Unearth The Voyage
Some places stop you in your tracks the moment you walk through the door, and these bookstores do exactly that. Scattered across the globe, they occupy Gothic churches, grand theaters, Victorian railway stations, and repurposed parking garages, turning the simple act of browsing into a genuine adventure.
Whether you are a lifelong reader or someone who simply appreciates beautiful spaces, these stores offer something far beyond a standard shopping trip. Pack a bag, grab your reading list, and get ready to visit some of the most jaw-dropping bookstores on the planet.
Boekhandel Dominicanen — Maastricht, Netherlands
Walking into Boekhandel Dominicanen feels like stepping into a scene from a fantasy novel, except the stone walls and soaring Gothic arches are completely real. A 13th-century Dominican church now houses one of the most celebrated bookstores on Earth, blending medieval architecture with sleek, modern shelving that reaches toward the heavens.
The contrast is breathtaking in the best possible way.
Over 200,000 readers once voted this store among the most beautiful bookstores in the world, and it is easy to understand why. Stained glass filters light across the reading areas, casting colors onto carefully curated book displays.
The space feels sacred, and somehow, that makes every title feel more important.
Maastricht itself is a charming Dutch city worth exploring, but many visitors admit the bookstore alone justified the trip. There is a coffee bar tucked inside where you can sit beneath ancient vaulted ceilings and read for hours.
Few places on Earth make buying a paperback feel this genuinely magical. If you only visit one bookstore in your lifetime, let it seriously compete for that top spot.
El Ateneo Grand Splendid — Buenos Aires, Argentina
Imagine browsing your next favorite novel while standing on what was once a grand theatrical stage, surrounded by velvet balconies and a ceiling painted with elaborate frescoes. That is the everyday reality at El Ateneo Grand Splendid, a former theater in Buenos Aires that reinvented itself as one of the most spectacular bookstores anywhere on the planet.
The original stage curtain still hangs proudly above the reading area.
Opened as a theater in 1919, the building hosted tango performances, opera, and cinema before becoming a bookstore in 2000. The transformation preserved everything worth keeping.
Ornate plasterwork, gilded details, and curved balconies now overflow with books instead of theatergoers, creating a surreal and beautiful collision of art forms.
Locals and tourists pack the aisles daily, many pausing just to look upward and absorb the grandeur. A cafe operates from the former stage, serving coffee beneath spotlights that once illuminated performers.
Buenos Aires is already one of South America’s most exciting cities, but this bookstore consistently ranks among travelers’ top memories. It is genuinely hard to leave without buying something, or at least taking about forty photographs.
Shakespeare and Company — Paris, France
Tucked along the left bank of the Seine, just a short walk from Notre-Dame, Shakespeare and Company has been collecting literary legends since 1951. Generations of writers, poets, and wanderers have squeezed through its narrow doorways and lost themselves among shelves that climb from floor to ceiling without apology.
The shop smells exactly like a bookstore should, old paper and possibility.
Founder George Whitman famously allowed struggling writers to sleep among the stacks in exchange for helping run the shop. That tradition of literary generosity shaped the store’s identity in ways no marketing campaign ever could.
Thousands of so-called Tumbleweeds have slept here over the decades, leaving handwritten notes tucked between the pages of books they loved.
Today, the store hosts author readings, literary festivals, and community events that keep the spirit of its bohemian past fully alive. A cozy cafe next door serves excellent coffee and pastries, perfect for settling in with a fresh purchase.
Paris has no shortage of iconic destinations, but Shakespeare and Company carries a warmth and cultural weight that goes far beyond tourism. It feels less like a shop and more like a living, breathing literary institution.
Livraria Lello — Porto, Portugal
The staircase alone is worth the price of admission. Livraria Lello’s famous crimson carved wooden staircase curves upward in a shape so elegant that visitors regularly stop mid-climb just to admire it from every angle.
Opened in 1906, this Porto bookstore has spent over a century perfecting the art of making people fall completely in love with a building.
The stained-glass ceiling floods the interior with warm, colorful light, while intricate woodwork lines every surface in patterns that reward slow, careful observation. J.K.
Rowling reportedly visited during her time teaching in Porto, and some fans believe the store’s atmosphere influenced the magical settings in the Harry Potter series. That connection, confirmed or not, has drawn enormous crowds in recent years.
