Jane Austen’s Bath: 8 iconic locations fans should visit

While it’s always a good time to visit Bath, you should be pushing the English city to the top of your to-visit list this year for one special reason: 2025 marks 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen.

With her wit and her insights into human nature (and romance), Austen changed literature through her six novels published between 1811 and 1817.

The city will be hosting special events throughout the year – which you can read about here in our guide to the Austen 250 celebrations – but if you’re just looking to explore Jane Austen’s Bath for yourself, here are eight places to visit now.

For an introduction to Jane Austen’s time in Bath, head to The Jane Austen Centre. This informative museum starts with a live presentation by one of the centre’s experts, followed by a walk-through exhibition offering more information on where Jane lived and played in the city – a knowledgeable guide stays with you throughout the experience to answer any questions.

For a good photo op, dress up in pieces from centre’s Georgian clothing collection, then enjoy afternoon tea up in the Regency Tea Rooms on the top floor.

Bath’s Assembly Rooms are where all the high flyers of Jane’s time came to have a wild night out (well, as wild as was socially acceptable for the time) – it was the place to see and be seen. While the fashionable parties of Austen’s time are a thing of the past for the Assembly Rooms today, these are a must-visit if you want to tread in the English author’s footsteps.

Pay particular attention to the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceilings – these are originals from the late 18th century, the very same that would have hung over Austen as she socialised here.

Austen lived in a number of locations during her time in Bath, but her longest stay was three years in 4 Sydney Place. In her letters to her sister Cassandra, she spoke of spending a lot of time in this area, in particular exploring nearby Sydney Gardens.

Take a stroll over Pulteney Bridge and down Great Pulteney Street – one of Bath’s most impressive Georgian avenues, mentioned frequently in Northanger Abbey – and turn left at the end to reach the house, which is commemorated by a plaque. It’s now a sleek hotel, so you can stay inside the house that Austen called home.

The Pump Rooms were where fashionable folks of 19th century Bath came to socialise and catch up on gossip.

Today, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea here (dinner is served in July and August only), while being entertained by live musicians playing classical music. Very refined, indeed!

Avid Jane Austen fans will be familiar with Beechen Cliff, a place mentioned in Northanger Abbey – this has since been renamed Alexandra Park. In letters to her family, Austen described this as one of her favourite viewpoints, and it’s easy to see why when you’re presented with its sweeping panoramas.

A staircase runs from Calton Road – just south of Bath Spa train station on the south side of the River Avon – up to the park. The hike is no mean feat, but takes just 20 minutes from the city centre and is worth the exertion.

Austen’s novels have been made into films and TV programmes many times, and Bath has been used for a number of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion adaptations.

Bath Street was featured in the 2007 film Persuasion, and the 1987 BBC adaptation of Northanger Abbey featured The Assembly Rooms and Bath Abbey. The latest Persuasion adaptation, starring Dakota Johnson, also featured Bath Street, Hot Bath Street, The Royal Crescent, Brock Street and Gravel Walk.

Much to fans’ dismay, the 2007 film adaptation of Northanger Abbey was shot in Dublin…

Heavily featured in Austen’s novels, and one of Bath’s liveliest roads, Milsom Street is a good spot to take a look around and imagine yourself in Georgian Bath.

Raise your gaze above the shop fronts and take in the tops of the buildings – many of these were here in Austen’s time, and she would have strolled past them frequently.

Along here you’ll also find Jolly’s, which is one of the world’s oldest department stores having been opened in 1831 – a little after Austen’s time but impressive nonetheless.

In September every year, Jane Austen fans come to Bath for The Jane Austen Festival, a ten-day Georgian extravaganza. The festival takes place all over town: in the city’s most famous buildings and on the streets – a parade is held with participants dressed up in Regency costume.

Lectures, readings and theatrical performances also pack the programme, and you can learn the era’s traditional dances in a series of glitzy balls.

This is the ultimate Austen event, and there are few better times to be in the city if you want to discover Jane Austen’s Bath.