After coming 6th in 2024, Bath has been revealed today as the ‘Best UK City’ in Condé Nast Traveller magazine's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards, beating landmark cities including London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Cambridge and Liverpool to the no. 1 spot.  

The 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards represent the most loved and cherished travel experiences, as voted for by Condé Nast Traveller’s loyal readers and are regarded as the biggest and most influential in travel. This year, an astounding 182,500 readers in the UK shared their experiences and voted for their favourite countries, cities, hotels, spas, islands, resorts and more…  

After coming 6th in 2024, Bath has been revealed today as the ‘Best UK City’ in Condé Nast Traveller magazine's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards, beating landmark cities including London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Cambridge and Liverpool to the no. 1 spot.  

2025 has been a phenomenal year for Bath, with the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth inspiring a host of additional exhibitions and experiences celebrating the author’s impact during the year, putting the city in the global spotlight. Visit West has worked in partnership with national tourism organisation Visit Britain to garner press attention from all over the world, including the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Toronto Star, FT China, The Australian, Vanity Fair Italy, El Pais Spain and Forbes.com.  

Bath Abbey - credit David Cherriman
Image: Parade Gardens & Bath Abbey, credit David Cherriman  

Bath continues to flourish with new openings, making it a vibrant city for residents and visitors, and a prime destination to visit, study, live and work. This autumn will see the unveiling of the £14m transformation of the Francis Hotel with its new spa due to open early next year, and the opening of restaurant Root Bath by Bristol chef Josh Eggleton in Shires Yard (formerly Milsom Place).

Next year, the city will celebrate 20 years of the Thermae Bath Spa, an exclusive exhibition at The Holburne: Post Impressionist Printmakers from Manet to Picasso, opening in May, and the reimagined immersive Georgian experience at Bath Assembly Rooms by The National Trust will open at the end of 2026/early 2027.   

Go to visitbath.co.uk for further inspiration and information on visiting Bath.   

ENDS 

For further information or images, please contact press@visitwest.co.uk.  

About Visit West  

Visit West is the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for the West of England. They represent the four unitary authorities of Bath & North-East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, businesses within these areas, and members beyond, working to maximise the potential of the region's visitor economy.   

Visit West promotes the region globally, supports tourism businesses with development, marketing, and research, and drives growth by collaborating with local authorities, industry, and educational partners. The organisation prioritises sustainable practices, inclusive experiences, and community engagement. Visit West operates the Visit West Convention Bureau and the Visit Bath and Visit Bristol consumer websites.