To manage visitor numbers, the store charges a small entrance fee that converts into a book discount at checkout. It is a clever system that keeps the space from becoming purely a photo opportunity.
Porto itself is a stunning riverside city full of azulejo tile facades and excellent food, making Livraria Lello an easy highlight of a broader Portuguese adventure. First-time visitors almost always say the same thing: the photos do not do it justice.
Powell’s City of Books — Portland, Oregon, United States
An entire city block in Portland, Oregon, belongs to books. Powell’s City of Books is so large that it hands out maps at the entrance, and those maps are genuinely necessary.
With over a million new, used, and out-of-print titles spread across color-coded rooms, this is not a bookstore you browse quickly. Plan to stay awhile, possibly most of the day.
Founded in 1971 by Walter Powell, the store grew steadily from a single Chicago shop into the sprawling literary wonderland it is today. Rare and collectible books share shelf space with bargain paperbacks, creating an atmosphere where every budget feels welcome.
Staff picks are handwritten on index cards tucked beside the books, giving the whole place a personal, human touch that larger retailers simply cannot replicate.
Portland’s culture of creativity and independent thinking makes it the perfect home for a bookstore this ambitious. The city’s food carts, coffee shops, and eclectic neighborhoods pair beautifully with a Powell’s visit.
Locals treat it like a community living room, dropping in regularly just to browse without any particular goal in mind. For book lovers visiting the Pacific Northwest, skipping Powell’s would be a genuinely difficult mistake to forgive yourself for later.
Cărturești Carusel — Bucharest, Romania
White spiral balconies rise toward a glowing skylight, and the overall effect is less bookstore and more palace of knowledge. Cărturești Carusel occupies a beautifully restored 19th-century building in central Bucharest, and every design choice inside feels intentional, refined, and quietly spectacular.
The name translates loosely to Carousel of Light, which suits it perfectly.
The building sat neglected for decades before a careful restoration brought it back to life in 2015. Designers preserved the original facade while transforming the interior into a multi-level cultural space housing books, art, music, and a rooftop cafe.
The result earned immediate international attention and cemented Bucharest’s reputation as a city with serious architectural ambition.
Visitors drift between floors in a kind of pleasant daze, pausing to admire the geometry of the balconies as much as the books themselves. The cafe on the upper level offers a bird’s-eye view of the main atrium, which is an ideal spot for coffee and quiet observation.
Romania is often overlooked on European travel itineraries, but Cărturești Carusel gives travelers a compelling reason to reconsider that oversight. Anyone who loves beautiful spaces and great books will feel immediately at home here.
Libreria Acqua Alta — Venice, Italy
Venice floods regularly, so one bookseller decided to fight back with bathtubs, gondolas, and a healthy sense of humor. Libreria Acqua Alta stores its books in waterproof containers, old boats, and vintage bathtubs to protect them from the city’s notorious high tides.
The result is one of the most chaotically charming bookstores imaginable, and visitors absolutely adore it.
Owner Luigi Frizzo opened the shop with a philosophy that books should survive at all costs, even if the methods look a little unconventional. Cats roam freely through the stacks, which adds another layer of delightful unpredictability to the whole experience.
A staircase built entirely from old books leads to a small outdoor terrace overlooking a quiet Venetian canal, offering one of the city’s most unusual and memorable views.
The shop sells secondhand and new books in multiple languages, and browsing feels like a treasure hunt with no particular map. Every corner hides something unexpected, from vintage postcards to curious illustrated editions.
Venice already overwhelms visitors with beauty, but Libreria Acqua Alta adds a layer of whimsy that stands apart from the city’s more polished attractions. It is the kind of place you tell friends about for years afterward, complete with enthusiastic hand gestures.
Zhongshuge — Hangzhou, China
Mirrored ceilings double every bookshelf into infinity, and curved walls create optical illusions that make the space feel like it extends far beyond its actual dimensions. Zhongshuge in Hangzhou is the kind of bookstore that makes architects jealous and photographers never want to leave.
It is genuinely difficult to tell where the shelves end and the reflections begin.
Design firm X+Living created the interior with a philosophy of transforming bookstores into immersive cultural experiences rather than simple retail spaces. Every element, from the lighting to the floor patterns, was chosen to inspire wonder and slow down the browsing pace.
