Bath

Hot springs have drawn people here since prehistoric times, so it's...appropriate to begin an exploration of Bath at this excellent museum on the site of the ancient city's primary "watering hole." — Fodor's

The abbey, built on the ruins of an 8C church, was begun in 1499. — Michelin Guide

Welcome to Britain’s only museum devoted to Americana (and yes, it's odd that they'd have one!). — Frommer's

The museum displays pieces from the 17th century to the present on some 165 mannequins, with highlights including work by British designers like Mary Quant and Alexander McQueen. — Condé Nast Traveler

This 18C bridge, designed by Robert Adam, is lined by small shops and domed pavilions on either side. — Michelin Guide

First-time visitors are blown away by the sweep and elegance of the Royal Crescent, a dazzling 30-house development. — Frommer's

When this mansion was Bath’s most exclusive hotel, Jane Austen kept an eye on the fashionable clientele from her nearby house. — Frommer's

This museum explores the story of Bath's architecture, with antique tools, displays on Georgian construction methods and a 1:500 scale model of Bath. — Lonely Planet

John Wood designed the masterful Circus, a circle of curving, perfectly proportioned Georgian houses interrupted just three times for intersecting streets. — Fodor's

The one place in Bath that gives Austen any space provides a briefly diverting exhibition about the influence of Bath on her writings. — Fodor's

Founded in A.D. 75 by the Romans, the baths were dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva; in their day, they were an engineering feat. — Frommer's

When they opened in 1771, the city's glorious Assembly Rooms were where fashionable Bath socialites gathered to waltz, play cards and listen to the latest chamber music. — Lonely Planet

The Royal Crescent contains this city's most stunning collection of Georgian architecture. — Frommer's

This relatively unknown gallery showcases the area's best collection of British and European art from the 15th century to the present. — Frommer's

One of the few places in Britain where you can bathe in natural hot-spring water, and in an open-air rooftop location. — Fodor's

In the garden of this modest Bath town house, which he shared with his sister Caroline (an astronomer in her own right), William Herschel (1738–1822) identified the planet Uranus. — Fodor's

Bath's Asian arts museum contains more than 500 jade, bamboo, porcelain and bronze objects from Cambodia, Korea and Thailand, and substantial Chinese and Japanese carvings, ceramics and lacquerware. — Lonely Planet

Today it's a school and the interior is not open to the public, but you may wander through the beautiful grounds, designed by Capability Brown and embellished with a Palladian bridge and lake. — Fodor's