The 10 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World

Whether it's the one downstairs where the bookseller has known us all his life and always knows which book to recommend, or the one where we spent hours during our last trip abroad, each of us has his own library of the heart. Unique places where you can be enveloped by the scent of paper and ink and the timeless charm of books oldest. From Venice to Buenos Aires passing through Lisbon, New York, Mexico City and Santorini, we went to discover the most beautiful bookstores in the world: true masterpieces in which you can be moved by the magic that only shelves full of books they know how to give.

Index of topics

Acqua Alta Bookshop (Venice)

Located on Calle Longa Santa Maria Formosa, just steps from Piazza San Marco, it's an enchanting place where time seems to have stood still. A magical place that the BBC even ranked among the 10 most beautiful bookstores in the world. A creative corner in the heart of Venice, where books are placed everywhere: on shelves and racks, but also inside gondolas, old canoes, disused boats, and retro bathtubs. This is also a way to protect the books from the high waters that sometimes invade Venice, flooding it: hence the bookshop's name. Thanks to this curious stratagem, as well as an excellent example of creative recycling, the bookshop remains open even during high tide days. And what a spectacle is the book staircase made from water-damaged books destined for the pulper? We talked about it in this article In this article, we also tell you about the five beautiful residents of the bookstore. We won't reveal who they are, but we'll give you a little help in guessing: they spend most of their time dozing over books. What are you waiting for? Get lost in the aisles of this marvel!

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El Ateneo Grand Splendid (Buenos Aires)

Already known as the world book capital for its extremely high number of bookstores per inhabitant, Buenos Aires, at 1860 Santa Fe Avenue, in the Recoleta neighborhood, is home to one of the most spectacular bookstores in the world: El Ateneo Grand SplendidOriginally a theater, and later a cinema—talkies were shown here for the first time in the country—the historic Teatro Grand Splendid was purchased in the late 1990s by the Yenny-El Ateneo publishing house, which also owned a chain of bookstores, and renovated by architect Fernando Manzone into a veritable paradise for readers. The theater's original character has not been lost, however: El Ateneo Grand Splendid still features the classic red curtains, seating, and splendid frescoes decorating the ceiling. The difference is that the galleries and arena now house approximately 120,000 books, all categorized by genre. And behind the scenes, where actors once prepared to go on stage, there is now a welcoming literary café where you can stop to read a good book and enjoy an excellent coffee.

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Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen (Maastricht)

La Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen in Maastricht is the result of a truly unique conversion project: a Dominican church transformed into a bookstore by Dutch architects Merkx + Girod. Deconsecrated in 1794 and used for a time as a municipal archive and bicycle storage facility, it was then transformed into a bookstore in 2005. The centerpiece of the Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen is the immense three-story bookcase that runs along the central nave, beneath the frescoes. The literary café in the choir area is decidedly unusual and features a chandelier reminiscent of the old candelabras typical of places of worship.

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Atlantis Book (Santorini)

Imagine reading a good book in a bookstore, comfortably stretched out in the sun, with a breathtaking sea view. A dream? No, such a place really exists, and it's the bookstore. Atlantis Book of Santorini. Immersed in the deep blue of the island, where the colors of the sky and the sea blend together, Atlantis Book is the venture of two friends, Oliver and Craig, who, after a vacation on the island, decided to stay and open a bookstore, involving other friends as well. Since 2004, Atlantis Book has been a must-see for all book lovers vacationing on the island.

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(Photo credit: Facebook)

Lello & Irmao (Porto)

Built in 1906 by engineer Francisco Xavier Esteves, the Lello & Irmão Bookstore On Rua das Carmelitas, just steps from the Torre dos Clérigos, you'll immediately notice the bookstore's majestic and stunning façade, in addition to the long lines of enthusiasts and curious onlookers waiting to enter. But it's once you enter the bookshop, built in Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau style, that you'll truly be amazed: the main symbol of the Lello & Irmão Bookshop is the majestic staircase that dominates the center of the room and allows you to admire the ceiling in all its grandeur. And it's precisely the staircase that has become a symbol, not only for its beauty, but also because it was a source of inspiration for author J.K. Rowling when she wrote the first volume of the Harry Potter saga. Rowling, in fact, lived in Porto from 1991 to 1993: during the day, she wrote the first draft of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" by hand and then, in the evenings, she taught English at a language school. To enter the bookstore, you must purchase a €4 ticket, which can be converted into a discount if you purchase a book. The decision to charge admission is driven by the incredible increase in visitors and the need to convert them into potential buyers and, above all, readers. In recent years, the Lello & Irmão bookstore has surpassed one million visitors and sold more than 300 books in various languages.

