An evening at the Bath Christmas Market

I love a good Christmas market. My first visit of the year makes me feel like the festive season has truly kicked off, although I do have a general rule that it should not be until at least the first of December. Sometimes, rules need to be broken though, and with the festivities kicking off late in November, I threw caution to the wind and visited the Bath Christmas Market one crisp and fresh November evening.

VISITING THE BATH CHRISTMAS MARKET

Having not had any experience of the traditional festive markets on the continent until more recently, I have had to make do with visiting a number of UK markets over the years, and we have some great examples in the south of England. For me though, no good Christmas market is complete unless is located near a huge cathedral, which is why an evening at the Bath Christmas Market ticks all the boxes on my wish list.

Having previously visited on a very busy Saturday in December, I chose to visit on a Tuesday evening in November to tie in with a work appointment in the city. The downside being that I was driving so I couldn’t sample the Glühwein, but the upside was that the market and city centre was relatively crowd free, meaning I could stroll around and take a good look at everything on offer without being jostled around in the crowds.

WHERE IS THE BATH CHRISTMAS MARKET?

Located in the heart of the city centre, the market takes up a large area centred around the Abbey Churchyard and close to all the top attractions of Bath including the Roman Baths, The Pump Room, The Thermae Spa and the Pulteney Bridge. The streets are lined with over 170 wooden chalets offering a huge variety of products including handmade gifts, Christmas decorations, clothing, artisan food and drinks. Over 80% of the stall holders are from the Bath and South West region, giving the event a true local feel.

EXPLORING THE BATH CHRISTMAS MARKET

My first port of call was the Abbey Churchyard – the focal point of the market with the backdrop of Bath Abbey to one side and the Roman Baths to the other. A selection of chalets were located here featuring decorations, gifts alongside local food and drink producers.

As well as food and drink from the stall holders, you can’t go to a Christmas Market without stumbling across a stall selling the staple drink of Christmas – Glühwein. The strong citrus smells wafting from the large steaming vats of Mulled Wine are so enticing. There’s also the option of non-alcoholic hot apple drinks for those of us that had to drive. Also delicious, but they don’t quite have the same festive kick as the Glühwein. For food options, there are hog roasts, burgers, roasted chestnuts and that other staple food from a continental Christmas market – Brätwurst.

From the Churchyard, I wandered down York Street before dropping through into Abbey Green, with a selection of chalets laid out in an oval around the small green. The chalets themselves are all unique, with slightly different lighting and decoration making them stand out from each other.

Much of the market is centred around these streets, however there is plenty more to discover when you cross the main shopping area of Stall Street and into Bath Street which heads down towards The Thermae Spa and Cross Bath – an open air traditional thermal-bath. Bath Street is stunning with its cobbles, colonnades to either side and the striking Georgian buildings lit up with spotlights.

A great selection of chalets line up Bath Street with some changing pop up stalls that vary from week to week. At the end of the street, the open square adjacent to Cross Bath features street performers, with more chalets in front of the beautiful backdrop of the Hospital of St. John the Baptist. It’s a gorgeous area that’s not to be missed.

There are other areas of the city covered by the market too meaning there is a fair bit of walking to do if you want to see the whole event. Union Street features a Bollywood Christmas section and further north, the Milsom Street area also has more chalets and stalls. All of this walking will no doubt leave you wanting to rest your weary legs and stop for some refreshments – it’s not all about wandering around the streets hugging a warm Glühwein and devouring a Brätwurst.

The market feature a couple of pop-up bars which were definitely worth visiting. The Lodge located on Stall Street featured an indoor seating area with locally brewed beers, mulled wine and cider as well as food options. Across to the other side of the Abbey area, the Apres Ski-Bar was set up and run by the Abbey Hotel on North Parade. Set up as a cosy alpine cabin with blankets to snuggle under, the bar offers some Christmas cocktails, appetisers, beers and (of course) mulled wine and cider. There was a lovely festive scene set up outside the hotel next the bar too.

From the Apres Ski-Bar, I strolled along North Parade towards Abbey Green. Walking down this damp and lamp-lit street, I was transported straight into the pages of a Dickensian novel. It felt like stepping back in time. This is one of the reasons that I love Bath – the architecture of the city is so beautiful. Although there has been some restoration work to many buildings over the years, it feels authentic and complimentary to the history of the city. Even the newer areas such as the SouthGate Shopping Centre,  whilst modern, are still very in-keeping with the historical architecture of the city.

I didn’t spend half as much time as I would have liked exploring Bath, but it’s definitely a city I would like to re-visit as a tourist and take in all of the sights.  For more information about the city, take a look at the VISIT BATH website.

USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT VISITING BATH

ABOUT BATH CHRISTMAS MARKET 2025 | The Bath Christmas Market runs from Thursday 27th November  to Sunday 14th December 2025.

GETTING TO BATH | Bath is located in the South West of England with great links from the M4 and M5 motorways. There are a range of city centre car parks, with varying prices depending on the length of your stay.

The city is only 90 minutes on the train from London Paddington, with trains operated by GWR. Bath Spa Railway Station is located in the city centre just a short walk from all of the attractions and Christmas Markets.

WHERE TO STAY IN BATH | Bath has a wide range of hotels ranging from large chains, to small boutique hotels and self-catering accommodation.

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