This place is just brilliant. In the land of bookshops, this is the king. Set over three floors,…read morethis is a veritable Aladdin's cave of books (although I suppose it has more of the look of an old Oxbridge library) new and old across several subjects and genres. Plus prints and cards of course. It's an absolute must for anyone who even vaguely likes books. I could have stayed here for hours, browsing for unusual, rare, beautiful or of-the-moment books. The bookshop also contains a sizeable cafe and a cinema, which unfortunately we weren't in time to visit but I'll be back.

One of the coolest bookshops I've ever seen. I was visiting Hereford with some friends and we came…read moreto Hay for the day. Totally worth the nasty rainy drive in. It's like stepping back in time and there was literally any book that you could think of + more. I would recommend coming here for anyone that is visiting this general area. Hay itself is such a cute quaint town. And it being full of books, doesn't hurt

If you're a lover of pizza, you go to Naples, Italy. If you're a lover of wine, you go to the…read moreBordeaux region of France. If you are a lover of books then you MUST go to the Welsh village of Hay On Wye. If you don't go here, then you're only fooling yourself; you're not really a lover of books. The village was the very first "book village" and today there are several scattered all around the world, so this is the best one. Here you can browse 30+ book stores and find books on just about every subject, many of them used, so obviously heavily discounted as opposed to a brand spanking new one. Oh, and as the village requests, leave your Kindle at home.

Hay-on-Wye is the world-famous booktown on the Welsh/English border…read more A popular destination for book lovers, or holiday makers for the leisure activities and spectacular scenery. Hay-on-Wye has become world famous for its secondhand and antiquarian bookshops. At present there are approximately thirty major bookshops in the town some specialising whilst others carry general stock. 38 Bookshops awaiting you.

Cavernous ! No visit to Hay is complete without a visit here; be sure to check the bargain shelves…read more( just inside the door, by the check out) on your way in ( and out). Handily provided with a fairly mehodically laid out and mapped shelf system; not true of all Hay bookshops !.

This is a truly fantastic bookshop in Hay-on-Wye (the town of books) that I have spent many an hour…read morelost in. Sometime quite literally. The old converted cinema is a maze of bookshelves and creaky floorboards. Amazing.

Good traditional bookshop (it's even been in the Independent)! The staff are all very friendly, and…read morethe selection of books is good, if not extensive. In particular they have rather a lot of books on the local area (helpful for tourists, fascinating for locals). Like most non-chain booksellers the place is small, but what it lacks in size it truly makes up in character!

COVER TO COVER A wonderful bookshop. The staff couldn't be more helpful and obliging, nothing is…read moretoo much bother. The shop also has children's toys and various interesting items for children. There are beautiful pieces of jewellery and unusual gifts, all packed into a small space. Well worth a good long look.

This is one of the many book stores in the "book village" of Hay on Wye in Wales. Like most of the…read morebookstores there, they have quite a selection of new and used books. Me, I go for the used ones since they're cheaper. I did find some nice bargains here and a couple hard-to-find books that I had been looking for. If you cannot visit all the bookstores in the village, make sure that you don't miss this one!

The Castle, as a place to buy books, rivals anything I've seen back in the States. I stepped…read moreinside, and before I knew it, two hours had passed.

Hay on Wye is the biggest 2nd hand book shop in the world. The town is full of bookshops…read more The castle is part ruined (2 fires) and is owned by King Richard Booth who issues his own passports and, for a fee, will make you a Lord, Lady, Knight etc. Quite eccentric! 1977 he declared Home Rule for Hay and appointed himself King. If you love books then here and at the other shops are the (probably) biggest collection of second hand books in the world. Certainly in one place. Outside are shelves where you just put money in a box and take a book. 30p or 50p.

This has to be the best branch of W H Smith! It's so attractive with lots of polished dark wood and…read moreeverything is laid out so imaginatively; the lighting is pleasant too. It's stocked with all that you'd expect to find in 'Smiths' from stationery and books to magazines. The staff also seemed very helpful when I called there two weeks ago.

Very friendly staff. They have a great range of second hand books, at very nice prices.read more

It's a bookshop, in a castle! In a castle! What's not to love? This is a perfect happy little place…read morewith friendly staff and well books. Lots of books. Old dusty books and exciting things and everything you could possibly ask for from a book shop in Hay. Except as it's on a great big hill (like all the best castles) you get a stunning view across the Welsh countryside. Lucky they put a little bench outside the bookshop for added reading pleasure. The guy who was working here was pretty cute too. (Yes, if you look at that really long line of steps leading up to the caste it looks really far, but if you carry on walking through the village to the tourist information centre, you'll see a little pathway that leads to the side of the castle. Perfect for lazy feet (and London girlies carrying suitcases!)

We went to Hay-on-Wye for my birthday last April which was a lovely surprise. It is one of my…read morefavourite places in Wales! When I moved to Wales and stayed near Brecon for 8 weeks I went to Hay once a week. Last time I bought about ten books at the Hay Castle Book Shop alone, mainly novels and guides. I love the Castle Bookshop. You can find good Welsh novels here and books on art, travel and healthy living. Some real bargains. The staff was really friendly! It is a great place to find some cards and gifts, too.