Bookstores Around the World

1. Attic Books

Attic Books is one of the largest antiquarian independent and used bookstores in Canada. Located in London, Ontario, the bookstore was opened over 40 years ago and specializes in old and used books, along with ephemera, prints, and maps. The store spans three floors with hardwood maple floors, original tin ceilings, and a bright, spacious, and relaxed atmosphere and walls lined with rare and used books, prints, maps, postcards, ephemera, and book-related antiques. Friendly and knowledgeable staff on hand to prove information and help with any queries.

240 Dundas St, London, ON N6A 1H3, Canada, Phone: 519-432-7277

2. Barter Books

Set in a Victorian train station in the small village of Alnwick in England, Barter Books is a cozy and inviting bookstore with crackling fires in winter and miniature trains still moving around the shelves. Based in a former train station, the store’s architecture is reminiscent of this time with rounded ceilings, decorative lighting, and train-themed accents around the space.

The second-hand bookstore features a variety of categories ranging from poetry and plays, and paperbacks and fiction to biography, business, history, philosophy, gardening, needlework, and transport. The bookstore has a casual café in the winter months that serves specialty coffees and teas and delicious homemade fare, and there is a children’s store with toys to keep the little ones occupied.

, Alnwick NE66 1QQ, United Kingdom

3. Boekhandel Dominicanen

Located in a beautifully converted 13th-century Dominican Church in Entre Deux, Boekhandel Dominicanen is a significant bookstore that seamlessly blends rich and historic architecture with modern-day needs.

Spanning two floors, the bookstore features over 200 feet of bookshelves filled with a vast collection of Dutch and English titles and uses the original alcoves of the church as cozy reading nooks for visitors.

The national monument in Maastricht features spectacular Gothic-style ceilings and stone vaults and houses a cozy coffee shop in the choir section of the medieval church.

Dominicanerkerkstraat 1, 6211 CZ Maastricht, Netherlands, Phone: +31-4-34-10-00-10

4. Book and Bed Tokyo Ikebukuro

Book and Bed Tokyo Ikebukuro is a unique accommodation bookshop concept that sells bunks and shelves for a one-of-a-kind ‘night-in-the-bookstore’ experience.

Located a short walk from the JR Ikebukuro Station, Book and Bed Tokyo Ikebukuro offers a bookshop-themed accommodation with a collection of 3,000 pieces of reading material in English and Japanese.

Guest accommodations feature compact bunk beds with individual power outlets and reading lights and a shared lobby area where guests can select their favorite books from the vast collection. There is a casual café, a convenience store, and a pharmacy nearby.

Japan, ?171-0021 Tokyo, Toshima City, Nishiikebukuro, 1 Chome-17-7, Phone: +81-3-69-14-29-14

5. Cafebreria El Pendulo

Part bookstore, part café, and part forest, Cafebreria El Pendulo is a unique concept bookstore chain around Mexico City with multiple stories lined with books and casual café facilities.

The store features wooden floors, charming balconies with curvy green handrails, and living plants in around the store that sets a naturalistic mood.

The store sells a wide variety of literature ranging from new titles or reprints of older books in both Spanish and English, and a selection of music available in both CD and vinyl format, along with Mexican and literary-themed designer items such as porcelain luchador-themed salt and pepper shakers. Cozy reading nooks with curling vines and leaves make visitors feel as if they are reading in the heart of a lush forest.

Alejandro Dumas 81, Mexico City, 11550, Mexico

6. Carture'ti Carusel

Set in a beautifully restored building that was constructed in 1903 by a wealthy family of Greek bankers, Carture'ti Carusel is an awe-inspiring bookstore in the heart of Bucharest that is thought to be one of the most beautiful bookstores in the country. Spanning 10,000 square feet across three floors, the bookstore features breathtaking interiors with elegantly curved balconies on each of the upper levels surrounding a triple volume open space and a charming teahouse on the top floor overlooking the store. The bookstore is extremely popular with tourists, so it is advised to visit in the morning to avoid crowds.

Strada Lipscani 55, Bucureti 030033, Romania, Phone: +40-7-28-82-89-22

7. Cook & Book

Situated in the heart of Brussels, Cook & Book offer a unique combination of a bookstore and a restaurant that provides visitors with a one-of-a-kind book shopping experience. Conveniently located on the Roodebeek line of the Metro, the store features nine rooms divided between two separate buildings, each of which has a different selection of books and unique character and atmosphere. The rooms are designed for reading and dining and boast different themes such as an old-school British Library, an entire English section, and sections of travel, cooking, music, fine arts, and lifestyle. A charming terrace offers alfresco-style dining and lovely spots for reading, and a playground is available for younger visitors.

Place du Temps Libre 1, 1200 WoluweSaint-Lambert, Belgium, Phone: +32-27-61-26-00

8. Daunt Books

Founded by James Daunt in 1990, Daunt Books is a well-known chain of used bookstores with stores around London. Based in a beautifully preserved building on Marylebone High Street in London, which was initially built in 1910 for antiquarian booksellers Francis Edwards, Daunt Books features exquisite interiors with a long, galleried main room lined with bookshelves and a magnificent arched stained-glass window. The store sells books from a variety of genres, ranging from fiction, non-fiction, history, and biographies to novels, travel guides, children’s books, cookery, and art, all of which can be found in all the Daunt Book stores around London.

83 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 4QW, Phone: 0-20-72-24-22-95

9. Dead Souls Bookshop

Dead Souls Bookshop is a small bookshop in Dunedin, New Zealand that specializes in second-hand books. Named after a satirical novel by the Russian author, Nikolai Gogol, Dead Souls Bookshop houses around 20,000 books that cover a variety of subjects and genres, ranging from biographies, novella, and fiction to non-fiction, history, children’s books, cookery and art, and travel guides. The charming quintessential secondhand book is within walking distance of several coffee shops where you can enjoy reading your purchases over a good cup of coffee.

393 Princes St, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand, Phone: +64-21-02-70-85-40

10. Dog-Eared Books

Dog-Eared Books is a cozy bookstore in Pennant Hills in New South Wales, Australia, that specializes in new releases and paperbacks. Established over ten years ago, the bookstore has several sections of both fiction and non-fiction, including a small section dedicated to old and rare books.

2/7 Hillcrest Rd, Pennant Hills NSW 2120, Phone: 02-98-75-22-77