City Centre Shopping Walk (Self Guided), Bristol

Whether you want high street fashions or haute couture, rare gifts, food and other everyday essentials, Bristol's city center is the place to fill your shopping bags. At its heart is the Bristol Shopping Quarter which is home to a clutch of shopping centers. They are Cabot Circus, Broadmead, The Galleries and Quakers Friars. Between them, there are more than 500 stores, including, national chains and independent retailers. St James Arcade stands out for being a beautiful old Victorian building that has been restored to its former glory. Admire the Greek revival style entrances with their tall fluted columns.

There is more great shopping over at Stokes Croft. This bohemian enclave is filled with unique shops, cafés, clubs and restaurants. Soak up the locale's free and independent spirit where the streets are decorated with large, colorful murals. This indie vibe can also be felt along Gloucester Road, an exciting street of stores selling vintage clothes, rare and secondhand books, unique artistic creations, musical instruments and old records and CDs covering just about every musical genre there is. Among these independent traders, you will also find a smattering of popular household names.