
Bristol Old city: Bread stall at Nails Market at the Corn Exchange - Image Tamany Baker
Shopping
Old City
The historic heart of Bristol, shopping in Bristol Old City is centred around St Nicholas Market and the beautiful Glass Arcade. Inside the Grade I listed building you’ll enjoy getting lost while wandering around the maze of small stalls selling everything from clothing, gifts, cards, art, textiles and leather, sweets and chocolate and jewellery.
Take some time to experience this vibrant and buzzing marketplace that has been trading since 1743. If you get hungry, eat like the locals do and enjoy the street food stalls and small restaurants in the arcade.
Surrounding the market are some of Bristol’s most impressive buildings, exciting bars and restaurants, and exclusive hotels, including the recently renovated Bristol Harbour Hotel. Explore the area and you’ll find an interesting variety of shops, like Stanfords - a specialist travel and map bookstore on Corn Street, and the Old City’s best kept secret Guilberts.
Every week, a vegan market (Monday), farmer's market (Wednesday), a food market (Tuesday & Friday) and the Nails Market (Friday and Saturday) offer you the opportunity to buy some of the freshest seasonal organic produce and meet local, independent traders selling an array of gifts (Don't get caught out; the market is closed on a Sunday).
The Old City is just a stone's throw away from the central shopping centre, Bristol Shopping Quarter, or Park Street and the Triangle, depending on which direction you're coming from.