Essential Bath InformationDown-to-earth Bath information to help you fully enjoy your visit to this beautiful cityWhen visiting a new place, it takes a while to get to grips with where things are and how to go about things most effectively.This practical information is designed to get you off to a flying start! Please contact me if there is any additional Bath information you would like to see on this page. Below you will find information about: Bath Tourist Information Centre Parking – frankly these days I prefer to park outside the city centre and walk in, but even that has become difficult due to the allocation of roadside parking to residents with council-issued permits. I can hardly believe that once upon a time it was possible to park outside the bank and run in to make a quick transaction – nowadays wardens materialise out of thin air the minute your back is turned! Any resident will give you this vital piece of Bath information - don’t be tempted to take any chances with parking in the city of Bath – if you leave it somewhere you shouldn’t, your car will be clamped and/or towed away, and you will have to pay a hefty fee to get it back. If you are driving into the city for the day, I’d recommend the Park and Rides: at Odd Down on the A367 as you approach from the southwest Newbridge on the A39 from the west Lansdown near the racecourse from the north Bath University from the A36 from the southeast. Buses run every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday for a reasonable return fare. Main car parks – are in Avon Street,Charlotte Street,Ham Gardens,Manvers Street andWalcot Street. On-street parking is available on many streets in the city centre and costs from £1.20 to £2.40 per hour depending on location. Between 8 am and 6 pm you must buy a ticket from the machines and display it clearly – wardens regularly check ticket times so don’t let it expire. 
Limited time free parking spaces are scattered around the city, but are often between residents’ parking and are also regularly policed, so check the signs carefully. Unlimited free parking is available in the part of Victoria Park to the west of Marlborough Lane, but fills up early in the morning with commuter traffic. Public loos – vital Bath information if you’re new to the city! Public loos are situated in the octagonal kiosks at the Approach golf course on Weston Road above Victoria Park next to the tennis courts on Royal Avenue, which bisects the park on Charlotte Street at the entrance to the car park next to Waitrose on Walcot Street and also on the first floor of the Podium on the Henrietta Mews side of Henrietta Park. There are customer toilets available in Jollys in Milsom Street and in Marks and Spencer, Stall Street. Bath Tourist Information Centre
 The logical starting point for your visit is Bath Tourist Information Centre next to the Abbey in Abbey Churchyard. It stocks a huge range of Bath information including 'what's on' and accommodation guides. Close by on the corner of Stall Street and York Street and next to the Roman Baths, is Mementoes, where you can buy souvenirs of your trip to Bath England. Bath Central Library Whether you want to research some Bath information, access the internet or just sit somewhere quiet and read the paper, Bath Central Library on the first floor of the Podium (above Waitrose) is a pleasant space overlooking the river. Cashpoints – as well as at the usual banks and building societies, there are cashpoints at Sainsburys supermarket in Green Park and Sainsburys petrol station at Pines Way Post Offices
 The main post office is at the end of New Bond Street opposite Waitrose. Others close to the city centre can be found by St James’s Square at the bottom of St James's Parade opposite Boots and across the river in Widcombe. Stamps can be bought in many supermarkets, stationers and newsagents. Where to picnic
 The centre of Queen Square is a grassy area surrounded by railings which in good weather quickly fills up at lunch-time with people sitting on the benches and sun-bathing on the grass. Very close to the centre and so handy to dash to having grabbed a bite to eat and a coffee. The downsides are the local pigeons eager to share your lunch and the constant traffic flowing round the square. 
If you would like a bit more peace and quiet, leave the square at the north-west corner and walk through the stone gateposts guarded by lions into Royal Victoria Park. To the left on the other side of the pavilion are the tennis courts where you can sit on one of the benches and watch more energetic people hit a ball about. Or just choose one of the seats or a patch of grass under the trees on Royal Avenue.
 If you find yourself in the vicinity of Pulteney Street, walk down Henrietta Street until you come to Henrietta Park on the right. There are plenty of seats here where you can watch dogs being walked and Bath residents taking the air. Just inside the Henrietta Street entrance is an enclosed garden for the blind where the plants have been chosen for their fragrance and texture and arranged around the central pool.  There are picnic benches by the riverside at the back of the Podium
and benches along the riverside between the weir and North Parade.
 Newsagents
 The independent shops I have mentioned on my shopping pages are all very well, but what about the everyday variety that we all need regularly, newsagents for example? Not very easy to locate in a new place and you could end up walking around for ages without finding one. Look in: Gay St just up from Queen Square at the top of Broad Street by the traffic lights Walcot Street, next to the Tramshed Waitrose in the Podium Argyle Street near the Laura Place fountain Westgate Street Kingsmead Square WH Smith in Union Street. The Bath Chronicle
 The Bath Chronicle is one of the oldest local papers in the country, and the obvious source of much Bath information. Published daily since 1760, in September 2007 it moved to weekly publication and comes out every Thursday. The 250 pages include a pullout property section, 'Marketplace' which carries classified ads, cars and jobs, and a monthly business section.
The Chronicle website www.thisisbath.co.uk is updated daily and contains a variety of local Bath information from readers' restaurant reviews to cinema times, as well as an archive of news items. You can sign up for daily email updates - see 'Register Online' under the daily headlines. Bath Life magazine
 Bath Life magazine is published fortnightly and sold at independent newsagents in the city, as well as being available to read in some coffee shops, hairdressers, beauty salons etc. It is the local 'glossy' with features on the arts, eating out and seasonal Bath information, plus a large section on upmarket property - read it and drool! The Bath Magazine
 The Bath Magazine is a free glossy magazine delivered to households in and around the city of Bath. You will find it in many hotels, B&Bs and cafes, and from it you will glean lots of Bath information about events, local issues, the arts, food etc. Click on the link above and you can also read it online. Laundrettes can be found in Margarets Buildings, between the Circus and the Crescent, where at the delightfully-named Spruce Goose, Julia will do a service wash for you. Also off St James’s Square at the Bathwick Street end of Daniel Street and in Claverton Street, Widcombe, just across the river behind the station. Back to top of Bath Information
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