Bath Christmas Market 2026

Bath Spa is the only station you need. It is managed by Great Western Railway and has step-free access to all platforms. The organiser describes it as a short walk from the market and says there are regular trains from London, with Bristol Temple Meads about 15 minutes away by train. In a straight line the station is about a quarter of a mile from Abbey Churchyard, and the first chalets are nearer than that. The organiser's page warned of engineering works affecting trains from London on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November, so check before travelling that weekend.

Bath has three park and ride sites, all run with First Bus services, and the organiser asks drivers to use them rather than come into the centre. Buses run every day; the normal timetable has first buses at 06:15 Monday to Saturday and 09:30 on Sunday, with last buses back from the centre at 23:30 Monday to Saturday and 18:00 on Sunday. The organiser says extra buses run during the market, including Sunday buses until 19:00, but check the timetable nearer the time. An adult return was £4.00 in October 2026 and up to five children travel free with a paying adult. Parking is free if you use the bus and return the same day.

The organiser would rather you did not drive in: streets around the stalls are closed during the market and the centre gets very busy. If you must, these council car parks are the closest. All are open 24 hours and charge every day, with overnight charges added if you stay after 8pm. The council's pages did not show a tariff when we read them in October 2026 and point to the MiPermit site for prices, so no prices are given here. Charges apply to Blue Badge holders in the car parks unless signs say otherwise. Bath also has a Clean Air Zone, though not all vehicles are charged.

The market is on ordinary city streets and the organiser says most of it is accessible, with cobbles at Abbey Green. Accessible event toilets are at Terrace Walk, Bilbury Lane and the Royal Avenue coach drop-off. The nearest Changing Places toilets are at Bath Leisure Centre (BA2 4ET) and Southgate Vaults, 12 Southgate Street. Blue Badge holders can park free with no time limit in on-street pay and display bays, but police road closures may take out the Blue Badge spaces on Cheap Street, Westgate Street and Upper Borough Walls. Bath Central Library is offered as a quiet place to sit if the crowds get too much.

The organiser says midweek is generally the more relaxed time to come and that weekends can get quite busy. There is a quiet shopping time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10am and 12 noon, when no large-scale entertainment is scheduled, aimed at visitors with sensory sensitivities. The organiser does not say which hours of the weekend are busiest.

Bath on Ice, the outdoor rink in Royal Victoria Park (BA1 2NR), runs from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, so it is open for the whole of the market. Skating sessions are ticketed. The park is next to the Royal Avenue coach drop-off, which the market organiser puts at about a 10 minute walk from Milsom Street at the northern end of the stalls.

The stalls run from Abbeygate Street in the south to Milsom Street in the north, so anywhere in the compact city centre is on the doorstep. The streets around the station and SouthGate, Queen Square, the Circus and the lower end of Pulteney Street across the bridge are all an easy walk. Further out, places near the park and ride routes on Lansdown Road or at Bear Flat let you take the bus in.