Bath Family Hotels with Bike Rental

Renting bikes through the hotel saves a trip to a hire shop and lets a family set off straight from the door. In Bath this matters because the best cycling is on dedicated paths rather than in the narrow, hilly streets of the Georgian centre. The canal towpath and the Railway Path are flat and suit younger riders, while the Two Tunnels route is longer and better for older children. Ask the hotel which sizes it has and whether it offers child seats or helmets before you book, as the listings do not say.

The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa is the most complete option for active families. Its listing names bike rental alongside family suites, a kids' club, an indoor pool and a spa with a relaxation pool, and it accepts pets. At 9.3 it is the best-rated hotel on this page. Royal Victoria Park, right next to the Crescent, has wide paths and a large play area, which makes it a gentle first ride before heading out to the canal. The hotel sits in the western part of the centre, so plan your route to the towpath through the flatter streets near the river rather than straight across town.

Henrietta House, a Georgian townhouse in the Radisson Individuals collection, is about ten minutes on foot from Bath Spa station and lists family suites, a spa and wellness centre and bike rental, with an 8.4 rating from more than 8,000 reviews. Its position on the east side of the centre, near Pulteney Bridge, puts Sydney Gardens and the start of the canal towpath within easy reach. No 15 by GuestHouse, a five-star townhouse also close to Pulteney Bridge and rated 9.1, offers family suites, a spa and wellness centre and bike rental, and makes a quieter alternative on the same side of the city.

Old Mill Hotel & Lodge takes a different approach. It is a three-star hotel and lodge on the banks of the River Avon, with gardens, views over the Somerset countryside, an outdoor terrace by the river and its waterwheel, family suites and bike rental, a short distance from the city centre. Families who want to cycle more than they sightsee may prefer this setting to a central townhouse. Its 7.4 rating is the lowest here, so read recent reviews first. Hampton by Hilton Bath City and The Gainsborough Bath Spa are also tagged on this page, but neither mentions bike rental in its own description, so confirm with them.

The routes themselves are the main reason to bring or hire bikes in Bath. The Kennet and Avon Canal towpath leaves the city to the east and stays flat, which suits children who are new to riding, though it is shared with walkers. The Two Tunnels Greenway runs south from the city through the Devonshire and Combe Down tunnels, the second of which is one of the longest cycling tunnels in Britain. The Bristol and Bath Railway Path is a traffic-free route on a former railway line between the two cities, so older children can ride part of it and return by train.