Shakespeare and Company Bookstore Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience Shakespeare and Company. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

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Visiting the Shakespeare and Company shop is free, but if you’re a book lover, you may spend a pretty penny stocking up on books here. Cash and credit cards are accepted. City tours that stop at the bookstore typically start at around US$60 per person.

Shakespeare and Company was opened in 1951 by George Whitman, an American serviceman living in France, as a service to the English-speaking community. Whitman originally named it Le Mistral but later changed it to Shakespeare and Company, after a bookstore opened in Paris decades earlier.

Yes, you can buy books at Shakespeare and Company. Many people visit it just to see it, the shop is—at its core—a traditional bookstore. The focus is on books in the English language, but you’ll also find a wide range of other goodies, including souvenir tote bags and T-shirts.

Yes, there are often special events and readings at Shakespeare and Company, many of which feature world-famous authors, primarily from the English-speaking literary community. Most are free to attend (with limited space). The bookstore also hosts special workshops for writers, especially in summer.

Shakespeare and Company is in the heart of Paris and accessible via public transportation. You can take line 4 of the Paris Metro to the Saint-Michel stop, a few minutes' walk away, or take the RER B or C to the Saint-Michel – Nôtre-Dame. Several buses also stop nearby.