Many great artists have been inspired by the city of Bath and the surrounding countryside and there are plenty of art galleries and museums to reflect this.

Holburne Museum of Art, Great Pulteney Street Tel: (01225) 466669 At the bottom of Great Pulteney Street the Holburne Museum of Art was built in 1796 as Sydney House, and is set in leafy Sydney Gardens.

It was converted into a museum to display the collections of Sir William Holburne. There are paintings byTurner and Stubbs, portraits of Bath society by Thomas Gainsborough, and some notable silver, porcelain, pottery, glass and bronzes.

There is also a tea house in the garden.

Until April 17 2006 the museum is holding an exhibition of paintings and views of many of the great houses and estates of the West Country painted from the seventeenth century to the present day.

The exhibition of around 30 paintings features great early country-house portraits such as Jan Siberecht's 1675 View of Longleat on loan from the Marquess of Bath together with less sophisticated and less formal depictions of houses and estates. Alongside these 17th and 18th century views will be a number of 20th century and contemporary works including a view of Highgrove commissioned in 1985 from Felix Kelly and on loan from HRH the Prince of Wales.

As part of the celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of Brunel's birth, there will be a Brunel in Bath exhibition at the museum from April 9 until July 2 2006. It will explore the fascinating story of the arrival of the Great Western Railway in Bath. Including Brunel's working sketchbooks, original artefacts and a wide variety of images, it will examine the struggles involved in the railway's construction, the debates it gave rise to and its impact on the city.

Victoria Art Gallery Pulteney Bridge Tel: (01225) 477233 The Victoria Art Gallery is a free public gallery situated in the city centre by the famous Pulteney Bridge.

Exhibitions for this year include Paula Rego: prints and works on paper which is on until May 7, 2006. Spanning 50 years of work it includes over 180 items including the famous Nursery Rhymes series.

Sickert's Bath: images from the Victoria Art Gallery and other collections is on until April 2, 2006. The pre-eminent British Impressionist first visited Bath in 1917 and was so taken by with the magnificent architecture and environs that he made the city his home.

This exhibition brings together many of his finest views, including Pulteney Bridge, Bath and the recently acquired London Street, Bath.

Also worth a visit: The Rostra Gallery, 5 George Street, tel (01225) 448121; Beaux Arts, 13 York Street, tel (01225) 464850