English city that’s the ‘only Unesco site in the country’ named top travel destination to visit in 2025

JUST weeks after being named one of the best places to visit in 2025, Bath has also been dubbed one of the trendiest.

European Best Destinations has released its list of the trendiest places to visit in Europe in 2025.

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Bath, an English city that has strong ties to Jane Austen, has been named one of the trendiest places to visit in Europe[/caption]

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The city will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth in 2025 – although the Jane Austen Centre remains one of its permanent regency attractions[/caption]

The European spots were ranked based on responses from over one million travellers from 158 countries.

European destinations in the top 20 were shortlisted thanks to their quality of life, sustainable development, year-round cultural offering and their growing popularity on social media platforms.

City-state Monaco topped the list, with Riga, Latvia’s capital city, coming in second place.

Dubrovnik & Cavtat in Croatia took third place, while Madrid nabbed fourth, and Namur in Belgium rounded off the top five.

Bath was the only place in the UK ranked in the top 20, coming in 11th place.

The historic English city has already been named one of the best 52 Places to Travel in 2025 by the New York Times.

Located in Somerset, Bath is the only city in the UK to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its entirety.

It has been awarded the accolade because of its Roman remains, Georgian architecture, hot springs and town planning.

And 2025 is already proving to be a big year for the historic English city, with celebrations planned for the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth.

Despite being born in Steventon in North Hampshire, the acclaimed English novelist lived in Bath while writing classics like Persuasion and Northanger Abbey.

Fans of the author should make a beeline to the Jane Austen Centre, which gives visitors a snapshot of her life.

A costumed guide talks visitors through Jane Austen’s early life and her legacy before guests can tour interactive displays featuring priceless pieces of memorabilia like unpublished manuscripts.

Visitors can also immerse themselves with regency trends at the centre’s dress-up station.

Travel writer Jo Kessel recently visited Bath on a Jane Austen trip.

She said: “The best place to start is Gay Street’s Jane Austen Centre, where I saw costumed actors from Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion showing me Empire Line gowns to try.”

“Pride and Prejudice womaniser Mr Wickham also entered who despite being a cad, allowed to ‘help’ me with my outfits.

“We even played Spillikins, a game loved by Jane, using matchsticks, although I was easily beaten by the actors.”

On the floor above the Jane Austen Centre lies the Regency Tea Room where visitors can book an afternoon tea.

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A free audio walking tour of the city covers its main sites like the Royal Crescent, the Circus, No 13 Queen Square and No 25 Gay Street[/caption]

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Bath is also a must-visit for Bridgerton fans because the city is used as a filming location, with examples including The Abbey Deli (pictured) which is used as the Modiste dress shop in the show[/caption]

The cosy Georgian tea room serves China black teas in pretty floral cups as well as delicate finger sandwiches, homemade cakes and scones.

Several themed Jane Austen events are also taking place in the city throughout the year like the Persuasion Ball on May 31.

There’s also a Sanditon Ball on June 28, the Jane Austen Country Fair in July and a Birthday Ball on December 13.

A retelling of Pride and Prejudice will also take place at The Theatre Royal Bath.

And for the first time ever, No. 8 College Street, where Jane Austen spent her final few weeks, will open to the public.

If you can’t afford the expense of a ball, a free audio walking tour of the city covers its main sites.

Created by Visit Bath, the tour includes extracts from Jane Austen’s novels and descriptions of Bath in its Georgian heyday.

While the walking tour runs for 90 minutes, listeners can pause the walk at any point.

The walking tour begins at Gravel Walk — the lovers’ lane of Austen’s Day — before arriving at the Royal Crescent where Jane Cooper, the author’s cousin, lived.

Other stops include The Circus, No 13 Queen Square and No 25 Gay Street — all of which have links to the Austen family but are now private homes.

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The Roman Baths (pictured) is another premier tourist attraction in the city[/caption]

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Earlier this year, Bath was also named as one of the best places to travel in 2025 by Time Out[/caption]

Bath isn’t just a must-visit for fans of Jane Austen, with the city used as a backdrop for hit Netflix show Bridgerton.

The show has been praised by the managing director of the tourism body Visit West, Kathryn Davis for attracting a younger audience to the region.

She told The Times: “It’s brought a younger and more diverse audience to the city and the region.”

The Netflix drama has also inspired its own themed events with musical Bridgerton tours of some of the filming locations.

Bath is also home to the Roman Baths, which remain just as popular today as they did in the Regency Era.

Built in 70AD by the Romans as a bathing and social space, the Roman Baths are thought to be one of the best-preserved Roman remains in the world.

Every day, 1,170,000 litres of steaming spring water are pumped into the bath where it reaches temperatures of 46C.

Before tourists can reach the famous bath, they’re led through an extensive maze of ruins and an interactive museum.

One of the UK’s oldest cities has been named a top destination to visit this year – and there are some exciting things happening in 2025.

Meanwhile, travel writer Toni Jones lives in East Anglia; here are the best hidden gems.

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European Best Destinations has released its list of the trendiest places to visit in Europe in 2025, with Bath named in its top 20[/caption]