The result has drawn visitors from across China and around the world who come specifically for the architecture before even considering the books.
Hangzhou is already famous for its stunning West Lake and classical gardens, so Zhongshuge fits naturally into a city that takes beauty seriously. The bookstore carries a thoughtful selection of Chinese and international titles across multiple floors, each section designed with its own distinct visual identity.
Children’s areas feature lower shelves with playful curved shapes, while upper floors lean toward a more dramatic, cinematic atmosphere. Few retail spaces anywhere on Earth deliver this level of deliberate, considered visual impact.
Barter Books — Alnwick, England
Model trains run overhead along a miniature railway while visitors browse thousands of books beside crackling fireplaces. Barter Books in Alnwick occupies a beautifully restored Victorian railway station, and the combination of literary charm and historic warmth makes it unlike almost any other bookstore in Britain.
On a cold afternoon, it is nearly impossible to leave.
The store opened in 1991 when Stuart and Mary Manley transformed the disused Alnwick Station into a secondhand book haven. The original waiting rooms, arched ceilings, and platform spaces were preserved and filled with shelves holding hundreds of thousands of titles.
A canteen serves hot food and drinks, making it easy to settle in for a genuinely long visit without any guilt whatsoever.
Barter Books is also credited with reprinting the now-famous Keep Calm and Carry On poster after discovering an original copy tucked inside a box of old books purchased at auction. That accidental discovery launched one of the most recognizable graphic design revivals of the 21st century.
Alnwick itself is a lovely Northumberland market town near Alnwick Castle, which fans of Harry Potter will recognize from the early films. The combination makes for a thoroughly satisfying day trip from Edinburgh or Newcastle.
The Bookworm — Beijing, China
Not every great bookstore is famous for its architecture. The Bookworm in Beijing built its reputation on something equally powerful: community.
Since opening in 2006, it has operated as a beloved cultural hub hosting author talks, book clubs, film screenings, and literary festivals that draw Beijing’s international and local creative communities together under one roof.
Lonely Planet named it one of Beijing’s top cultural venues, and the international press has consistently praised its role in fostering literary conversation in one of the world’s largest cities. The shelves hold an impressive English-language collection alongside Chinese titles, catering to the city’s large expat population while welcoming curious local readers.
A restaurant and bar make lingering feel natural and encouraged.
The Bookworm has faced challenges over the years, including temporary closures and relocations, but its loyal community has repeatedly rallied to keep it alive. That kind of passionate support says everything about what the store means to the people who love it.
Beijing offers a staggering range of historical and cultural experiences, from the Great Wall to the Forbidden City, but The Bookworm provides something those monuments cannot: a living, evolving conversation about ideas, stories, and the people who create them.
Daunt Books — London, England
Natural light pours through a long glass ceiling onto oak galleries stacked with books organized by country rather than genre. Daunt Books on Marylebone High Street is one of London’s most photographed interiors, and the Edwardian architecture earns every single click of the shutter.
The layout feels less like a shop and more like a very well-curated library from a golden era of travel.
James Daunt opened the original Marylebone branch in 1990, designing it around the idea that travel books should sit alongside fiction, history, and poetry from the same region. Want books about Japan?
Everything from Tokyo restaurant guides to Japanese poetry collections lives together in one satisfying section. The concept sounds simple but transforms browsing into a genuinely educational and inspiring experience.
Several Daunt branches now operate across London, each with its own character, but the Marylebone flagship remains the crown jewel. Weekend mornings bring a steady stream of locals picking up titles alongside their farmers market shopping, which tells you something important about how deeply embedded this bookstore is in neighborhood life.
London has no shortage of cultural institutions worth visiting, but Daunt Books delivers an intimacy and elegance that feels genuinely irreplaceable in a city that sometimes moves too fast.
Kitab Khana — Mumbai, India
Grand colonial columns rise toward high ceilings inside a building that has stood for over 150 years, and the books arranged beneath them span dozens of languages and literary traditions. Kitab Khana in Mumbai’s historic Fort area is one of India’s most elegant independent bookstores, combining architectural grandeur with a genuinely warm and welcoming atmosphere.
The name translates simply to House of Books.
