Quite a good branch of W H Smith, not huge, but with a particularly good greetings card section…read more The usual book displays, magazines and stationery. There's usually quite a queue for the check out.

This WHSmiths is ok, Not the best in the world. It doesnt have enough room by the magazines as if 1…read moreperson is stood looking you have to ask them to move as there isnt enough space to get a buggy past. The fact they have the post office upstairs is a nightmare due to going in a few times and the lift not working. I had to carry my boy in his pram down the 3 flights of stairs that time!

Great place, lots of room and they have everything you will need for starting back at school. Staff…read moreare willing to look for the stuff you want and answer any questions.

A huge shop over two floors with everything you need for back to school…read more A good selection of art supplies that are a bit pricey but good quality. They sometimes have offers on books and CD's and the staff will always tell you if you are missing out on saving money.

I stopped in here after learning their is a post office in the back. The post office staff is…read morefriendly and it was busier than I expected. It was a little crowded. The lines move quickly though. They have a nice selection of cards. Just for fun, I decided to shop for graduation and birthday cards. They have some interesting cards I have not seen before so I decided to buy some. I am not sure how they compare in price to other retail outlets but since I was here already, I bought them. Check out staff was friendly.

Cardiff's main branch of the ubiquitous stationer's is something of a labyrinth; the downstairs…read morearea selling greetings cards and magazines is decidedly cramped, but the upstairs is more spacious, albeit on several levels and itself rather rambling. This sells books, calendars, stationery, IT items, CDs and DVDs; and gifts - aimed mainly at children. Prices are fairly standard and provide pretty good value in my experience, but there are some good reductions on items like stationery, particularly if you aren't bothered by what's 'in-style.' As rappion says, some of the ranges are a bit limited, but their own ranges (eg calendars) offer good value for money. Upstairs is also an outlet of Costa Coffee, if you are in need of a break from shopping; tucked away to one side, it seems something of a hidden secret, so worth knowing about if you need a caffeine fix.

This is a wonderful small bookshop in the bustling centre of Penarth. Perhaps a little…read moreold-fashioned when compared to the Waterstone's of the world, but this is a beautiful and well-formed little space where all books are well presented. In store they have about 7000 titles, including an excellent range of modern fiction and classics, as well as children's books and local interest. Yet, probably the most impressive thing about this shop is the service. The staff there are incredibly friendly, and recognised me after only a couple of visits. If not in store, they can order any title for you, and have some even specially printed. The service was extremely prompt and amiable. Their knowledgebase of literature is also great. 'I want The God of Small Things...' 'Oh yes, by Arundhati Roy? We can have it here by tomorrow.' This is an ideal little find for any book-lover. Support the local business!

Titles here are slightly more expensive than their chain counterparts but this shop really does…read morehave charm. It's very small and intimate but where it shines is books of local interest. There's a really great selection and when I was looking for gifts to send to a friend in the US this delivered with a plush and fantastic book of short stories that centered around Cardiff.

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.

As an English literature graduate it's hardly surprising that any Waterstones practically feels…read morelike a second home to me, but this Cardiff branch in particular is really one of my favourites. As Laura mentioned it's big, though no way near as large as the recently defunct Borders, which was only a few doors down from this Waterstones. Whilst I liked Borders (particularly their excellent magazine selection), something didn't quite sit right with me and I became rather fiercely loyal to this Waterstones branch. I think this is perhaps due to the fact that despite being a chain store, Waterstones has an awfully British feel to it, which I rather like. We're rather lucky that this store is in the Welsh capital, as it attracts plenty of high profile authors (and John Barrowman) for book signings, which are quite frequent. When it comes to their book selection, it is in a word excellent. You're usually guaranteed to find any literature that you desire, and they also stock graphic novels and audio books (though I expect this might change with the rise of digital downloads). The staff are clearly book lovers, their always willing to make suggestions, and when I forget either the tile of a book or the author's name their usually able to work out what it is I'm looking for (incredibly spooky).

I went into this Waterstones to get a book for my course, which I couldn't find in either the…read morelibrary or the local Blackwells in the students' union. It was very easy to navigate my way around and I was impressed by the sheer size of it, meaning that there is a substantial range of books. There is a great children's section. That is my favourite section of the whole shop. There is a little play area, places to sit down and a whole range of books from those for tiny little children up to teenagers. I had great fun - and wasted quite a lot of time - finding all the books I knew when I was small. The service was also very good, friendly, smiley, helpful.

Cardiff's largest Welsh-language bookshop. It has a huge range of material both for native Welsh…read morespeakers and learners, text books, novels, DVDs, CDs, newspapers and magazines. You can also buy calendars, greetings cards and Welsh gifts. Nice to browse around. The staff could be friendlier though - I have always found them to be rather frosty.

Until as recently as yesterday, the last time I had entered Halls Bookshop was at least three years…read moreago. So I was much surprised to find the shop almost completely unrecognizable, my initial reaction was where were all the books? If not for Mrs. Hall standing patiently behind the till I would almost have believed I had entered the wrong shop. Halls now appears to resemble a rather nice gift, candle, and card shop so perhaps a name change is in order? The card selection is very good for an independent retailer, and you're sure to find something that will be to your satisfaction. It's almost surprising how extensive the candle selection is, so I get the impression that they're clearly very popular (I'm actually wishing I'd bought one now). Halls also has a rather nice selection of notepads (think Paperchase but more unique), which are very good value. On the book front, there remains a very small selection, which are mainly about cooking or the local area. In the age of big chain bookshops such as Waterstones, and until recently Borders, It has become harder and harder for independent bookshops to compete (especially with supermarkets getting in on the action), it is therefore quite heartwarming that rather than shutting shop, Halls has managed to make changes and continued to survive. Personally I think Llandaff High Street wouldn't feel right without this store, so I really hope with these changes that Halls succeeds.

Excellent shop crammed with lots of things you know you need! One of those places you could spend a…read morelong time in just browsing... great ranges of cards of all types and description, old fashioned proper toys and books from bestsellers to pulp fiction. Something for everybody A real find!