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Bath hostels may be few, but the few that there are are high quality inns at cheap prices serving a variety of travelers.

Bath's name is about as literal as it gets. The city was named and formed around the only naturally occurring hot springs in the United Kingdom. In antiquity, Romans would bathe and travelers would stop for a dip in the steaming pools. Today, the site is no longer a Roman spa, but there are still plenty of weary travelers making use of the naturally heated water.

The hot water of Bath's springs was thought to be a cure for many different ailments. The city grew as a resort for the aristocracy of the day, but is now available to everyone. Today, the architecture of the town reflects the prosperity of its wealthy inhabitants and visitors; ornate carvings and formidable buildings house the lives of Bath's nearly 100,000 citizens.

In addition to those citizens, Bath receives a number of tourists each year, both for its hot springs and to see the remnants of the kind of British culture found in many of Jane Austen's novels and satirized by Charles Dickens. Austen herself lived in Bath from 1801-1806 and, although she wrote to her sister that she did not like it (or rather, thought of the day of her departure with fond memories) the city retains a city walk and "Jane Austen Center" in her name.

Bath's youth hostels are fit for more than the rich and famous however. At about 20 British pounds a night, the hostels are more affordable than the typical Bath hotel and are a more interesting way to spend your time in Bath.

The hostels in Bath are also quite near the springs themselves, often located just down the street from the building housing the travelers and tourists. The convenience and the more affordable prices have allowed the hostels in Bath to start to take business from hotels. The YHA Bath hostel is built in a Roman-style mansion and draws visitors just to stay in it. All rooms are shared, but the beautiful architecture and grounds make up for the lack of privacy.

If privacy is a main concern, some hostels in Bath do offer private rooms, although the convenience will bump the price up by nearly a third. For security when staying in a shared room in a hostel, bring a padlock and stow your things in one of the cabinets with lockable doors. If you don't have a padlock, many hostels sell or rent them at the front desk.

There are not many hostels in Bath and they have been known to fill up with tourists checking out one of England's most popular attractions. By booking ahead of time, you'll be able to guarantee a bed in one of Bath's beautiful hostels and won't get left out in the English countryside or stuck paying more for a hotel room if a hostel fills up while you're still en route.

Hostels in England (Bath)