The best bookstores don’t just sell books. They’re run by people, sometimes authors themselves, who love to read and are knowledgeable about a wide range of books. A recent Harvard Business School study showed that people look to bookstores for a more personalized reading experience. They’re seeking a sense of community, a curated selection of authors and titles, and a place to gather to hear writers talk or read from their newest book.
The best bookstores promote regional literature and writers and, often, artists as well. Their staff can match you with that perfect book. They strive to educate customers through popular blogs and podcasts on new writing or forgotten classics. They may have a small press that releases forgotten and out-of-print titles. They’re often de-facto community centers as well. Many stores have on-site cafes so you can hang out and read or create your new reading list. If you’re traveling overseas, you may even find a place to sleep overnight at a bookstore in Paris or Tokyo.
We’ve put together a list of 30 bookshops around the world that are definitely worth leaving home to visit. Whether you’re already traveling to a destination and want to check out a local bookstore or you’re a dedicated bookworm who will make a special trip to visit an unusual bookseller, you’ll find just the place to grab your interest.
22. El Pendulo
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Where to stay: Hotel La Casona
Visit: El Pendulo
Why El Pendulo is so famous: The El Pendulo bookstore chain has seven locations across the city, each with cafes, live music concerts and literary events, and they all stock a wide range of books in Spanish and English. The stores feature ceiling-high bookshelves, trees and vines growing among the books, small reading nooks with comfortable chairs, sofas and tables and walkways that let customers browse the upper levels. The best locations are in Polanco, near several of Mexico City’s best museums, and Roma, a trendy neighborhood filled with bars, restaurants, cafes, tree-lined streets and Spanish Colonial houses.
20. The Last Bookstore
Location: Los Angeles, California
Where to stay: Ace Hotel Downtown
Visit: The Last Bookstore
Why The Last Bookstore is so famous: When owner Josh Spencer opened his now iconic bookstore in downtown Los Angeles in 2005, he was certain it would only last three years and that selling conventional books was a dying industry, hence the store name. Still thriving 17 years later, The Last Bookstore is California’s largest book and record retailer and sprawls across two floors in the historic Spring Arts Tower. In addition to new, used and rare books, the store sells vinyl records, graphic novels and art, and contains a book labyrinth. The Last Bookstore is also featured in a short, award-winning documentary.
12. Baldwin’s Book Barn
Location: West Chester, Pennsylvania
Where to stay: Inn at Whitewing Farm
Visit: Baldwin’s Book Barn
Why Baldwin’s Book Barn is so famous: In 1946, William and Lila Baldwin converted a 19th-century barn and milking shed near West Chester into a used book and collectible shop and residence. The Book Barn is located just outside of town in the Brandywine Valley. The Baldwin family still runs the business, which now stocks used, rare, out-of-print and antiquarian books, and has over 300,000 books under its roof. The Book Barn also sells maps, prints, estate antiques and other collectibles.
7. Powell’s Bookstore
Location: Portland, Oregon
Where to stay: The Heathman Hotel
Visit: Powell’s Bookstore
Why Powell’s Bookstore is so famous: Founder Michael Powell first opened Powell’s Bookstore in Chicago in 1970 when he was a graduate student at The University of Chicago. When his father, Walter, opened a similar used bookstore in Portland, Michael returned from Chicago to join his father in the business. Michael’s daughter, Emily, now runs Powell’s, making it a third-generation, family-owned company. Powell’s Bookstore has a unique business philosophy: It displays new and used, hardcover and paperback books altogether. Powell’s also holds regular in-store literary events and has three locations across the city.
4. Housing Works Bookstore and Cafe
Location: New York, New York
Where to stay: Moxy NYC Downtown
Visit: Housing Works Bookstore and Cafe
Why is so famous: Founded in 1990, Housing Works is a nonprofit that provides a range of services, including housing, job training and legal assistance, to low-income, vulnerable or homeless New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. The store sells a wide range of books, music and movies, and the proceeds go to fund Housing Works programs. All stock at the store is donated, and the staff is made up of volunteers. The Housing Works Bookstore offers regular in-store events and rents the space for weddings and functions.
1. Atlantis Books
Location: Santorini, Greece
Where to stay: Ecoxenia Hotel Oia
Visit: Atlantis Books
Why Atlantis Books is so famous: In 2002, two college friends, Oliver Wise and Craig Walzer, were vacationing on the Greek island of Santorini. Unable to find a bookstore, the pair decided to open one on the main street of Oia, with views over the Aegean Sea. Atlantis Books sells new, used, first editions and antiquarian books in seven languages for travelers and locals. The store stocks classic fiction and non-fiction, with an emphasis on poetry, philosophy and art. The company hosts outdoor theater productions and movie screenings and has a book donkey, which carries books to local Greek schools.
