A fantastic shop to visit for Welsh-themed gifts of all kinds! Everything from fridge magnets and…read morekey rings to beautiful carved wooden love spoons - or silver ones if you prefer. There are rugby souvenirs and jewellery, T-shirts, postcards and fudge, not to mention little sheep ornaments and toys! The shop is right across the road from the castle so easy to find. Friendly, helpful staff too, as I found out today.

This is quite simply the best Welsh gift shop I have ever been in. They have a huge selection of…read morewelsh gifts available including postcards, love spoons, miners lamps, silver spoons, thimbles, t-shirts, t-towels, magnets, welsh jewellery, sweets, fudge, whiskey, soft toys, coal carvings, watches, baby clothes, toys and so much more. They are right opposite Cardiff castle gates which puts them in a prime spot for visiting tourists. I wanted to find my friend a gift he would really like for his birthday and I wanted to get something useful. He's really patriotic and loves the welsh dragon design so I popped into the store to see what I could find. They staff were really, really helpful and were able to reel off a list of items they stocked that have the welsh dragon on them. After being shown numerous items the assistant showed me a pair of welsh dragon cufflinks which were perfect. They cost less than £20 which was what I told them my budget was and my friend was over the moon with them. If you need a gift for someone and you want it to be welsh then this is the best place to come

Bottom Line: The best place I discovered in Wales with the largest inventory of Welsh gifts,…read moresouvenirs, and hand-crafted art. It is also the home of the World's Largest Handcarved Welsh Lovespoon. Extremely friendly and helpful staff. Highly recommended!

Incredible customer customer. Friendly welcoming staff. Free engraving. Huge variety of local made…read moreartist wares. Easy location. Chris who assisted us absolutely exceeded my expectations by personalizing all our gifts to take home.

Castle Welsh Crafts is a gift shop opposite Cardiff Castle in the City Centre. It's usually packed…read morewith tourists and can be hard to move for all the little odds and ends packed around the place. Unfortunately, this shop does sell a lot of tat. But then, that's what sells. If you want a Welsh flag mug or stuffed sheep, when this is the place to go. Fortunately, however, there is the Welsh Lovespoon gallery which redeems the whole situation rather. This is an interesting collection of lovespoons (tradition Welsh gifts for weddings etc), and they also harbour the largest lovespoon in the world. It's worth taking a look at, it's very impressive. The staff are all pleasant enough, but are clearly used to dealing with tea towel-buying customers, and can be flummoxed if you ask for anything a little more out of the ordinary.

Isabella's is a beautiful gift shop situated in the ill-fated Morgan Arcade…read more Like The Royal Arcade, it is enclosed under a beautifully ornate Victorian glass ceiling, but where this works to the advantage of The Royal Arcade, intensifying the vibe, with the noises amplifying as they carry down this lovely long mews, it has the opposite effect in The Morgan Arcade. With very little activity, the few sounds that are made tend to echo harshly off the buildings and ceiling, accentuating the fact that it isn't much used. Businesses like Isabella's are staving off the demise at the St Mary Street end of the arcade. Well positioned sandwich boards at the mouth of the arcade are drawing in a steady stream of visitors as far as her shop at least. But even this isn't an entirely successful quest. Isabella's was once an up-market gift shop selling originally designed accessories and ornaments. These days such items sit gathering dust on the shelves, whilst the low cost cheap and cheerful Welsh souvenirs and nick-nacks fly out of the door. And even though these sales keep her busy all day, the average spend is about £1.00 per person, and so when she tots up the take at the end of the day it is depressingly low compared to the volume of custom. This is a tragedy. What's more, if Isabella is lucky enough to sell one of her beautiful handbags or a piece of exquisite jewellery, the money is immediately reinvested in the more gimmicky souvenir stock, instead of the more creditable higher cost items. It's a war of attrition that will eventually culminate in the unique identity of the shop being lost, and a valuable outlet for more creative endeavour will be lost forever. Isabella clearly has taste and flair in abundance. She's a smart woman attempting to do what she loves. I'm not sure whether she can see the transformation through to the bitter end. But with bills to pay, she's there for the meantime at least. And who knows, something may happen to turn around the fortune of this declining arcade? The Cardiff Arts Institute

