Baths Museum

The Roman Baths are Bath's greatest claim to fame, and gave the city its name. The only hot springs in the country (rising at 46 were known and used by local tribes before the Roman conquest of Britain, but the civilised newcomers had no intentions of paddling in muddy springs or ponds. They developed the area around the thermal springs, building a reservoir to capture water, a temple and a lavish complex of baths, changing rooms and public spaces of the sort they were used to in the rest of the Empire.

The temple here was dedicated to Sulis Minerva, the conflation of Roman goddess Minerva with a local deity (the Roman name for the town was Aquae Sulis). A gilt bronze head of the goddess survives and can be seen in the museum at the Roman Baths, along with other fragments of sculpture and mosaics.

The museum is well-planned and a good audio-guide is included in the entrance price. This helps visitors to put the site into context, and to make sense of the different buildings you are seeing, which include original Roman features, buildings from the later Georgian heyday of Bath, and nineteenth-century additions, such as the terrace above the Roman Great Bath, the first stop for visitors. Although bathing continued to be popular in Bath, the Roman ruins were lost for centuries. Nineteenth and twentieth-century excavations uncovered the lead-lined Great Bath, where the current colonnades and terrace were constructed on top of the Roman lower levels, and other parts of the Roman bathing complex, which are underneath later buildings. Back in Roman times, the Great Bath was covered and its waters would have been clear - the greenish colour today is caused by algae reacting with sunlight.

Passing down into the depths of the museum, you work through exhibits illustrating the long history of the site. Archaeological finds on display include Roman tombstones, statues and many votive offerings and curses which were thrown into the Sacred Spring for the gods. Translations are provided of the curses, which are worth reading (generally disgruntled citizens calling down curses on whoever stole their valuables).

Walkways pass over and around the excavated Roman ruins, with video reconstructions to help visitors picture the temple complex. After circling the steaming waters of the bath - thank goodness the Health and Safety demons haven't planted railings here yet - you can also view the other baths used by the Romans, who liked a series of different-temperature dips.

The museum visit ends with the chance to taste the spa waters in the Pump Room.

The entrance to the Roman Baths Museum is just outside the Abbey in the centre of Bath. A full-price adult ticket costs £9.50, and there are reductions for semior citizens, children and students. Family tickets and combined tickets with the Museum of Costume are also available. To get the most from the museum, you should allow 1-2 hours for your visit. The museum is open every day except 25th and 26th of December, opening at 9am (9.30am in the winter). In July and August the museum is open until 10pm (last admission 9pm) so visitors can enjoy evening visits to the torchlit baths.

The Museum's official website (see links panel on the right) is well-worth a visit: it's packed with information and you can even listen to parts of the audio-guide.

> More Bath tourist attractions