10 Storied Bookstores Around the World

Perhaps the most obvious—but no less excellent—choice for any traveling book lover, Shakespeare and Company has been in business since 1951. As one of the most classic bookstores in Europe, it remains a thriving tourist attraction (and, of course, working bookstore) to this day. In fact, so popular is this independent spot that there’s even a page on its website with Shakespeare and Co. visiting tips—in summary, no large bags or photos are permitted.

Next time you’re in Paris you can (and should) squeeze in your visit to the 17th-century building after taking in the magnificence of Notre-Dame Cathedral, located just a 5-minute walk away on the other side of the Seine.

Did you know?: The store was originally called Le Mistral, but changed its name to the one we know and love today in 1964.

If you’re looking for historic bookstores, travel to Portugal. Livraria Lello in Porto isn’t Portugal’s oldest bookstore—that honor goes to Livraria Bertrand in the Chiado district of Lisbon. However, Livraria Lello is arguably its most storied, given how deeply (if wrongly) entwined it is with the Harry Potter universe. (No, it wasn’t actually the inspiration for the Hogwarts stairs or for Flourish and Blotts.)

These days, Livraria Lello is a bona fide tourist attraction. Prebook your admission ticket online and explore the surrounding Baixa neighborhood or tour the store along with other landmarks. (Happily, the cost of a ticket can be deducted from the eventual purchase of a book.)

Insider tip: If you’d rather visit a less tourist-heavy bookshop in Porto, check out Livraria Snob, which is all dark academia vibes with a great selection of English-language texts.

As the birthplace of literary greats past and present, such as Victoria Ocampo, Jorge Luis Borges, and Mariana Enriquez, Buenos Aires is a must-visit for any fan of the written word. El Ateneo Grand Splendid—regularly ranked among the most beautiful bookstores in the world, and the largest in South America—is perhaps the place to go in the Argentine capital for a proper immersion into the country’s bookish heritage.

Housed in an elegant former theater dating back to 1919, the bookstore itself only opened in 2000. Nowadays, it’s home to one of the coziest bookstore cafés worldwide, as well as thousands of titles that run the gamut from Spanish-language classics to modern masterpieces.

Insider tip: For a wealth of texts from contemporary authors (among others), check out Eterna Cadencia in Palermo Hollywood.

The gleaming (almost stark) white interior of Cărturești Carusel, marked by elegant columns and curving serpentine lines, belies the vibrancy of the literature on offer within. Across four floors, this bookstore—reopened in 2015 after a large-scale redevelopment of the historic building in which it lives—houses not just books, but a rooftop bistro and even a gallery containing contemporary Romanian artworks.

After taking a walking tour of Bucharest, pop in for lunch and a browse of the stacks. Once you’ve picked up some reading material—there is an English-language section—you can spend the next day exploring another of Romania’s great literary attractions: Bran Castle, aka Dracula’s Castle.

There is any number of storied American bookstores—think: New York City’s The Strand, Brattle Book Shop in Boston, Talk Story on Kauai (the westernmost bookstore in the US), or the vast Powell’s in Seattle. There’s also Culver City’s The Ripped Bodice, a shop dedicated entirely to romance novels. However, City Lights in San Francisco is an independent stalwart on the country’s literary scene.

You can stop by this historic store, founded in 1953, on a city walking tour of North Beach. Spread over three floors, it offers titles from both indie and major publishers alike. And speaking of publishers, City Lights Publishers (the store’s editorial imprint) has hundreds of books on their roster.

Often considered one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores, Dujiangyan Zhongshuge—situated in the heart of Chengdu—is also one of the most recently inaugurated options in this book lover travel guide. (Just keep in mind that most of the books are in Mandarin.)

However, despite only opening in 2020, this spot—undoutedly one of the most unique bookstores to visit—deserves its spot thanks to the quite frankly futuristic interior design, all swirling staircases and mirrored ceilings that reflect and refract thousands of books. It’s no wonder it’s considered one of the most Instagrammable bookshops in the world.

Insider tip: For a similarly architectural literary experience, in an entirely different place, visit Mexico City’s futuristic Vasconcelos Library.

Though there are three branches of this popular Dutch bookstore—in Heerlen, Sittard, and Maastricht—it’s the Maastricht one, situated in a more than 700-year-old converted Dominican church, that you’ll want to visit. Here, the arched ceilings are painted with intricate frescoes, there are stained glass windows for days, and there’s a fantastic little café where you can hole up with your recent purchase(s).

The English-language section is pleasantly robust, while the convenient central location makes it the perfect bookstore at which to begin or end a walking tour of Maastricht itself.

London has a history of churning out world-renowned authors, from Charles Dickens to Virginia Woolf, Zadie Smith to Bernardine Evaristo. Naturally, the city has a thriving bookstore scene to match, but few are quite as famous as Daunt Books in Marylebone.

This indie bookseller was founded back in 1990—if it were a dress it’d be considered vintage—and focuses on travel narratives, making it perfect for any literature-and-travel-inclined tourist. Visit the flagship branch, housed in a high-ceilinged Edwardian building, and make a big enough purchase to warrant snagging a free tote bag.

Insider tip: The UK is an absolute paradise for book lovers. If you’ve already been to Daunt, head instead to Word on the Water; hop over the border to Wales to the literary town of Hay-on-Wye; or go north to Leakey’s in Inverness, Scotland.

Bookstore and café combine elegantly at Sydney’s Gertrude and Alice—and the coffee is as good as you’d expect from Australia. Opened in 2001, the specialty here is secondhand books, from Aussie and international authors alike, as well as a wholesome community feel which has helped it thrive for so long.

You should stop by this family-run store in Bondi after a surfing lesson on Bondi Beach, as the bustling café—where you can of course grab brunch (avo toast features on the menu, naturally)—is a great spot to recharge.

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Who situates a bookstore right in the heart of Venice, an area prone to flooding? Luigi Frizzo, that’s who, back in 2002. This bookseller is the founder of Acqua Alta (meaning "high tide"), a libreria where the books are stored in bathtubs and gondolas to help protect them against the threat of being washed away at the merest hint of heavy rain.

Now, we know we’ve said it a few times throughout this guide to storied bookstores, but Acqua Alta might really be the most beautiful in the world. It’s also home to a balanced blend of rare (and expensive) first editions, newer titles, and souvenirs that will slip into anyone’s suitcase with ease.