But it's not perfect. It's beauty brings millions of visitors each year, with the associated traffic — both in terms of cars on the roads and people on the pavements — which that entails.
So rather than living in the city itself, having a lovely country house a few miles away is the ideal compromise — and all at far less than you'd pay for a townhouse in one of Bath's famous crescents.
Marksbury — £1.4 million
Church Farm's history stretches back almost 350 years, and it wears its character on its sleeve while still being a comfortable, cosy family home with five bedrooms, a sun room and a courtyard among its charms.
The house and its several outbuildings are set in 7.5 acres of land on the edge of a village seven miles from the city of Bath. Marksbury is a fine place to live with a primary school, Co-op and a vibrant local community.
For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.
Clandown — £1.25 million
This grade II-listed former vicarage is a huge house spread over three floors that's irresistibly pretty from the moment you spy the original stone porch and doorway with greenery growing above and around it.
There are eight bedrooms and over 5,700sq ft of space in the three-storey building, enough to give everyone in the family enough space — but if you still need an escape, the renowned Babington House members club is just four miles away.
For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details about this property.
Nettlebridge — £895,000
Gales Court is a deceptively-young house built in the Georgian style, set in a secluded spot a few miles off the road between Wells and Frome.
It's all laid out on a single storey, with three bedrooms, a sitting room and conservatory from which to look out of truly splendid gardens that include a lake and woodland.
For sale with Roderick Thomas. See more pictures and details about this property.
Neston — £2.75 million
The barn converted into a games room, the superb poolhouse, the all-weather manege and the tennis court will grab the attention at this gorgeous country home near Corsham, east of Bath and south of Chippenham.
Yet beyond the leisure facilities, the rest of Pond Close Farm is equally special, a 17th century house in classic Cotswolds style.
The whole place has had a huge amount of time, love and money spent on refurbishment, making this six-bedroom family home a truly special place.
For sale with Crisp Cowley. See more pictures and details about this property.
Woolverton — £1.95 million
If you're after a lifestyle business, or just want plenty of space, then this sprawling country house half-way between Bath and Froome could be just the ticket, with 12 bedrooms and over 10,000 sq ft of space.
It's currently used as a hotel, but this Gothic revival property dating to the 1860s has permission in place for conversion as a family home full of character, with wooden floors and panelling, stone mullion windows and beautiful fireplaces.
For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details about this property.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
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Credit: Luke Sheppard
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Credit: Andy Fletcher Photography
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Five frankly enormous mansions, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country LifeSometimes bigger really is better.
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Five frankly enormous mansions, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country Life
Sometimes bigger really is better.
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Character, history and comfort combine in a four-bedroom farmhouse in NorfolkWillow Farm near Southburgh is that rarest of things — a perfect combination of period charm and modern elegance in some of England's best countryside.
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A Grade I-listed Georgian townhouse that's part of the fabric of Bath's historyWith 5,500sq ft set over six floors in the centre of Britain's most architecturally rich city, there is much to love here.
