20 of the Coolest Bookstores in the World

Livraria Lello, Porto, Portugal

Let’s commencement with the bookstore that it wide regarded arsenic 1 of the astir beauteous (if not THE astir beautiful) bookstore successful the world. Located astatine 144 Rua das Carmelitas, successful downtown Porto, this bookstore dates each the mode backmost to 1881, erstwhile brothers José and António Lello initially opened an constitution astatine a adjacent determination to people and merchantability books. The bookstore astatine its existent determination opened successful 1906. There are galore notable things astir the architecture and plan of this bookstore, but the staircase successful peculiar truly makes this bookstore basal out. You’re not lone going to privation to store here. You’re going to privation to instrumentality plentifulness of pictures.

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Honesty Bookshop, Hay-on-Wye, Wales

Hay-on-Wye is known arsenic the National Book Town of Wales, and it’s besides the determination of the yearly Hay Festival. So it should travel arsenic nary astonishment that the streets of Hay-on-Wye are lined with bookstores. Basically, the municipality is simply a publication lover’s imagination travel true. But 1 of the coolest bookstores successful Hay-on-Wye is the Honesty Bookshop connected the grounds of Hay Castle. This open-air bookshop is unfastened to browse 24/7. Book prices are cheap, ranging from £1 to £5. And to pay, you are conscionable trusted to beryllium honorable and driblet your outgo successful the outgo box. All proceeds spell towards the Hay Castle Trust.

SemiColon Bookstore & Gallery, Chicago, IL

Semicolon is simply a Black woman–owned bookstore and assemblage successful Chicago, Illinois. Part of what makes Semicolon truthful chill is the business’ dedication to raising the literacy complaint successful Chicago and beyond. Semicolon bookstore proprietor Danielle Mullen besides helped make National Black Literacy Day to enactment literacy programs successful Black communities. The bookstore has besides teamed up with 93 Boyz X to enactment Books Before Bars, which provides books for jails successful Illinois.

El Ateneo, Buenos Aires, Argentina

El Ateneo was named the World’s Most Beautiful Bookstore by National Geographic. The gathering successful Buenos Aires was archetypal a theatre called Teatro Gran Splendid, which opened successful 1919. In 2000, the theatre was renovated and converted into a publication and euphony store nether the absorption of designer Fernando Manzone. Now, determination are implicit 120,000 books connected the shop’s shelves and a signifier with a soft for unrecorded music.

Chongqing Zhongshuge Bookstore, Chongqing, China

Chongqing Zhongshuge is simply a 36,000–square ft store successful Chongqing, China. The abstraction features stunning staircases and mirrored walls that marque the bookshop much than conscionable a spot to bargain books. “The clients asked maine and my squad to make a bookstore that was besides a landmark,” Li Xiang, the president of X+Living and the main decorator explained. “The solid ceiling enlarges the space, portion creating thing that appears much magical than it does real.”

El Péndulo, Mexico City, Mexico

El Péndulo is simply a concatenation of stores crossed Mexico City that is portion bookstore, portion cafe, and portion restaurant. The stores are genuinely welcoming and beauteous places to gather, eat, drink, and speech books. Specifically, the Polanco determination connected Alejandro Dumas Street made Book Riot’s list of the 15 Most Instagrammed Bookstores successful the world.

Powell’s, Portland, Oregon

Powell’s is simply a concatenation of bookstores successful Portland, Oregon. Its flagship store connected 1005 W Burnside Street is called the City of Books, and with bully reason. It’s incredibly, astir overwhelmingly large. Even the world’s biggest publication person volition observe books connected Powell’s shelves that they’ve ne'er heard of before. The store boasts carrying implicit 1 cardinal titles, aft all.

Boekhandel Dominicanen, Maastricht, the Netherlands

Boekhandel Dominicanen successful The Netherlands is different breathtaking bookstore that you’ll apt marque you privation to instrumentality a cardinal pictures to station connected Instagram. Located wrong the chromatic vaults of a erstwhile medieval church, this bookstore sells some Dutch and English titles. So, my English-speaking people, if you’re visiting Maastricht and are looking for a beauteous tourer destination and a spot to bargain much books, this is your spot.

Arc N Book, Seoul, South Korea

Arc N Book is simply a amusive bookstore to sojourn for galore reasons, but what I emotion astir astir it is that it’s a bookstore that promotes much than reading. Arc N Book is astir the speechmaking lifestyle. This curated store is separated into 4 antithetic themes: Daily, Weekend, Style, and Inspiration. Visitors are invited to enactment a while, get thing to devour oregon portion astatine the cafe, and lounge successful 1 of the store’s galore comfy seating areas to get the afloat experience. You’re besides going to privation to instrumentality pictures of the gorgeous arch made of books.

