Landmarks
Bibury
Charming Cotswolds village famously described by William Morris as the most beautiful village in England, home to the iconic Arlington Row.
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Road trip route · United Kingdom
London to Bath drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 2 hr 29 min
- Distance
- 111 mi
- Fuel (est.)
- £19
- Tolls (est.)
- None
The London to Bath drive
The drive from London to Bath covers 111 miles (179 km) and takes about 2 hr 29 min without stops. That makes it a comfortable one-day drive. Leave in the morning and you'll arrive with the day ahead of you.
Most of it is one road: the M4 carries 79% of the distance. On the way you go past Slough, Reading and Swindon, and you'll be near Newbury roughly 1 h 16 min in.
Expect gentle hills rather than climbs. The high point is around 220 m near Swindon.
Expect fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) to cost around £19 one-way with no significant motorway tolls on the way. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 111 miles this is longer than 18% of the 144 routes covered here, short enough to fold into a bigger itinerary without losing a day.
The road, mile by mile
Towns within a few miles of the fastest route, with the time it takes to reach them without stopping.
- StartLondon
- 22 miSlough29 min in
- 41 miReading55 min in
- 57 miNewbury1 h 16 min in
- 80 miSwindon1 h 46 min in
- 98 miChippenham2 h 11 min in
- 111 miBath
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- M488 mi · 79%
- A417 mi · 16%
- A3505 mi · 5%
Best stops between London and Bath
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Ancient Ruins
Avebury Stone Circle
Largest prehistoric stone circle in the world, enclosing an entire village and considered by many to be more atmospheric than Stonehenge.
Museums
Brooklands Museum
The birthplace of British motorsport and aviation, featuring the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit from 1907.
Landmarks
Thorpe Park
Thrill-focused theme park near London catering to older children and adults with intense roller coasters.
Racetracks
Brooklands
The world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit, opened 1907, where surviving sections of the towering concrete Members' Banking rear up out of the Surrey woodland. The museum holds racing cars and aircraft on the original site.
Filming Locations
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - Making of Harry Potter
The Leavesden studios where all eight films were shot; the tour preserves the original Great Hall, Diagon Alley and Hogwarts Express sets.
Filming Locations
Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey)
The Jacobethan country house in Hampshire that is Downton Abbey itself; the estate opens to visitors for parts of the year.
Landmarks
Windsor Castle
The oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, serving as a royal residence for over 900 years.
Landmarks
LEGOLAND Windsor
Family-friendly theme park near London with LEGO-themed rides, building workshops, and Miniland models.
What you need for this drive
Rules for each country on the route, in the order you meet them.
United Kingdom
- Motorway
- 112 km/h · 48 in town
- Tolls
- Individual tolled crossings (Dart Charge, M6 Toll)
- Drives on
- the left
Low-emission zones: London ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone).
Checked against national road authorities and the ECB reference rates. Rules change — confirm before you travel.
Famous drives in United Kingdom
Legendary routes you could bolt onto this trip, with real distances and stop counts.
Snake Pass + Peak District
Cobblestone villages, Bronte-novel moors, and the moodiest 14 miles of road in England
104 km · 2h driving · 7 stops · 3 days
Atlantic Highway A39: North Cornwall
Cornish surf beaches, smuggler's coves, and the Westcountry pasty trail
139 km · 2.5h driving · 7 stops · 4 days
Causeway Coastal Route
Belfast to Derry along Northern Ireland's cliff-edge coast, via Game of Thrones country
200 km · 3.3h driving · 7 stops · 3 days
NC500: North Coast 500
Scotland's answer to Route 66: 516 miles of mountains, single-track roads, and empty beaches
755 km · 11.4h driving · 9 stops · 7 days
London to Bath FAQs
How long is the drive from London to Bath?
Driving from London to Bath takes about 2 hr 29 min nonstop, covering 111 miles (179 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from London to Bath?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly £19 one-way. There are no significant motorway tolls on this route. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from London to Bath in one day?
Yes, at about 2 hr 29 min of driving, London to Bath is a comfortable one-day drive with a couple of breaks.
Which roads do you take from London to Bath?
The fastest route uses the M4 (about 88 mi), the A4 (about 17 mi), the A350 (about 5 mi). It passes Slough, Reading, Newbury, Swindon.
What other drives can I plan on Plan Your Road Trips?
We publish drive times, distances and fuel estimates for 144 routes across Europe and beyond, including 57 other drives in the same country. Browse them all on the routes index.
What are the best stops between London and Bath?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Bibury, Avebury Stone Circle, Brooklands Museum: see the full list of 9 stops on this page.
More drives from London & Bath
London → AberdeenLondon → AmsterdamLondon → BarcelonaLondon → BirminghamLondon → BrightonLondon → BristolLondon → BrugesLondon → BrusselsLondon → CambridgeLondon → Cardiff
Planning a bigger trip? Try the free United Kingdom road trip planner, browse every destination we cover, take it with you on the road, or read the driving in United Kingdom guide.