9 Beautiful Paris Bookstores for the Traveling Bibliophile

Paris might be known as the City of Light or the City of Love, but for those in the know, Paris is really the City of Books!

Paris is a book lover’s dream destination. You can’t throw a croissant in Paris without hitting a bookstore (this is a hypothetical analogy, of course. Croissants should never be thrown; they should be savored to the last crumb).

And though there’s an extensive and inexpensive metro system in Paris, I firmly believe it is a city best appreciated on foot. So my first suggestion for those looking for Paris bookstores is: wander. Odds are, you’ll find a bookstore or “librairie” on just about every block in Paris. Sometimes the best bookshops are the ones that take you completely by surprise.

However, for my fellow earth sign bibliophiles out there searching for a good solid list of, “best bookstores in Paris,” voila. Here are 9 beautiful, inspiring, get-lost-for-hours, spend-all-your-money types of bookstores I recommend seeking out in Paris.

I don’t even claim this to be a definitive list of the best bookstores in Paris. There are so many, that it would take years to explore them all. However, over my frequent trips to Paris in the last few years, I have visited more than a few, and these are some of my favorites. I even venture to say you’ll find some lesser-known, underrated Paris bookshops on this list that you won’t find on other lists out there.

As English is my first language, I’ve focused on bookshops that sell at least some books in English.

Don’t forget to pin this post for your next trip to Paris.

Whenever possible, I recommend buying books at local bookshops or through Bookshop.org, because shopping there puts the profits right into the hands of indie bookstores all over the country.

---

Shakespeare & Company Bookstore

37 Rue de la Bûcherie, Paris, France

Let’s start off with this, the most famous Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company. No list of bookstores in Paris would be complete without it. Perhaps you’ve heard the name or can recognize its famously Instagrammable facade, but why is Shakespeare and Co. famous?

The original Shakespeare and Company of literary fame was opened by an American expat, Sylvia Beach, in 1919 at an entirely different location from the current shop. During the 1920s, writers from the “Lost Generation,” like Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein spent time at Shakespeare and Company, much like the Beat Writers called San Francisco’s City of Lights Bookshop home during the 1950s.

It was actually Shakespeare and Company that published James Joyce’s Ulysses, his masterpiece and tome of international fame.

The original Shakespeare and Company bookstore closed during the German occupation in World War II. The current bookstore as we know it was opened in 1951 by another American, George Whitman, who took on the Shakespeare and Company name in 1964 with Sylvia Beach’s blessing. This new location is iconic, overlooking the Seine and the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris’s 5th arrondissement. It’s a must-visit site, especially if this is your first visit to Paris.

Today, the bookshop is more of a tourist site than a functional bookshop. They do indeed still sell English language books, but plan to spend at least 45 minutes in line outside waiting to get in, to shop in a crowded line of people. The owner also requests no photos be taken of the interior of the bookshop, so if you’re going for a great Instagrammable photo of the interior of Shakespeare and Co., don’t waste your time in line.

For me, it’s a must-see due to its history, but it’s too crowded for my taste to make it ideal for book browsing. That’s what the rest of the Paris bookstores on this list are for.

Related: Other famously beautiful bookstores in Europe you can visit include the Acqua Alta bookstore in Venice, the Livreria Lello in Porto, Atlantis Books in Santorini, and an underrated gem, the Boekhandel Dominicanen in the Netherlands.

---

San Francisco Book Company

17 Rue Monsieur le Prince, Paris, France

San Francisco Book Co. in Paris is perhaps the second most well-known English language bookstore in Paris, though it is decidedly less crowded. On my last visit to Paris, this is where I spent the most time (and the most money). It’s been a left bank Paris bookstore institution since 1997.

Though not an enormous bookstore, San Francisco Book Co. has an extensive selection of second-hand English language books, and the prices are incredibly reasonable. Paperbacks in the literature section where I spent most of my browsing time ranged from about 2-8 euro on average.

If you are an English-language reader who loves a beautiful used copy of a book, then this is the cream of the crop of Paris bookstores. If you love vintage paperbacks, especially vintage Penguin paperbacks, this will be your idea of heaven. They also have a collection of rare and collectible books.

I ended up walking out of San Francisco Book Company with an entire stack of book purchases. If you love the feel of Shakespeare and Company Paris, then San Francisco Book Company is an excellent, far less crowded alternative. After all, Paris has plenty of tourist attractions, but the best places to explore are off the beaten path Paris.

