Travel back in time to Jane Austen’s England, just over an hour’s train ride from London
The Romans put Bath Spa on the map more than 2,000 years ago, building baths to take advantage of the city’s hot springs. Today, the Unesco-listed World Heritage Site, with its perfect honey-hued Georgian architecture, is also known as the setting for Jane Austen’s six novels – including the oft-adapted Pride and Prejudice – all classics of Western literature.
Austen’s 18th-century world, a period known as Regency, was all about frocks and bonnets, balls and country mansions, and strict observance of social etiquette. It has long captured the world’s imagination, spawning TV series such as Bridgerton and Sanditon.
This year, as the city where Austen lived and worked celebrates her 250th anniversary, expect more events than usual at the annual Jane Austen Festival (between 12 and 21 September) – a costumed promenade, a summer ball, theatre performances, talks, workshops and more.
Make sure to book a stay at YTL Hotels’ The Gainsborough Bath Spa, a luxury hotel with access to thermal baths that also leans into Austen’s world. Enjoy their History & Heritage Afternoon Tea, something Jane Austen and her heroines indulged in regularly. Over freshly made scones and clotted cream, you will learn more about the local history.
For die-hard fans, plan a visit between 13 and 18 October, when the hotel celebrates the beloved author with a series of events, from curated talks by Jane Austen experts and Regency dance workshops to excursions to the Austen family home outside Bath and walking tours of historic landmarks.
Visit Sally Lunn’s, Bath’s oldest building (dating back to the mid-1400s), and a historic bakery, renowned since the mid-1600s for its delectable Bath Buns – a sugary sweet roll that had Austen in raptures. Take a peek into the Jane Austen Centre, the iconic building where the Austen family once lived and where you can learn more about the author, dress up in era-appropriate outfits – and yes, parasols – before embarking on a stroll to various Austen-associated locations, such as the Assembly Rooms, the scene of many balls.