Located in the Grade II listed Morgan Arcade, Isabella's seems to specialise in two main types of…read moregifts: Murano Glass Jewellery and Welsh Gifts. It's a slightly odd mix, to be honest - with the rather expensive-looking glassware and gifts on the one hand, and the rather brash, touristy, Welsh-themed items on another. It's probably best known for its brightly-coloured range of Antica Murrina handmade Murano glass jewellery, and Simstars - which are some kind of charm beads made of sterling silver or Murano glass, which you can put together in your own design to make up a unique charm bracelet or necklace. They also stock IVV, a range of Italian hand-made decorative glass in all sorts of interesting shapes, vibrant colours and different textures. When it comes to Welsh gifts, you can choose from a fairly predictable range of mugs and kitchen aprons with a Welsh flag design; slate house numbers and name signs; fridge magnets showing the traditional Welsh costume; ornaments of Welsh dragons; and postcards of local scenes and attractions. Although this shop does contain some beautiful objects, it doesn't hold a great deal of appeal for me - but if you're a visitor to Wales, or you're really into glass jewellery, Isabella's is worth a look.

Cardiff Central Market is a real gem in the heart of the city. The Victorian building itself is…read morebeautiful, full of character with its glass roof and traditional ironwork. Inside, there's a fantastic mix of vendors... fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish other food traders, vintage clothing, books, unique gifts and much more. It has such a lively, local atmosphere and you can really feel the history while wandering around. There are plenty of food options too! Prices are reasonable, the everyone was friendly! Great experience!

If you find yourself in Cardiff, I'd recommend visiting the market (also known as Central Market)!…read moreIt's been around since the 1700s, and in the same Victorian-style building - with a big glass roof - for over 100 years. There's *a lot* to look at and take in, so heads-up if you're a person that gets overstimulated by noise (because that's what the market is: organized chaos of vendors selling anything and everything from coffee to clothing to walking sticks to fish). We enjoyed a bunch of food that we brought to the low, bar-style seating on the first floor, including... Tukka Tuk (5) - first floor, 219 - 223: Indian street food by a multi-award winning chef. And, yeah, believe the hype. This was one of the best things we ate in Wales (and it was vegan!). We did the Build A Bowl and chose 1) half pilav rice and half plain chips topped with 2) coconut dal and 3) cauli kemp. It was rich, creamy, and an absolute explosion of flavor! I regret sharing this with my partner, so - PRO TIP - get your own. Pierogi (4) - first floor, 213 - 217: Polish pierogis. These fresh dumplings prepared daily using their family's special recipe are DELICIOUS. We tried the vegan ones, which at the time were roasted buckwheat with onion and mushroom sauce. So, so good. There's usually five-ish flavors to choose from, and I think they come in two portions (small with four pierogies; large with seven pierogies). Cardiff Bakestones (4) - ground floor, 161 - 165: Known for their Welsh cakes (which are kind of like a scone or a biscuit; softer and slightly sweet, they're baked round with a crinkly edge. Cardiff Bakestones has LOTS of different flavors (like salted caramel, nutella, lemon curd, chocolate chip, etc.) and also vegan and gluten-free options. Definitely get a couple more than you think you're gonna want, because *trust me* you're going to want another right after the one you've just eaten!

Once upon a time, Cardiff was a great rolling hillside, ruled over by centaurs and talking badgers,…read moreand it was burrowed through with little arcades that sold nothing but sticky buns and barley sugar... Well, perhaps that's not entirely true, but the quaintness of Cardiff's remaining arcades is kind of like that. New shopping centres can take a hike, we like the old ones better. If Brighton has The Lanes, then we have Morgan Arcade. We are, after all, known as the City of Arcades. Right next to Royal Arcade is a narrow paved corridor, with a snake of sunlight through glass weaving above your head, as you travel through Victorian/Edwardian/nice architecture... This arcade is worth a visit even if you don't intend to do any shopping. Although, if you do, there are delicatessens, health, jewellers, shoes, fair-trade, art shops, stationers, sweet shops, chocolate shops, furniture shops and cafes...

