To the west of the city is the undercover Green Park market, housed in an old railway terminus. From Wednesday to Saturdays an arts & crafts market takes place here, joined on Saturdays by a farmers’ market. From Monday to Saturday you can also visit the Bath Abbey Heritage Vaults (open 10am–4pm; admission £2).Dinner with the locals Bistro Papillon (01225 310064) at 2 Margaret’s Buildings serves pricey but excellent French/Polish fare. Closer to town is Caffe Martini at 8/9 George Street (01225 460818), where Bathonians devour flamboyant Italian dishes. If you stay a little too long in the Star Inn (20), stagger across the road to The Paragon Wine Bar (01225 466212) for a hearty meal.An aperitifAbbey Ales is Bath’s only brewery Its tied pub is the Star Inn at The Paragon Try Bellringers – the top–selling cask bitter. Before entering, look up at the stone angels climbing ladders towards Heaven on the West Front. Inside, admire the vaulting on the ceiling and the plaques and monuments on the walls.

On Sundays, non–worshippers are allowed in only between 1.15pm and 2.45pm. Otherwise, hire a bike from Avon Valley Cyclery (01225 442442) behind the railway station – you get the same discount on admission.Sunday afternoon: go to church Head straight for the Abbey, that wonderful 15th–century structure that rises from the ruins of a Norman predecessor and dominates the skyline. It opens 11am–5pm on Sundays (9.30am–5.30pm on other days).Sunday morning: take a view Like Rome, Bath is surrounded by seven hills – a feature which, apparently, made the Romans feel homesick. The best viewpoint is the National Trust property of Prior Park – an 18th–century park created by Bath philanthropist Ralph Allen, with the help of the poet Alexander Pope and Lancelot “Capability” Brown. From here you can admire the city on a circular walk that takes you past lakes, a Palladian Bridge and the site of a Gothic Temple. Admission is £3.95; it opens 10am–5.30pm daily (from 10.30 am on Sundays).

A footman will pour you a glass of the bubbly, mineral–ridden spa water. If this is not to your taste, order a pot of tea and a Bath bun in the Pump Room Tea Room. Nearby is the Jane Austen Centre (01225 443000 ) at 40 Gay Street – she lived in the city from 1801 to 1806. But to reach the city’s steaming soul visit the Roman Baths (01225 477785 ) where 46C spring water gushes from the earth and the Roman remains of Aquae Sulis are revealed. Victoria Park also boasts a Botanical Garden and a duck pond.Cultural afternoon The entire city centre is a Unesco World Heritage Site, so just wandering the streets and admiring the calico–coloured Bath Stone buildings is fun. The open–air thermal pool will be on the roof, with spectacular views of the city. For more information, call 01225 338175 or visit walk in the park One reason Jane Austen didn’t like Bath was that it lacked a park.