Bath isn't short of tourists- it's a World Heritage site, and one of the best UK cities in terms of history and architecture, but most visitors miss out on a lot of the other attractions in the area.

The major sights, like the Roman Baths, The Royal Crescent, The Circus are all worth seeing, but the surrounding countryside includes a few gems such as the villages of Castle Combe, Lacock and Lacock Abbey - and some great landscape in the Limpley Stoke valley. Just outside Bath is Little Solsbury Hill, a great view over the city from an Iron Age hilltop village site - immortalised (maybe) in the Peter Gabriel song.

So this is a quick introduction to some of those places. Later, we'll look at the city centre attractions.

Lacock village is very picturesque, and contains a wealth of fine buildings, many from the medieval era. The Abbey was founded in 1232, and was modernised and extended in the 1590s after Henry VIII destroyed the monasteries, becoming a private house.

The cloisters is where two of the Harry Potter films were shot - the village is also used for many film and drama shoots.(Cranford is the latest) With a bit of mud and gravel covering the road, and no 4x4s in view, it looks like it did in former times.

Another National Trust property, close to Lacock, The Courts is a fine garden with a tearoom. There's not much to see, but anyone interested in gardening would probably enjoy it greatly.

This valley, only a couple of miles from Bath,has some stunning landscape. There is a river, a canal and great views of the surrounding hills. A viaduct crosses the river at one point, and there is a small marina for canal boats, with a good cafe and restaurant, The Angelfish.

A walk along the canal will take you to Ford tea gardens, a lovely outdoor garden and tearoom next to the canal. Warleigh weir is also great, and well known to locals as a picnic and bathing spot (hazardous)

Another village in the Bath area, Castle Combe is a very attractive place and a nice place for a walk. There are several very old pubs such as the White Hart.There is also a very upmarket hotel, The Manor House, and a Golf Club.

Bath has a number of major attractions for the visitor. Fortunately, the city is compact enough to see everything in a day, and it will be an interesting and educational day. First, see the Roman Baths, a unique Roman monument still in use until very recent times for swimming - many older Bath residents learnt to swim there.The scale of the archaeology is very impressive, and the exhibitions around the Roman ruins are really excellent - including details such as the inscribed lead plates thrown into the waters with curses written on them! Upstairs the actual baths are very impressive, and still in good working order after 2,000 years. In the same complex you'll find the Pump room, a Georgian Jane Austen-era vast confection of a room where you can take the waters, or tea (preferable but pricey)

From the Baths it's a short walk to the River, where Pulteney Bridge, modelled on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, is a major landmark. You can sit by the Weir in an outdoor cafe, or continue along the road to Laura Place, a beautiful Georgian collection of buildings with a fountain, and along Great Pulteney street, a wide street of palatial houses. At the end of this street is the Holburne Museum and art gallery, undergoing restoration at the moment - and beside the museum is a park which leads to the canal. The canal takes you on a pleasant walk out into open countryside almost immediately. Other things you should see in Bath - the museum of costume at the Assembly rooms, Bath Theatre Royal, The Circus (probably the best architectural feature of all - and the famous Royal Crescent. At No.1 Royal Crescent is a museum where you can sample the comfortable life of Georgian Bath, as the house and original furnishings are preserved in every detail.

Bath is also noted for the variety of shopping on offer, mostly around Milsom street in the centre.The rail link to London means it is very easy to get here. There are many great cafes in Bath - a few of my favourites are cafe Shoon (top floor of the shop) and Same same just off George street. For eating out, Aqua in Walcot street, Demuths vegetarian are both good. Live music is at The Bell, Walcot Street (Mon and Wed) at the Green Park Brasserie (most nights) and at Gascoyne Place, The Ring O' Bells, Widcombe on Sundays. Another great thing to do is to take a boat trip up the River Avon to Bathampton, as you'll see the city from another angle.

Rail travel to Bath is much cheaper if you book on the net. Very expensive trains mean it's well worth shopping around, and travelling after 9am and 7pm. Check raileasy.com for much cheaper fares.Another site is called the trainline. From London Paddington station it's about an hour and a half, and there is a frequent service.

Below are some pictures of Frome, about 15 miles from Bath. It's a town with a lot of historic buildings, cafes and a good vegetarian restaurant with an outside courtyard that's ideal for lunch.