Built on the River Wye, and overlooked by Axe Edge Moor, Buxton has a long history as a spa town due to its geothermal spring which rises at a constant temperature of 28 °C. The source of the spring is behind Eagle Parade and piped to St. Ann's Well (often mistaken for the source) opposite The Crescent near the town centre.

Each summer the wells are decorated according to the local tradition of well dressing. The Well Dressing weekend has developed to become something of a town carnival, including live music and funfair.

Initially developed by the Romans around AD 78, the settlement was known as Aquae Arnemetiae (or the spa of the goddess of the grove), although little evidence remains to be seen today. The town largely grew in importance in the late 18th century when it was developed by the Dukes of Devonshire, with a second resurgence a century later as the Victorians were drawn to the reputed healing properties of the waters.

Buxton Opera House is one of Britain’s leading receiving theatres, presenting around 450 performances each year including dance, comedy, children’s shows, drama, musical concerts, pantomime and opera as well as a lively Fringe Theatre and Community and Education Programme. The theatre is also home to the prestigious Buxton Festival and The International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival and The Four-Four-Time Festival of Live Music. Lovingly restored to its former glory in 2001, Buxton Opera House is an exquisitely beautiful Edwardian theatre and one of the country’s finest examples of Frank Matcham theatre design.

Buxton is served by a railway line with frequent trains to Stockport and the nearby city of Manchester. The journey from Buxton to Manchester city centre takes just under an hour. Like most busy towns, Buxton had two stations, but one was demolished in the 1960s to make way for the Spring Gardens shopping centre. The trackbed of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway has in part been utilized as a walk and cycleway called the Monsal Trail. Peak Rail, a heritage railway group, have restored the section from Rowsley to Matlock, with the long-term objective of trying to re-open back to Buxton.

The town's buses offer affordable travel into the Peak District National Park. Other buses run to the nearby towns of Whaley Bridge, Chapel en le Frith, New Mills and Glossop, and the 'Transpeak' coach service offers an hourly link to Taddington, Matlock, Derby and Nottingham. There is a Trent Bus directly from the Manchester Airport to Buxton. Other buses provide roughly two-hourly services linking Buxton with Stoke-on-Trent and Sheffield.