If you’re curious about the selection, you can browse some of the San Francisco Book Company’s inventory online.

---

Related: Want to explore France beyond Paris? In a two-hour train ride, you can arrive in Lyon, a UNESCO City of Literature with lots of attractions for bookworms. There are also some great bookstores in Lyon to check out.

---

The Paris Bouqinistes

Left and Right Bank, Paris, France

“Paris is the only city in the world where a river flows between two rows of books”

Blaise Cendrars

We can hardly talk about the best Paris bookstores without mentioning the Paris bouquinistes. In any European city, often some of the best places to find books are in open-air book markets (like the secondhand book bazaar in Istanbul or the book markets in Amsterdam).

If you’ve ever found yourself strolling along the Seine near the île de la cité or île Saint-Louis in Paris, you know about the Paris bouquinistes, or second-hand booksellers. Made up of hundreds of independent booksellers in small stalls, collectively they form approximately 3 km of antiquarian books, art prints, and other souvenirs.

The bouquinistes are an age-old Paris tradition, dating back for hundreds of years. It’s such a quintessential part of the city’s history and culture that the Paris bouquinistes are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While the Left Bank is the most famous location for these pop-up Paris bookshops, you can actually find them along both sides of the Seine surrounding the two main islands of Paris.

The bouquiniste hours are roughly “sunrise to sunset,” but in practice, each bouquiniste opens and closes when they like each day, simply locking their iconic green book boxes when they aren’t actively selling books and art prints. As far as Paris bookstores go, these hours are as unpredictable as it gets.

The profession has been threatened in recent years, both by the rapid increase of book customers shopping online and by the pandemic limiting travel. Any book lover who comes to Paris should keep this time-honored literary tradition alive and see what you can find at the bouquinistes!

---

---

F. Chanut Livres Anciens

41 Rue Mazarine, Paris, France

F. Chanut Livres is one of the most beautiful Paris bookstores, and I confess to my own dismay I have only gotten to peer longingly through its windows. It is a Paris bookshop specializing in rare and antiquarian books, and it is a visual feast for any book lover.

Sadly, the shop owners seem to have been enjoying their summer holiday so much when I visited that they decided not to return and reopen when they originally planned. Delightful enough for them, I daresay, but devastating to this bibliophile.

It’s small, but I could see from peering through the windows that it’s filled with some of the most beautiful antiquarian books you can find in Paris. Even the window displays had me giddy. I was so enchanted with what I could see through the windows that even without stepping inside this bookshop made it onto my list of the 9 best Paris bookstores.

If you are a fan of beautiful antiquarian books, you must visit this bookstore on your next trip to Paris.

Travel tip: It’s actually quite common for stores to close in Paris during the summer, and in August in particular. Keep this in mind if that’s the month of your visit!

---

---

Abbey Bookshop, Paris

29 Rue de la Parcheminerie, Paris, France

If you find yourself deterred by the long lines and dense crowds at Shakespeare and Company Paris, simply walk around the corner and check out the equally charming but less crowded Abbey Bookshop, another English language bookshop that sells new, used, and rare books.

The Abbey Bookshop is one of the best Paris bookstores. It has had a home in Paris’s Latin Quarter since Brian Spence, an expat Canadian, opened it in the building of a historic hotel in 1989. The Abbey Bookshop is rather appropriately located on the Rue de la Parcheminerie, so named for the scribes, scriveners, and parchment makers of old who set up shop on this historic Paris street.

It’s tight quarters in the Abbey Bookshop, but they have a LOT of books. How do they manage it? Sliding bookshelves, of course!

There are even kettles and pots of coffee in the alleyway outside so you can pour yourself a hot beverage after browsing. They’ve simply thought of everything you need to put this bookshop among the top Paris bookstores.

You can also check out the Abbey Bookshop’s inventory online from home.

---

Travel tip: The St. Germain neighborhood, where both Shakespeare and Company Paris and The Abbey Bookshop are located, is a really fascinating neighborhood. You can not only visit some of the best Paris bookstores, but also wander in the steps of James Baldwin. I recommend signing up for a walking tour of St. Germain during your trip to Paris.

---

La Mouette Rieuse

17bis Rue Pavé, Paris, France

This is an independent bookstore that snuck up on me unawares while I was walking aimlessly, my favorite pastime in Paris. Upon seeing its alluring window displays and cozy-looking cafe, I couldn’t help but go inside.

