Bath Abbey

We took the Bath Abbey tour, which cost £8 per person but we got £1 off our tickets as the guesthouse we were staying at was part of the “Discover Bath” scheme, so it’s worth checking with your hotel etc to see if they are part of the scheme too.

It was very wet and windy so there wasn’t many people at all on the tour so there were plenty of opportunities for photographs and it didn’t get too crowded at all at any point. We have been in Bath during the warmer weather and the tour had either been full or too crowded for me. Our tour guide was also polite and helpful and happy to answer questions.

It is a bit of a steep climb but it’s staggered in 3 stages and the first stage is the biggest so you get that side out straight away. It’s also very narrow and cramped in places, I’m 5ft tall and still had to duck at times!

The Abbey itself is very beautiful, the construction work makes it very noisy inside but from what I understand necessary and has been going on for a few years now, so there’s not much that can be done about that.

In all, well worth it and I’d like to go in the summer to see the difference!

We were in Bath for the day and I had read in advance about the Abbey tower tour in advance. Costing £16 for two of us.
We had not booked but on arrival to bath went straight to the Abbey in the morning to check availability of tours that day and to book.
As it was a Tuesday in January there was as lots of availability left and we booked on the two o’clock tour.
We left and returned 40 minutes before our tour time so we could look round the Abbey and to take photos.
We totally recommend the tour if you are able as you have to climb over 200 steps. As part of the tour you visit the bell room and behind the clock and a trip to the roof top of the tower which is great for views of the Bath and to take photos.

We got here early on a Monday and didn't have to queue but noticed later in the day a longer queue formed.
There are restoration works underway of the floor which you can see though clear panels , but you can still tour and admire the Abbey.
Staff friendly and helpful and even provided a mask as we had lost one on the way round the town .
You are asked for a donation fiver per adult which we happily paid but it is just a donation.

We visited today. We had to wait a little to get in due to them restricting to 40 people inside at any one time.

On entering there was hand gel and you were then directed to a desk. We knew a donation of £5 was suggested per person but in every other cathedral or church we have visited this has been at our own discretion and payable at any point during the visit. It felt it was forced upon us at the check in desk which felt quite uncomfortable. As a place of worship first and foremost it felt uncomfortable and frowned upon if anyone were to suggest not making the donation there and then or at least that was how we felt.

The inside of the abbey is beautiful and the ceiling is especially stunning. Most of the cathedral is inaccessible at the moment due to heavy building work. This looked quite interesting but I think they could enhance this by adding more viewing windows as everyone seemed very interested at the one available along with some more information on what they’re doing too. The abbey itself did feel incredibly small, whether this was due to how much is closed off at the moment I’m not sure.

Our trip was nice but felt tainted by the initial approach over donations which felt very forced, given the amount of work going on maybe they think no one will think it’s worth the £5 by the time they get to the end, who knows! Personally I don’t think it was worth that but hope the money is going towards preserving it for the future.

We visited the Abbey on a rainy day and it was well with a visit. We queued for around 20 minutes due to social distancing (be aware that they close the queue early, before the last admission time). The stonework is superb, particularly the ceiling and we enjoyed reading the memorials inside. There was an exhibition of Diptychs by Bath Artist Sue Symons depicting the life and miracles of Jesus which I also enjoyed. Admission is free with a suggested donation.

What a thoroughly interesting site, spent a good while looking around the place, which is worth a visit in itself. We came back for the next available TOWER TOUR which was very reasonably priced and the absolute highlight of my day - you need to be able bodied and physically fit to climb the steep and very numerous stairs of the spiral staircase, but you are well rewarded. Very knowledgeable guides, small groups (due to space confines) and amazing content - sitting behind the clock face, on top of the Fan ceiling, in the Bell Room and on the roof of the tower with its stunning views of Bath are BIG highlights. I'd give this 6 out of 5 if I could!

My partner & I visited Bath for the day on Friday 01.10.2021. Unwilling to pay high prices for The Roman Baths, we opted for Bath Abbey (free) and the tower tour (£10 each) at midday. Well worth the money for a 50minute amusing and very informative tour of the tower, stopping along the way up the 212 steps to be told of where we were in the tower and its history. Scarlett knew her stuff and assured us of how safe we were as we clambered up the (sometimes very narrow) spiral staircase to reach the top and what views! We were taken behind the clock face (see pic) and were also taken into the bell chamber and given its history and heard the bells chime on the half hour. WELL WORTH A VISIT,

I arrived early at the meeting point for the tower tour but the guide was already whisking the other 7 visitors towards the Tower steps. I needed to leave a bag and before I turned round the rest had disappeared upwards at an alarming pace! I’m a fairly fit seventy year old but I still asked the guide to slow down.
He gave a fairly full account but it was obvious he did not want to engage in casual chat but wanted to get to the top as quickly as possible ( and down again )
There was little evidence of inter personal skills and no humour and he could so easily have pointed out landmarks from the top. We were back down in less than 35 minutes although the pleasant ladies on the desk had said it should take up to fifty.
I was expecting more warmth & engagement - he told me he was a third year chemistry student .
A pity, it should have been so much more enjoyable and the ladies on the desk said they would follow it up
Disappointiing!

We wandered in here almost by chance on our visit to Bath today. The plan was to pop in if it was free, but having experienced it, it's well worth paying for (even though if the donation is optional!). The interior is absolutely stunning with incredible architecture and stained glass windows. So many little stories to unearth.

However, by far the best part of the visit was speaking to one of the tour guides (Patricia) who educated me on so much about the site, including how to read the stained glass windows, and the incredible work they did with recent renovations. It was like having a personal history lesson and I recommend anyone who visits, try to explore the fountain of knowledge these guides have. It really brings it all to life.

Situated next to the Roman baths, it's such a stunning Abbey. They were working on the Abbey so you only paid a small price.
The ceiling is beautiful and very ornate. The wood carving of angles playing instruments are amazing again so detailed.
It's very peaceful and calming.