The store stocks an impressive range of titles across fiction, nonfiction, children’s literature, and regional language publishing. Regular events bring authors, poets, and illustrators into the space for readings and conversations that feel intimate despite the building’s impressive scale.
A literary cafe on the premises serves as a natural gathering spot for Mumbai’s creative community, which is saying something in a city already overflowing with artistic energy.
Mumbai is one of the most dynamic and complex cities in the world, and Kitab Khana reflects that complexity beautifully. The surrounding Fort district is packed with colonial-era architecture, street food vendors, and local markets that reward slow, curious exploration.
Visitors who combine a Kitab Khana stop with a walk through the neighborhood often describe the afternoon as one of their favorite Mumbai experiences. It is the kind of place that feels both rooted in history and fully alive in the present moment.
Libreria Avant-Garde — Nanjing, China
Beneath a stadium in a former parking garage, someone decided to build one of China’s most extraordinary cultural spaces. Libreria Avant-Garde in Nanjing transformed a utilitarian underground structure into a dramatically lit, philosophically themed bookstore that routinely stops first-time visitors in their tracks.
The ceiling still shows the concrete bones of its industrial past, which somehow makes the whole thing more impressive.
Owner Qian Xiaohua opened the store in 2010 with a vision that went far beyond selling books. Artistic installations, photography exhibitions, and design displays fill the cavernous space alongside the shelves, turning a shopping trip into something closer to a museum visit.
A large cross installation near the entrance became an iconic symbol of the store’s commitment to mixing ideas from multiple cultural traditions.
The store covers around 4,000 square meters across multiple levels, making it large enough to feel genuinely exploratory. Nanjing is a city rich with Chinese history, home to ancient city walls, imperial palaces, and important memorial sites.
Adding Libreria Avant-Garde to a Nanjing itinerary gives travelers a window into contemporary Chinese creative culture that balances beautifully against the city’s deep historical weight. Few bookstores anywhere manage to feel simultaneously ancient and futuristic, but this one pulls it off with remarkable confidence.
The Book Loft — Columbus, Ohio, United States
Thirty-two rooms connected by winding hallways, unexpected staircases, and doorways that appear without warning make The Book Loft in Columbus, Ohio, feel less like a bookstore and more like a literary adventure course. Shoppers regularly get pleasantly lost, stumbling from a room of cookbooks into a nook packed with science fiction before finding themselves in a children’s section they were not looking for.
Nobody seems to mind.
Located in the German Village neighborhood, a beautifully preserved historic district of 19th-century brick homes, The Book Loft has operated since 1977. The store is famous for its discount pricing, with most titles offered at significant reductions from cover price.
That combination of low prices, enormous selection, and genuinely quirky layout has built a fiercely loyal local following over nearly five decades.
German Village itself is one of Columbus’s most charming neighborhoods, full of independent restaurants, coffee shops, and tree-lined brick streets perfect for a leisurely afternoon. The Book Loft sits at the heart of it all, drawing visitors from across Ohio and beyond.
Staff members know the labyrinthine layout well enough to guide confused browsers toward exactly what they need, which is a skill that deserves genuine admiration. First-time visitors are strongly advised to allow more time than they think they will need.
Libreria — London, England
There are no bestseller lists on the walls, no visible screens, and no easy shortcuts to tell you what everyone else is reading. Libreria in London’s Shoreditch neighborhood was deliberately designed to remove digital distractions and push visitors toward genuine, serendipitous discovery.
The result is a bookstore that feels almost radical in its simplicity, and completely refreshing because of it.
Inspired by the writing of Jorge Luis Borges, founder Sam Missingham and designer Otaegui Alday organized the shelves around themes like Psyche, Cosmos, and Eros rather than conventional genre labels. A book about dreams might sit beside a novel about space travel and a collection of Jungian psychology.
The unexpected pairings spark connections that a standard bookstore layout would never allow.
Shoreditch is one of London’s most creatively energetic neighborhoods, packed with street art, independent galleries, and excellent coffee. Libreria fits naturally into that environment while offering something even the trendiest cafe cannot provide: a genuinely quiet, screen-free space for thinking and reading.
The colorful, carefully considered interior photographs beautifully, but the real appeal is something harder to capture in an image. Spend an hour browsing without any agenda, and you will almost certainly leave with a book you never knew you needed but now cannot imagine living without.