La Mouette Rieuse is really so much more than a bookstore; across its multiple levels, you can find not only lots of delightful (new) books, but also a cafe with a terrace, a dedicated coworking space, a fantastic children’s section, and an extensive collection of art prints and unique souvenirs.

You can even find art from local artists on display and for sale throughout the store.

I’m usually partial to used bookstores, but La Mouette Rieuse is exactly what I look for in a bookstore that sells new books. It’s a wonderful addition to this list of beautiful Paris bookstores to visit.

Tip for visiting: If you’re in Paris with kids, you will definitely want to check out the second floor of La Mouette Rieuse, which has not only books but also a play space and toys set up. It’s a wonderful place to let a child’s imagination run wild.

Books are primarily in French, with some English language books available.

---

Related: Love gorgeous indie bookstores? Check out my picks for the best Athens bookstores, plus read about this Netherlands bookstore that’s housed in a 13th century gothic cathedral.

---

The Red Wheelbarrow

1 Rue de Médicis No. 9 & No. 11, Paris, France

Located across from Paris’s incredible Luxembourg Gardens within throwing distance of the beautiful Medicis Fountain is the Red Wheelbarrow bookshop, a store that specializes in new literature, gastronomy, and children’s books in French and English.

The Red Wheelbarrow has certainly earned its place among the best Paris bookstores. It has recently grown to occupy two store spaces, with a French-language bookstore sandwiched in between them. In No. 11, you’ll find adult fiction and gastronomy, primarily in English, whereas No. 9 is dedicated to children’s books.

so much depends upon
a red wheel barrow
glazed with rain water
beside the white chickens.

“The Red Wheelbarrow” by william carlos williams

I was particularly enchanted with No., 9, the children’s branch of this beautiful Paris bookshop.

I discovered a fantastic children’s series here and had a lovely, long chat with the bookstore’s owner about life and some fascinating figures in her family history. It was a very pleasant way to pass the afternoon, browsing and chatting.

If you’re on Paris’s left bank visiting the Luxembourg Gardens (which you absolutely should be!) pop into the Red Wheelbarrow and check it out for yourself. It definitely makes it onto my favorites list of Paris bookstores.

---

Librairie du Passage

48 Passage Jouffroy, Paris, France

Librairie du Passage is a Paris bookshop that may not sell books in English, but even if you don’t speak or read French, any book lover will relish a visit. As the name indicates, it’s located in one of Paris’s many indoor shopping corridors (the most famous, of course, being the Galeries Lafayette).

This bookshop takes up nearly an entire hallway of the shopping center, with antiquarian books and prints lining the side of the shopping corridor for your perusal. This is a particularly great place to find antique prints and engravings. They have an extensive collection, and they are well categorized and organized for browsing.

While you may not find yourself in a financial position to invest in the antique books and engravings here, it’s a visual feast for any bibliophile and worth a stop while in Paris.

---

---

Boulinier

Multiple Paris locations

Boulinier is a chain of used bookstores in Paris that’s been around since 1845. With six locations across the city, you’re bound to find yourself in the path of at least one of them. If so, take some time to browse their stock.

While most titles are in French, each location does have one or two dedicated sections to books in English. Though the section at the location I visited was comparatively small, I still walked away with two books I was really excited about, and I got them for a great price.

Some Boulinier locations also sell secondhand movies, vinyl, comic books, and manga, all very competitively priced.

Boulinier might not have the aesthetic charm of some of the other shops on this list, but it’s undoubtedly among the best places to shop for used books in Paris.

---

Where to Stay in Paris

Paris is such a large city, there are so many potential areas for finding accommodations. I think it’s always wise to make sure wherever you stay is within easy walking distance of a metro stop. My favorite arrondissements to stay that are close to all of these Paris bookstores are the 2nd and 3rd arrondissements.

If you’re looking for privately owned vacation rentals, I recommend checking VRBO. I’ve personally had much better experiences with their owners and rentals than I have with their primary competitor.

---

---

That concludes my list of the 9 best Paris bookstores to visit on your next trip to the City of Love. As I mentioned before, Paris is oozing with bookstores, and there are always more to explore. Do you have any favorites that aren’t on this list?

Be sure to pin this post so you can reference it when planning your next trip to Paris.