The Roman Baths & Pump Room have been voted as the UK’s third best historic attraction by readers of consumer magazine Which?
The historic site, which is owned by Bath & North East Somerset Council, scored an impressive five stars – out of five – for its engagement and entertainment value, with a number of visitors telling Which? that they appreciated the high-quality video exhibits on offer.
Others praised it for giving them the chance to explore the “fascinating” and “well-preserved” ruins in the heart of the city.
The survey of almost 3,000 Which? members took place in April and May and was based on nine criteria, including overall value for money, helpfulness of staff and lack of crowds, with the Baths & Pump Room receiving four stars for value for money and three for its lack of crowds.
The accolade comes at the end of a busy summer for the attraction, with monthly visitor numbers exceeding 100,000 for the first time since 2019 – with 105,000 in August alone.
It also follows its success in the annual Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards in June, when it voted the world’s eighth best attraction and number one in the UK – making it more popular than the Eiffel Tower, Central Park and the Tower of London among reviewers on the travel website.
Cllr Guy said: “Not only do the Roman Baths, and the council’s other museum and heritage sites, provide an excellent service for visitors – the money they make is used by the council to improve the lives of residents across Bath and North East Somerset.
“Staff at the Baths work hard to provide an outstanding and memorable experience for all of our visitors, and we’re delighted to have this recognised by visitors themselves in the Which? survey.”
The Tripadvisor Awards and Which? survey have given a major boost to the Baths, which suffered a near 73% fall in visitor numbers in 2020 to just over 350,000 compared to 1.3m in the previous year due to the pandemic lockdowns.
That sent it tumbling to 51st place in a table of most-visited UK attractions as outdoor attractions such as gardens, parks, forests and zoos reaped the benefits when predominately indoors were forced to close for long periods or reduce their opening hours.
Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire and the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh tied in first place in the Which? survey with scores of 88% The Roman Baths & Pump Room was just one percentage point behind with 87%, sharing third place with Culzean Castle and Country Park in Scotland.
Pictured: Bath & North East Somerset Council leader Kevin Guy, left, with Baths Visitor Experience Host Tom Robinson
