The Bath Christmas Market is now open, and this year has more than 200 traders and 36 community groups offering gifts, crafts and food and drink. The market runs for 18 days from from Thursday 23rd November – Sunday 10th December. Check out the 2023 map of the market ahead of your visit.
The Bath Christmas market is open at the following times:
- Monday to Wednesday: 10am to 7pm
- Thursday to Saturday: 10am to 8pm
- Sundays: 10am to 6pm
Residents visiting the market are advised to plan their journeys in advance:
Bus / Park & Ride
Parking at the Park and Ride sites is free if taking the service into or out of the city. The Park and Ride services take just ten minutes to get to the centre of Bath and runs seven days a week. Useful information can be found online about Bath’s Park & Ride sites.
Regular First Bus X39/39 buses link Saltford and Bath. See First Bus’s journey planner. Following SPC’s campaign for ‘Fairer Fares’ (see article ‘Fairer Fares for Saltford residents announced!’) it’s good value to travel by bus (c.£4 adult return, £1.80 child return – please check the First Bus webpage ‘Bristol, Bath and the West ticket prices‘).
The A4 bus also links Saltford and Bath. The ‘AirDecker’ A4 timetable can be found here and more information about the service on the AirDecker website.
Car
Needless to say the roads between Saltford and Bath whilst the market is on are going to be busy so give allow extra time for journeys. The A4 though Saltford is looking clear for planned roadworks during the duration of the market, but emergency works may occur. Stay up-to-date via One.Network.
If travelling by car, variable message signs (the ones that light up next to the highway) will be in place for the duration of the market to let motorists know how full car parks are on approach.
Live occupancy levels are available at most car parks and can be checked online here.
Some parking options close to the Market are:
- Charlotte Street Car Park
- Manvers Street
- Podium Shopping Centre
- SouthGate
- Avon Street Parking
- Bath Cricket Club
There’s on and off-street parking in Bath (please note Royal Avenue will be closed to public traffic during the event). If choosing on-street parking options however be mindful that some areas are reserved for permit-holders. Please view signage.
If you’re driving in, we really do recommend taking the bus or Park and Ride to avoid the traffic!
Accessible parking: Most of Bath’s car parks have Blue Badge parking bays, and there are a lot of on-street Blue Badge spaces in close proximity to the Market.
You can visit Bath Christmas Market’s social media accounts for updates about the Christmas Market:
B&NES Council says that in 2022, the Bath Christmas Market attracted an estimated 426,000 visitors, boosting the local economy by an estimated £50 million.
Image shows Bath Abbey, taken during the B&NES residents pre-view evening for the Bath Christmas Market on 22 November 2023. Many stalls are located nearby at Abbey Square as usual, check out the map of the market for this location and others nearby.