Why You Need to Visit Hay-on-Wye, the Magical Book Town in Wales
Book lovers and bookworms of the world, rejoice! Because there exists the cutest little town on the England-Wales border that is absolutely overflowing with books.
The town is Hay-on-Wye, a town of less than 2000 people that has dubbed itself “The World's First Book Town.” This little town only has a couple main streets to speak of, but it has 15+ independent bookshops – literally one on just about every corner.
Hay-on-Wye makes an excellent day trip from Cardiff, or a great stop on a longer Wales road trip. Just be sure to save some room in your suitcase for all the books you're going to be tempted to buy.
Hay-on-Wye as a book town
It all started back in 1962, when a man called Richard Booth opened a secondhand bookshop in Hay-On-Wye at 44 Lion Street. Hay-On-Wye was a little market town back then, but Booth thought it could be something more. He thought the town could use books – lots and lots of books – to draw more tourists.
Booth began expanding his own bookshop into other small storefronts, and encouraged others to open up book stores, too. He declared Hay-On-Wye a “Town of Books” – and by that point, he wasn't wrong.
Richard Booth was an eccentric guy, and knew how to get attention. In 1977, he proclaimed Hay an independent kingdom, declaring himself King – and naming his horse Prime Minister. The stunt got a lot of worldwide attention, further putting Hay-On-Wye on the map.
In 1988, the town launched the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts (now usually just known as the Hay Festival), which to this day still draws tens of thousands of visitors each year.
As of 2025, even after years of post-pandemic struggles in the tourism and small business worlds, Hay-On-Wye still has more than 15 independent book stores operating around the town.
Top things to do in Hay-on-Wye
Okay, so now you're intrigued and maybe convinced to visit Hay-On-Wye. What do you do while you're there? Here are a few ideas:
1. Shop for books
DUH! You're not going to go to Hay-On-Wye and not visit its famous bookstores! You could easily spend a full day just visiting all the different shops, which all have unique personalities.
Start out at Richard Booth's Bookshop, the original shop Booth opened at 44 Lion Street. This three-story shop is not only historic, but is also chock full of both new and secondhand books. The architecture of the building is worth seeing, too.
From there, wander around town a visit some other bookshops! There are several themed book stores, like Murder & Mayhem (dedicated to mystery and crime novels), Gay on Wye (an LGBTQ+ book shop), The Literature Laboratory (a children's book store), and The Poetry Bookshop, plus lots of general book stores.
The Hay Cinema Bookshop is a large secondhand bookstore inside the local cinema, and you can also check out the book selection at the outdoor Honesty Bookshop at the foot of Hay Castle, where you can buy used books for just £1.
The great part about buying books in Hay is that, since many of them are secondhand, you can find some truly great deals!
2. Visit Hay Castle
The town of Hay-On-Wye is partially situated around Hay Castle, a fortification dating back to around the year 1200. The castle was used and expanded upon for centuries, but fell into disrepair after fires in the 1900s.
As of 2022, however, Hay Castle has re-opened to the public after major renovations to turn it into a space for arts, literature and learning. The castle now has an art gallery and cafe, along with various workshops and talks.
There are daily guided castle tours, and a viewing platform to visit with views out over the town and Welsh countryside.
3. Do other shopping
While Hay's bookstores are the star of the show in town, there are lots of other cute shops and boutiques to discover, too!
Head to spots like Mostlymaps, the Eighteen Rabbit Fair Trade shop, Haystacks Music, and the Hay Antique Market, along with other shops and galleries along Castle Street especially.
You can also check out the Canolfan Hay Craft Centre complex near the town's main parking lot, which has craft/gift shops, a fudge shop, and (perhaps most importantly) public toilets.
4. Admire the River Wye
The River Wye runs right alongside Hay-On-Wye, and you can go for a walk along it while you're in town, or even rent a canoe for part of the day!
5. Eat and drink your way around Hay
Again, Hay is a small town. But there are still plenty of cozy spots to post up for a coffee, a meal, or a nice pint. A few spots I'd recommend include:
- Dugan's Patisserie & Boutique
- Angie's (their slogan is “tea cakes and insults!”)
- The Cosy Cafe (great for lunch)
- The Sandwich Cellar
- The Granary (another cafe)
- Three Tuns (pub)
- Tomatitos Tapas Bar
- Chapters Restaurant (good for dinner)
- The Old Black Lion (pub and restaurant)
There's even a local micro brewery just outside of town called Lucky 7 Beer Co! See if they're open during your visit, or look for their brews around town to try.
Getting to Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye sits almost right on the England-Wales border, but is officially in Powys county in Wales. The best way to reach the town is by car. It's roughly 1.5 hours from Cardiff, 3 hours from Conwy, and 3.5 hours from London.
An important thing to know about visiting Hay-On-Wye is that there's really no parking in the main center of town other than at the Market Square Car Park, which is small and limited to 2 hours of parking. I recommend you park at the Oxford Road Car Park, which is a large car park a 5-minute walk from all the bookshops. Parking here costs £2.50 up to 2 hours, £3.25 for 2-4 hours, and £4 for anything over 4 hours (more on parking charges here).
Should you stay overnight in Hay-on-Wye?
You *can* stay overnight in Hay, and it might make sense if you want to visit the town and also spend some time hiking in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (AKA the Brecon Beacons). But Hay-on-Wye doesn't really have that many hotel options, and you can see pretty much everything in about half a day.
So I personally think Hay-on-Wye makes a good day trip from Cardiff as opposed to an overnight trip.
@dangerousbiz Love books? Then you’ll love the town of Hay-on-Wye in Wales. It calls itself the World’s First Book Town, and there’s quite literally a bookshop on every corner. Would you like to visit? #hayonwye #booklovers #booklove #bookshop #walestiktok #visitwales #booktokfyp ♬ Magical Fantasy – Dmitriy Sevostyanov
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Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Dangerous Business Travel Blog. She has traveled to more than 60 countries on 6 continents from her home base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and thoughtful travel through the US, Europe, and rest of the world. Amanda only shares tips based on her personal experiences and places she's actually traveled!
Hi Amanda. Been to Hay-on-Wye twice. My absolutely favourite book town. Stayed overnight both times at this lovely B & B called The Old Black Lion. A historical place, apparently Oliver Cromwell stayed there during his visit in the 17th century. I did a drive from Powis Castle in Wales to Hay-on-Wye and then drove to the Cotswolds to spend a week in the pretty villages of that area.
Glad to hear you loved it, too! It’s such a cute little town.