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El Pendulo (Mexico City)

In the library The Pendulo In the Condesa neighborhood, opened in 1993, you can enjoy reading your favorite author while immersed in a real garden, surrounded by wicker chairs and climbing plants. A perfect oasis for refuge and shelter during the scorching Mexican summers, where you can listen to excellent live music.

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Hay-on-Wye, the city of books and the Honesty bookshop (Hay-on-Wye/Wales)

Did you know that there is a “city of books”? It is about hay-on-wye, in Wales, and is a true open-air library. A small medieval village of about 1800 inhabitants and 40 bookshops, an hour's drive from Cardiff, literally invaded by books: you can browse and buy them everywhere, on every corner. Curious Honesty BookshopsWalls lined with shelves filled with books of all kinds, all at affordable prices. To purchase them, simply insert a coin into the special coin box that characterizes this unique open-air bookshop: 1 pound for hardbacks, 50 cents for all other items. If you decide to visit Hay-on-Wye, don't miss the Honesty Bookshop surrounding the 13th-century castle: you'll be enchanted.

(Photo credit: Independent.co.uk)

Shakespeare and cinsult (Paris)

The history of the bookstore Shakespeare and company The history of Shakespeare and Company on Paris's Left Bank began in the 20s when Sylvia Beach, an American emigrant who arrived in Paris in 1916 to study French literature, decided to open a bookstore at 8 Rue Dupuytren. In 1921, the location moved to Rue de l'Odéon. Sylvia Beach's Shakespeare and Company was the first bookstore to publish, in 1921, the complete version of James Joyce's Ulysses, with a print run of a thousand copies. For years, the bookstore was a meeting place for some of the most influential writers in literary history, such as Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Ezra Pound, and Francis Scott Fitzgerald. The golden age of Shakespeare and Company, however, came to a halt in 1941, during the Nazi occupation, when Sylvia Beach was taken to a concentration camp. With the liberation of Paris, Sylvia returned to Paris, where she remained until her death in 1962. She then passed the name Shakespeare and Company to George Whitman, who named his only daughter Sylvia, in honor of the bookstore's previous owner. An American, George Whitman had moved to Paris after the end of World War II to study at the Sorbonne, and like Sylvia Beach, he never left. Year after year, he had accumulated so many books that he decided to open a bookstore. Little by little, Whitman's Shakespeare and Company also became a refuge for wandering writers (Tumbleweed) who had nowhere to stay in Paris or needed concentration to write their works. In exchange for two hours of work a day inside the bookstore, Whitman allowed them to sleep for free on cots hidden between the shelves. This custom is still maintained today by George's daughter, Sylvia, who, like her father, asks writers to leave a one-page autobiography. The amazing thing is that, to write, you can still use one of the bookstore's typewriters and sheets of blue paper. Sylvia has collected countless testimonies year after year, just as numerous writers and literary experts are hosted at the bookstore through the "Tumbleweeding" program: eight beds are available. In exchange, they must dedicate an hour a day to maintaining the bookstore.

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For Whitman, his bookstore was a living work of art: "I created this bookstore the way a man would write a novel, constructing each room as if it were a chapter. I want people to open the door the way they open a book, a book that takes them into the magical world of their imagination." Now a literary institution in the French capital, the Shakespeare and Company bookstore is a unique place to escape to and spend a few hours immersed in reading. It's impossible not to stop by if you're in Paris.

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Ler Devagar (Lisbon)

Founded in 1999, Read Slowly More than just an independent bookstore, it's also a true work of urban street art. Located in the Alcântara neighborhood on the banks of the Tagus River, very close to the famous Ponte 25 de Abril bridge, it's a true ode to creativity, just like the completely renovated and mural-decorated former industrial complex it's part of: LX Factory. Enter the bookstore, climb the rickety iron stairs, browse the books on the wall-filling shelves, and immerse yourself in its tranquil and, at times, surreal atmosphere.

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The bicycle hanging from the ceiling and the enormous printing machine located in the cafeteria are curious: after all, as mentioned, before being converted into the current creative island, LX Factory was an industrial complex where Portuguese newspapers were printed.

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Strand Bookstore (New York City)

18 miles of books, over 90 years of activity, three floors, 200 employees, over 2 million books distributed between the internal shelves and the stalls positioned outside on the sidewalk and an immense collection of used, antique, rare and art books: numbers that make you daydream and that make the bookshop Beach A true reading paradise. Founded by Benjamin Bass in 1927, the Strand quickly became a veritable institution, a place where writers gathered to discuss literature, but also to propose their books or browse for interesting reads. A legendary place capable of surprising, it was also famous for selling books by the meter, or rather "by the foot": customers pay a total price calculated based on the space occupied by the books, starting at $10 per foot. The initiative focuses primarily on series and is aimed primarily at readers and businesses looking to furnish their bookshelves quickly and affordably. The bookstore is still family-run today and is located at 828 Broadway at 12th Street.