Princesshay and Exeter’s Shopping Scene: Indie Lanes to Big-Brand Centre
Exeter does shopping in two distinct registers and the city centre is small enough that you can do both in a single afternoon. There is Princesshay, the open-air centre between the High Street and Southernhay, with the names you would expect to see in any decent UK city. Then there are the indie streets: Gandy Street with its Diagon Alley vibe, the Cathedral Quarter for high-end and design-led shops, and Fore Street in the West Quarter for vintage, books, records and the kind of cafe you tell friends about.
This guide walks you through where to go for what, with the practical detail you need to plan an afternoon or a full day.
Princesshay: the big-brand anchor
Princesshay opened in its current form in 2007 and replaced a tired 1950s precinct. The result is an open-air pedestrianised centre with around 60 shops, restaurants and cafes laid out as a series of small streets and squares rather than an indoor mall.
Opening hours are Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 6pm, Sunday 10.30am to 4.30pm. Restaurants stay open later. Some individual stores vary, especially in the run up to Christmas. In 2026 the anchor stores include Next, Hollister, Zara, River Island, New Look, Apple, Reiss, AllSaints and Oliver Bonas. There is a John Lewis on the High Street side, technically not in Princesshay but connected to it through the centre.
Parking is at the Princesshay car park (entered from Bampfylde Street) with around 600 spaces, and there is also covered cycle parking. The centre is fully step-free and there are accessible toilets near House of Fraser and on the lower level off Roman Walk.
Gandy Street: the indie cobbles
From Princesshay, walk up the High Street and turn left into Gandy Street. The cobbles, hanging signs and narrow lane have led plenty of people to call it Diagon Alley. JK Rowling studied in Exeter and the visual link is too obvious to ignore.
What you find on Gandy Street is a tight collection of small independents. Look for Maker Mart at 11A, which showcases over a hundred south west makers, JM Records for vinyl, Mounts Bay Trading for outdoor and travel kit, and Georgie & Flo for ceramics and prints. There are also good independent cafes and a couple of pubs that are worth a stop.
This is the part of the city that rewards a slow wander. None of the shops are huge, but together they make a coherent indie-shopping district.
The West Quarter and Fore Street
Walk down the High Street, past the Guildhall, and Fore Street takes you west into the older part of the city. The architecture starts to do interesting things, with timber-framed buildings and stepped Tudor frontages. This is the West Quarter, and it is where Exeter does its proper vintage shopping.
McCoy’s Arcade sits at the entrance to Fore Street and contains two anchor independents: The Real McCoy, a long-established vintage and retro clothing shop, and Bookbag, an excellent indie bookshop. From there, Rooster Records and 12 Bar are within a couple of minutes’ walk for music. The cafes along this stretch are some of the best in Exeter, with Boston Tea Party on Fore Street a reliable lunch stop.
The West Quarter is also where you will find the Quay if you walk a further five minutes downhill. That is shopping of a different kind (gift shops, antiques, paddleboard hire), but worth combining with a Fore Street visit on a fine day.
The Cathedral Quarter
Around Cathedral Yard and on Catherine Street you will find the higher-end shops: jewellers, boutique fashion, design and lifestyle stores. The Cathedral Yard cafes spill out onto the green in summer. This is the section to walk through when you want a window-shop afternoon rather than a buy-things afternoon, and it links Princesshay and Gandy Street neatly.
Markets, fairs and seasonal extras
The Real Food Market runs at Exeter Quay on the second Sunday of every month, with around 40 stalls of Devon producers, prepared food and drink. The Exeter Farmers Market runs at South Street on Thursdays. Each November and December a Christmas Market sets up on Cathedral Green; it is one of the better cathedral-front markets in the country, with a serious focus on food and craft.
Putting it together
A practical afternoon loop: start at Princesshay around 11am for the names you want to tick off. Walk up to Gandy Street for lunch and a slower browse. Cut across to Catherine Street and the Cathedral Quarter mid-afternoon. Drop down to Fore Street and the West Quarter for vintage and books before tea. End at the Quay if the weather holds.
That is a full day done on foot, with no need to drive between any of it. Exeter is a small city and the shopping districts are all within a 15 minute walk of one another.
If you are building a wider weekend, our Perfect Weekend in Exeter itinerary slots this shopping loop into a full 48 hours, and The Royal Albert Memorial Museum guide gives you a free indoor option for when the rain comes in.