1200 Bookshop, Guangzhou, China

Speaking of bookstores wherever you tin unbend and enactment a while, you can’t spell incorrect with 1200 Bookshop, located successful Guangzhou, China. 1200 Bookshop is China’s archetypal 24-hour bookshop. During the day, they’re successful the concern of selling books. At night, they connection a escaped spot to enactment successful backstage rooms for backpackers. All you person to bash to use to enactment astatine the store is travel 1200 Bookshop connected WeChat (ID: gz1200bookshop), oregon email to 1200bookshop@sina.com to fto them cognize your question plans and wherefore you request a spot to stay.

Strand Bookstore, New York City

If you emotion books, past you’ve apt already heard of New York’s celebrated Strand Bookstore. But that’s portion of what makes it truthful cool. Strand is different bookstore that’s well-known for it ample postulation of books. The store carries implicit 2.5 cardinal used, new, and uncommon books, successful a wide scope of categories. Strand has besides go a assemblage hub, offering up plentifulness of peculiar publication clubs, writer readings, and more. Basically, if you program a travel to New York and don’t instrumentality the clip to halt by this bookstore, what are you doing?

Word connected the Water, London, England

What’s cooler than a bookstore connected a boat? Word connected the Water is simply a bookstore wrong of a 100 year-old Dutch barge, located on the Regents Canal successful London. Inside the store, you tin find a wide scope of classics, modern fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books. The publication barge besides hosts a assortment of events, from jazz concerts to poesy slams.

Cook & Book, Brussels, Belgium

Does speechmaking ever marque you hungry? You’re each acceptable astatine Cook & Book, a fabulous (and ace cool) bookstore/restaurant successful Brussels, Belgium. The store is divided into 9 rooms, each offering a antithetic enactment of books and its ain unsocial atmosphere. One country has an English books conception and is designed to look similar a British library. There’s besides a terrace with a playground. And yes, you tin perfectly dine successful each and each country of the store.

Atlantis Books, Santorini, Greece

Atlantis Books is 1 of the coolest bookstores successful the satellite that’s been up and moving successful Santorini, Greece since 2004. The store is known arsenic the astir beauteous bookstore successful Greece and mightiness conscionable beryllium 1 of the astir beauteous bookstores successful the satellite (yes, I cognize determination are a ton of contenders connected this list). Atlantis offers caller and utilized books of modern classical fabrication and nonfiction, arsenic good arsenic poetry, philosophy, art, and each things Greek interest. But the coolest portion of the shop? Probably the terrace, wherever Atlantis hosts readings, nutrient festivals, and movie festivals.

Bart’s Books, Ojai, CA

Bart’s Books makes it connected the database of the coolest bookstores successful the satellite due to the fact that it is the world’s largest outdoor bookstore. Open since 1964, Bart’s offers a wide scope of 2nd manus books, positive a fewer prime caller titles. The Ojai, California bookstore is specified a fun, unsocial determination that it has often been featured successful TV, movies, and novels. For instance, Bart’s was featured successful the 2010 movie Easy A starring Emma Stone and Penn Badgley.

Librairie Avant-Garde, Nanjing, China

Librairie Avant-Garde successful Nanjing, China, is different bookstore that gets chill points for its unsocial location. This bookstore was erstwhile a parking lot, and earlier that, it was a weaponry shelter. But since 2004, this determination has go a spot wherever publication lovers stitchery to bargain books, drawback a portion astatine the cafe, and be talks, concerts, and creation exhibitions.

Cărturești Carusel, Bucharest, Romania

Cărturești Carusel, located successful Bucharest, is portion of the Romanian bookstore concatenation Cărturești. The bookstore carries a wide enactment of books, but what you’ll astir apt announcement archetypal is the beauteous building. Built astatine the opening of the 20th century, the gathering archetypal housed the Chrissoveloni Bank headquarters. After that, it became a wide store, but successful the 1990s/2000s, the gathering was falling apart. Now, aft a five-year rehabilitation, the stunning locale has been renewed to its erstwhile glory and houses this unforgettable bookstore.

Book and Bed, Tokyo, Japan

Book lovers visiting Japan volition not privation to miss retired connected this unsocial hostel experience. Book and Bed is simply a bookstore wherever you tin besides enactment the night. If you don’t take to enactment the full night, the bookstore besides offers couches and beds were you tin nap oregon conscionable lounge during the day. Prefer to enactment awake? You tin drawback a java and a wound to devour astatine the cafe.

The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles, California

Of course, Los Angeles’s coolest bookstore had to beryllium connected this list. The Last Bookstore is the largest caller and utilized bookstore successful California (according to Conde Nast Traveler). Located successful an aged slope building, the store is 22,000 quadrate feet and includes a grounds store, a comic publication store, a yarn shop, and overmuch more! Gone Girl fans, David Fincher’s adaptation of the fashionable Gillian Flynn caller includes a country acceptable close present successful this store. Oh, and you won’t privation to miss getting a representation of the bookstore’s celebrated publication tunnel.