Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Bath

Before you go

What happens when you get there

The three big attractions

The Roman Baths permit only assistance dogs and ask that all other pets are not brought on site. Bath Abbey welcomes assistance dogs throughout and publishes nothing beyond that. Thermae Bath Spa has no dog policy at all and its pools are 16 and over, so expect a no. Plan the dog's day around the parks and the towpath, and do the sights on a day when someone can sit with the dog.

Royal Victoria Park

Fifty-seven acres directly below the Royal Crescent, with the botanic gardens, the Great Dell aerial walkway and the Pavilion cafe inside it. It is between 200 and 600 metres from six of the nine city hotels on this list, which makes it the default walk for the Royal Crescent, Circus, Queen Square and Lansdown addresses. Bath and North East Somerset Council runs dog control orders across its parks, so read the signs at the gate rather than assuming off-lead everywhere.

Bath Skyline

A National Trust six-mile circular, 9.6 kilometres and about three and a half to four hours, starting at Bathwick Hill by Cleveland Walk. The Trust asks for close effective control and leads around grazing animals, farmland and the Woodland Play Area. It takes in roads, surfaced paths, steep hills, a rocky uneven stretch, steps and a stile, so it is a proper walk rather than a morning stroll. The trailhead is about 600 metres uphill from The Bird and walkable from No.15, the Roseate Villa and the Abbey Hotel.

The canal towpath

The Kennet and Avon runs from Sydney Gardens through Widcombe locks and out to Bradford on Avon. It is flat, shaded and the best hot-weather option in the destination. Sydney Gardens is the city access point, 400 to 600 metres from No.15, the Roseate Villa and The Bird, and at the far end it is the doorstep walk for Widbrook Grange, Timbrell's Yard and Woolley Grange. Canal and River Trust etiquette is leads near locks, bridges and moored boats.

Prior Park

Dogs are welcome throughout the National Trust garden, at visitor reception and in the Tea Cabin area, on short leads, with water bowls by the Tea Cabin. They are not allowed in the Pasture when cattle are grazing, which is April to November, and they cannot swim in any of the lakes, including the two by the Palladian Bridge. There is no visitor car park, so it is the walk up from the city or the bus.

Room categories

Most Bath hotels run a designated dog-friendly room category rather than a hotel-wide yes, so you are booking a specific room type and it goes first. The Roseate Villa, Timbrell's Yard, No.15 outside the Small Guest Rooms and The Bird in most rooms are the exceptions. The Bath Priory is down to Foxglove and Moringa, Harington's to Superior rooms only since May 2025, and the Royal Crescent to a small number of garden-access rooms that must be booked in advance.

Fees

GBP 20 a night at Harington's, The Roseate Villa, Bailbrook House and Beechfield House. GBP 25 a night at The Bath Priory, Guyers House and Woolley Grange. GBP 30 at the Francis, GBP 35 at Homewood and The Bird, GBP 50 a day at Lucknam Park. The per-stay ones are the value: GBP 20 at Timbrell's Yard, GBP 25 at No.15, GBP 35 at the Abbey Hotel and GBP 50 at the Royal Crescent. Bailbrook caps at three nights, Beechfield waives it on two nights or more.

Vets

Vets Now Bath at Rosemary Lodge Veterinary Hospital, BA2 5RL, on 01225 282173, covers out of hours and bank holidays. The daytime practice on the same site is Rosemary Lodge, part of Bath Vet Group, on 01225 832521. Station Road Veterinary Surgery on 01225 428921 is the closer daytime option to the centre.

Best walks

Royal Victoria Park for 57 acres straight off the Royal Crescent, the Gravel Walk up to the Crescent lawn, and the Bath Skyline six-mile circuit from Bathwick Hill for the view back over the city. The Kennet and Avon canal towpath from Sydney Gardens through Widcombe locks to Bradford on Avon is the flat, shaded one for a hot day or an older dog. Prior Park for the Palladian Bridge on short leads, Alexandra Park for the view, and Henrietta Park, Sydney Gardens and Parade Gardens for a quick turn out of the door. The Two Tunnels Greenway runs a mile through a disused railway tunnel, and the American Museum and Gardens sits on the edge of town. Out in the country ring, Lucknam Park's mile-long beech avenue, Corsham Park's lake and tree avenue from Guyers House, the By Brook valley and the Macmillan Way through Castle Combe, and Barton Farm Country Park above Bradford on Avon.

When to go

April to October for the towpath, the Skyline and long light evenings in the parks, with May, June and September the pick for walking a dog uphill without cooking it. Bear in mind that the Prior Park Pasture is closed to dogs from April to November while the cattle graze, so the rest of that garden is what you get in summer. Winter works better here than in most destinations because the walking is the point and the big attractions were never open to the dog anyway, but the Skyline gets properly muddy and steep underfoot, which is where Widbrook Grange's wash station earns its place. Christmas in Bath is busy in the Abbey quarter, so stay in Bathwick or out in the country ring if crowds are a lot for your dog.