Pulteney Bridge

One of Bath's most iconic sights and one of the few bridges in the world with shops built across its full span on both sides. Designed by Robert Adam in Palladian style, it spans the River Avon with three arches, lined with small independent shops selling jewellery, flowers, and gifts. The best view is from the south side of the river, looking back at the bridge with the stepped weir tumbling below it.

Cross the bridge to reach Great Pulteney Street, a broad, handsome boulevard that leads to the Holburne Museum. The view from Parade Gardens, just south of the bridge along the riverbank, is one of the most photographed in the city.

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A story
Pulteney Bridge is one of only four bridges in the world lined with shops on both sides along its entire span. Robert Adam designed it in 1774 for William Pulteney, who wanted a grand entrance to his wife's Bathwick estate across the river. The horseshoe weir below it, added later, was not part of the original design but has become inseparable from the view.