The place to shop

Bath is renowned for both for the range and quality of its shops. Many visit purely for the shopping. Small specialist shops can still be found here, alongside all the usual high street offerings, a first class department store, and a highly regarded branch of Marks and Spencers that appears to offer a particular fascination for Welsh vistors.

Most of the supermarket chains are represented in Bath, though there is no large Tesco or Asda store. Suburban shopping is on the whole pretty good - Larkhall, Widcombe, and the Moorland Road area in particular have much to offer.

Specialist retailers in Bath include several cheese shops, a bead shop, a doll's house outfitter, upmarket audio-visual suppliers, and a large number of antique shops. Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights in John Street is delightful independant bookshop. Architectural reclamation is also well represented on Walcot Street.