Best Shops in Bath

How the scores work

Every listing has a score out of 10 based on its public reviews. Nobody can pay to move up, and featured listings are labelled. Descriptions come from each shop's own website, and where we could not read one, the listing says so.

Where to start

Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath on York Street and Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights on John Street are two of the highest scoring shops in Bath. For food, The Cork and Truckle on Abbey Green sells British cheese and wine, and Charlotte Brunswick Chocolates on Church Street makes truffles and gift boxes. The Silver Shop of Bath on Union Passage has traded since 1952, and Flowers of Bath in Larkhall does bouquets, wedding flowers and workshops.

By type

• Books: beyond the big independents, Magalleria on Upper Borough Walls sells specialist magazines, George Bayntun on Manvers Street sells fine bindings and first editions, and Persephone Books on Edgar Buildings sells its own reprints of mid-century books, mostly by women writers.
• Food and drink: whisky, gin and rare spirits at Independent Spirit of Bath on Terrace Walk, local free-range meat and game at Larkhall Butchers, fish at Net and Line, and loose tea from Gillards of Bath in the Guildhall Market.
• Jewellery: Wylde Jewellers on Northumberland Place makes engagement and wedding rings, and Henrietta & Co on Laura Place shows antique and vintage-inspired rings by appointment.
• Clothing: Gaff on Upper Borough Walls for menswear and womenswear in a wide size range, Portman Boutiques on Milsom Street for womenswear, bridal boutiques such as Coco + Kate, and 90s and Y2K vintage at Vintage Abs.
• Gifts and making: carved wooden gifts at Fat Giraffe Gifts on Milsom Street, houseplants and terrarium workshops at Botanica Studio, and yarn at A Yarn Story and Wool.

By area

Most shops are in the city centre. Milsom Street and New Bond Street hold many of the brand stores, Green Street and Upper Borough Walls have independents and vintage, jewellers gather on Northumberland Place and Union Passage, and Margaret's Buildings, near the Royal Crescent, has homeware, books and a charity shop. Walcot Street, running north from the centre, has vintage and charity shops, bridal boutiques, yarn and The Fine Cheese Co.'s original shop. Further out, Larkhall has a butcher, a deli, a bookshop and a florist, Oldfield Park has a bookshop on Moorland Road and a fishmonger on Third Avenue, and Bear Flat has an Italian deli and a florist on Wellsway.

Before you go

The centre gets busiest in the run-up to Christmas, especially while the Christmas Market runs from 26 November to 13 December 2026, so go early in the day or midweek if you want room to browse. Bridal boutiques and some jewellery showrooms work by appointment, so book first. Many shops sell online with click and collect, which saves a wasted trip, and a few, such as TR Hayes on London Street and Hobbycraft Bath at Mero Retail Park, have parking.