Whether it’s a multi-volume fantasy series or a revelatory memoir, books exist to transport us to different worlds, but occasionally the bookshops that house them are so striking and possess such mysterious energy that they themselves feel like transcendental spaces.
With just as much variety as the titles which fill their shelves, there are some pretty magical bookshops dotted all over the planet, and ’s brand-new list contains 12 of the most stunning of all.
Word on the Water in London’s Little Venice is a repurposed 1920s barge which sits on the canal, and Boakhandel Dominicanen is a majestic former church in Maastricht that has lived many lives before becoming a book retailer.
However, none can quite compare with El Ateneo Grand Splendid, a palatial former theatre in Buenos Aires which is now a three-level bookshop.
‘This jaw-dropping bookshop is built within a 1919 theatre that once hosted the country’s most talented tango dancers, before it evolved into a cinema a decade later. As of 2000, El Ateneo’s only running show is a glorious, three-level bookshop – though it’s still worthy of a standing ovation,’ writes contributor Daniela Toporek. ‘There are wonderfully preserved details along each of the balconies and seats have been transformed into reading spaces for visitors – but the domed ceiling, with its enormous early twentieth-century fresco, is the real showstopper.’
Second place was awarded to Paris’s iconic Shakespeare & Co., and the third-place spot was claimed by Albertine, a celestial, twinkly space in New York which stocks both French and English titles. But that’s far from all – read on below.
📚 Check out the full list of the world’s most beautiful bookshops.
ICYMI: Paris’s oldest bridge is becoming an immersive cave installation for the rest of the month
Plus: Europe’s UNESCO-listed spas are hosting events throughout the summer – here’s what’s going on.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.
