Big Guide to Bath Christmas Market in 2024
Bath Christmas Market is one of the best in England. Add to that it’s in an incredible city, and you’ve got a wonderful day out for all the family. Here’s why…
Bath is a wonderful city, in fact, one of the prettiest in England. The bath stone building blocks, hills, and green spaces and plazas just make the city stand out, and assured its World Heritage City status. At Christmas, Bath is even more special. With classy Christmas decorations, market stalls and unique shops getting in on the vibe, Bath Christmas Market is one of the best places to get your Christmas shopping done, and to get in the festive mood.
Bath Christmas Market dates 2023: 23rd November – 10th December
Bath Christmas Market
One of the main reasons for us to go to Bath at Christmas was to visit the Bath Christmas Markets.
We had a delicious lunch on our first day, near the Roman Baths, of ‘Apricot and Beef Stew with Mash’ for Ben, and festive ‘Macaroni Cheese’ for me. It was just a little street food stand, yet Ben gave his stew 9/10, and trust me, it’s difficult to score that high with him!
Bath Christmas markets sell anything from candles and soaps, to handbags, to Christmas decorations and flowers.
More things to do in Bath at Christmas
Visit Bath Abbey at Christmas
A great place to soak up the atmosphere and get in the Christmas mood. If you’re visiting Bath for Christmas do a little research to see what special events are on for your dates. As you’ll see for our Christmas evening entertainment, there’s usually something going on.
Visit the Roman Baths
One of the most popular things to do in Bath, if not the, is to visit the Roman Spa. Here you can see where the Romans used to bathe, and walk around looking at the old relics. Take the stairs to the top and you also get a good view over the city.
No 1 Crescent
If you’re in Bath in December it’s well worth going to No 1 Crescent to see the impressive property decorated for a Georgian Christmas. The immersive experience takes you on a journey to see what life was like back in the day, you can also meet Santa.
We didn’t actually do this on our Christmas visit to Bath, as we wanted to hit the shops and Bath Christmas markets!
Independent shops on Walcot Street
This was my favourite shopping area in Bath. Walcot Street had lots of independent shops to explore, just make sure you go far enough up. Together Walcot Street and London Road are known as the Artisan Quarter in Bath. A great place to pick up some England souvenirs too.
This Ubiety pop up shop was one of my favourite finds here. All profits made from the festive pop up go straight to the local hospice, so I bought a fancy diffuser for our living room.
One of the most popular spots here is The Loft, if you just go a street back from Walcot Street. They also have a popular cafe there. Check out our guide to Bath if you want to know more.
Pulteney Bridge shops
Pulteney Bridge is one of only four bridges in the world, that have shops on them. The others, if you’re interested, are the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the Rialto in Venice, and the Krämerbrücke in Erfurt, Germany. Proud to say I’ve been to three out of the four. Of course this makes the Pulteney Bridge shops a must visit in Bath, especially at Christmas.
Bath Saturday Artisan Market
Head to Queen Square for the Saturday Artisan Market in Bath. It’s year round but if you’re visiting Bath in December, it’s that little bit extra special.
Bath Guildhall Market
Bath Guildhall Market is where you want to be for local cheeses, coffee and general market bits. I also noticed a great price on a bacon bap. There’s a vintage sweet shop in here, well worth a look, and the walk through to Pulteney Bridge provides the scenic route to the shops there.
Evening in Bath
I booked us two tickets for the Cabaret and Burlesque night at Komedia – Bath’s ‘premium entertainment venue’. We had a lovely two hours watching skills in mime, burlesque, festive dance, aerial hoop and aerial silks. A strong highlight was our compere Kiki singing her Australian version G’Day, to the tune and sentiment of Adele’s Hello. It was very funny.
The best independents shops in Bath
There are so many independent shops in Bath, mainly around the areas I’ve mentioned. If you want to do some research before you go, here are my top picks for the best shops in Bath…
- Topping Books
- Bertinet Bakery
- Maze
- Found
- Flamingo
- My Small World
- Rossiters
- Meticulous Ink
- Mr B’s Emporium
- Bath Aqua Glass
- Up to Seven
- Re.Store
Top tip: Christmas in Bath is not complete without a visit to Graham and Green. This is now my all time favourite shop the world over, and I could’ve spent a lot of money here. In fact, I did.
READ MORE: The Best Day Trips from Bath. And if you want to travel from Bath to London, or Bath to Stonehenge, we can help you out with that too!
Where to eat in Bath at Christmas
I’d definitely recommend visiting the Christmas Market for a mulled wine and meal – you can expect bratwurst, burgers, stews and cheesey treats.
The Bath Christmas Markets are a relatively cheap way of eating, and you get to sit outside too. We were lucky enough to have a relatively mild day for our Christmas visit to Bath and enjoyed the fresh Somerset air.
We went for dinner at Hondo Sushi, just because we’re both a bit obsessed with sushi and it was the highest rated on Trip Advisor. It ended up being a fabulous decision. Every dish was a delight, and I almost didn’t miss the sashimi at all.
Experiencing Bath at Christmas
Experiencing Bath at Christmas this year was a lovely end to the year. I enjoyed looking round the Bath Christmas markets and loved seeing the city all dressed up!
- 5 Tips for Setting Up an Airbnb in the UK - 19 March 2024
- MOT Test: The Foundation of Road Safety Maintenance - 14 March 2024
- Why the UK Makes the Perfect Wedding Venue Destination - 22 February 2024
