Local life
Independent Bookshops & Literary Haunts
Step into Bath’s storytelling scene with a literary walking route featuring favourite bookshops, cafes, and corners made for reading.
Bath’s bookshops feel like living rooms for the city — stacked with stories, warmed by conversation, and always brimming with mugs of something steaming. Lace up for a literary meander that pairs independent shelves with scenic stops.
Stop 1 — Persephone Books
Begin on Edgar Buildings, where Persephone’s dove-grey covers and feminist reprints invite lingering. Ask the team for their current staff pick and peek into the archive room for a dose of publishing history.
Stop 2 — Topping & Company
Wander down to The Paragon and step inside floor-to-ceiling shelves, rolling ladders, and complimentary coffee. Head upstairs to the art and travel section — it is the perfect perch for plotting your next adventure.
Stop 3 — Mr B’s Emporium
Cross to John Street, where Mr B’s Emporium offers personal consultations in their bibliotherapy room. Book a reading spa in advance for a curated stack of titles tailored to your tastes, complete with tea and biscuits.
Stop 4 — Good Day Cafe
Break for brunch at Good Day Cafe on Upper Borough Walls. Their cinnamon knot and cardamom latte combo is legendary. Scribble in your journal while people-watching through the Georgian windows.
Bonus haunts
- Sally Lunn’s Cellar Museum: discover Bath’s baking history beneath one of the city’s oldest houses.
- The Holburne Museum Gardens: a quiet bench by the museum for reading with birdsong.
- Bath Guildhall Market: pick up handmade bookmarks and stationery from local makers.