As you’d expect from an affluent Regency town, the shops in Cheltenham are right up there with the very best. For all your favourite retailers and High Street names there’s the Regent Arcade Shopping Centre. For designer brands and boutiques, you can follow in the footsteps of the rich and famous by making your way to Montpellier & The Promenade, or you can hunt down a bargain at one of Cheltenham’s markets.
Shopping in Cheltenham
Shopping centres
The Regent Arcade Shopping Centre is Cheltenham’s main retail hub, and the town’s only undercover shopping option for when the weather takes a turn for the worst. The building itself used to house Regent Motors, which manufactured Britain’s first jet aircraft prototype. Those days of aviation innovation are long gone. Now, you’ll find more than 60 retailers, including high street fashion favourites such as H&M, TK Maxx and Topshop, along with the likes of Ann Summers, Pandora and Tiger. Plus, it’s just a five-minute stroll down the High Street from our Cheltenham Town Centre hotel.
While you’re there, be sure to visit Cheltenham’s famous Wishing Fish Clock built by Kit Williams – the artist behind Masquerade, a famous book that inspired a nation of treasure hunters. It’s the largest mechanical clock in the world and blows bubbles for children to chase around the arcade.
If you’re on the hunt for something more exclusive, make your way from the High Street, past Cheltenham Town Hall and down The Promenade – where you’ll find Cheltenham’s House of Fraser – to the Montpellier Quarter and its selection of stylish boutiques. It’s one of the best shopping areas in the entire country. It’s particularly good for fashion; you can’t leave without visiting Beatrice von Tresckow Designs.
Make your way from shop to shop, walking the district’s picturesque tree-lined streets, and even if you don’t want to spend any money, Montpellier’s still worth exploring for its fine architecture and other attractions. On Montpellier Walk, between every facade, you’ll find a statue of a Caryatid which – along with the Neptune Fountain – transport you from the Cotswolds to the Continent.
Last but not least, Gallagher Shopping is a good option if you’re staying at our Cheltenham North West hotel. It couldn’t be more conveniently located, being just over the road. You’ll find a couple dozen popular outlets, including Boots, HomeSense, Next, Outfit, Pets At Home and Sports Direct.
Regent Arcade
Wishing Fish Clock
Cheltenham Market
Markets
For a bit of bargain hunting, and perhaps some bartering with the local traders, make your way down to Cheltenham Market. It’s open seven days a week. You’ll find it at 252 Bath Road as you make your way out of town towards the Cotswolds. It sells an eclectic array of items, ranging from retro clothing to vintage furniture, along with jewellery, curios, coffee and street food.