Morgan Arcade is a Grade II listed building and one of Cardiff's most beautiful arcades, opened in…read more1896. With entrances on St. Mary Street and the pedestrianised Hayes area, parallel to the slightly busier Royal Arcade. It's home to the Camera Centre, where you can buy new and second hand kit, and get your camera repaired; Crumbs vegetarian café; Capital Books; and AT Computers for Apple Mac customers. There's also Isabella's for Welsh gifts and Murano glass jewellery; Neal's Yard Remedies for organic natural health and beauty products; Route One for skateboards and inline skates, clothing and accessories; and a couple of ladies' fashion boutiques such as Rouge and Seren. And now that Spillers Records - the oldest record shop in the world - has moved from its original location on The Hayes into Morgan Arcade, there's even more reason to venture to the arcade when you're out shopping. While you're there, look out for the original wooden shop fronts, and the Venetian windows up on the first-floor.

Joie De Vivre Boutique and Vintage Store is the kind of shop that I really like. Packed full of…read morecurios and smelling of handmade soap, I enjoy the same kind of delight as I do when visiting an architectural salvage yard, where the smells are just as satisfying, if in a different way, and there's that sense of anticipation and excitement of not knowing what I'll find. Not surprisingly, this shop, comprised of a number of traders displaying their wares over two floors, has emerged from a successful series of boutique vintage markets, which continue to trade at various locations around the city, in tandem with the shop. Prices are reasonable, and the type of stock is much more to my taste than the Cardiff Antique Centre just a few doors down, and include genuine vintage items of all descriptions as well as a good selection of household goods.

There are some shops which serve the purpose of looking pretty, offering an attractive presence as…read moreyou walk past , just to make the shopping experience a pleasant one. This is one of those shops to most people, but to a small minority also provides a useful source for something or other. The shape of the shop means it has a narrow front occupying much of the arcade, in this sense it is a triumph and can display it wares beautifully. The large glass windows make the shop light and attractive, a facet of many of Morgan Arcade's shops. Selling a range of gifts, from picture frames to fake flowers and children's books and toys, it is gloriously unspecific and I'm not sure I'd ever feel the need to buy anything in here. There are a lot of gift shops around Cardiff and this isn't any better or worse than the rest of them. As something to look at, it gets top marks though.

High Street Arcade is another one of those little side arcades in Cardiff centre where you might…read morefind yourself stumbling into. If Brighton has the Lanes, then Cardiff has its arcades. You feel as tough you are travelling down alleys of a time long past in some, and even though the shops might well be modern, you're sure to find others which take you back too. Back to an era of joke shops, button shops and beautiful second hand bookshops you might expect to find a copy of The Never-Ending Story in. This arcade offers up a lovely array of boutique clothes shops, gift shops, jewellery, men's clothing, and even an ultra-hip record store. These shops are run by real people with real local lives, and it's here you'll find the cute European-style shops that take you away, once and for all, from the dull and monotonous high street. Go and take a look down one of these warrens, I'm sure you'll find something to your taste.

Lovely High Street Arcade opened in1886 and today is a Grade II Listed building which houses lots…read moreof interesting independent shops and a couple of decent cafés. Located near the Castle end of town, it has entrances on High Street (next to Atlantic Coffee at number 13) and St John Street, just near the church. When the weather's bad, it provides covered refuge from the rain, and when the weather's good sunlight pours through the roof windows giving it a warm and sunny atmosphere. Huge numbers of people venture down this arcade to enjoy the gastro delights of New York Deli, where you can get enormous sandwiches and bagels overflowing with authentic NY-style fillings. And nearly every other establishment in the arcade is quite different from the next, ranging from The Wardrobe for men's clothing to unique clothing boutiques such as Pussy Galore - and gift and jewellery shops such as Bejewelled. This is one of Cardiff's must-see arcades!

Top notch florist that doesn't charge the earth! Great quality flowers and beautifully arranged…read more The staff are extremely helpful and come up with some excellent creative ideas if you're stuck for finding a present for someone and balance this wonderfully with great empathy shown if the occasion is of a more solemn nature. I would recommend this florist to anyone!

For all floral needs this shop is first class. Flowers are fresh every time. They can cater for…read moreLarge events, or if you just want them to make up a little bunch as a prezie for someone don't feel embarassed you can just ask they are more than happy to help. I have over the years shopped here for sad occasions and happy ones. I have never been let down and the staff are lovely. Although I live away now I would go the extra mile to use this shop.