The 3 Best Boston Bookstores for Bibliophiles

Boston is hands-down my favorite city in the US, and it houses some amazing indie bookstores. But which Boston bookstores are the most worth your time?

Boston’s got history, charm, shopping, green space, and atmosphere, not to mention amazing food. I spent a lot of time in Boston while I was getting my Master’s there, and my favorite activity in between classes and homework was checking out the best Boston bookstores.

There are so many great Boston bookstores, it’s hard to narrow it down to three. I spent most of my time in downtown Boston, and that’s where I did most of my book shopping and where I found some of my favorite bookstores.

Boston is such an incredible city to visit, and its indie bookstores are up there with the best things to do and see. There’s also a ton of literary travel sights in Boston (like the Omni Parker Hotel, which may or may not be haunted by a well-known English writer).

Don’t forget to pin this post for your next trip to Boston:

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.

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Brookline Booksmith

Location: 279 Harvard St. in Brookline

Brookline Booksmith is a Boston bookshop I wish I’d found earlier in my long line of Boston visits because it’s an absolute treat. And I’m not the only one who thinks so, as it consistently ranks in various newspapers’ Boston Favorites contests.

This Boston bookstore has a cool history, too. It started in 1961 as Paperback Booksmith, a store among the first to advocate for “serious literature” to be published in paperback (it used to be a publishing form only for “trashy” lit). It also claims to be one of the first stores to categorize books by subject. You can read more about the store’s fun history here.

Brookline Booksmith is much larger and with more room to move around than the other Boston bookstores on this list (and most bookstores, honestly). They sell new books and also unique gifts; they have really embraced selling unique bookish merchandise. You can find all sorts of novelty items here, from novelty books to socks to tea towels. And it’s all beautifully and cleverly curated in a way that will make you say “Take all my money! I need it all!”

The main floor is full of new books and the aforementioned novelty items, and while they don’t specialize in antiquarian books like the other stores on this list, you can head down to the basement for their selection of used books.

This Boston bookshop is family-owned and locally run, and all in all a delight of a business to frequent. It’s right in the midst of the abundant green spaces, beautiful homes, and cute small businesses that characterize the Brookline neighborhood.

If you aren’t planning to find yourself in Boston in the near future but still want to support this really cool indie bookstore, you can select this bookstore to receive the profit from your Bookshop.org purchase!

How to get here: Take the green line and get off at Allston St or Fenway Station, and enjoy a one-mile stroll through a charming neighborhood on your way to this, one of the best Boston bookstores.

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Related: Love finding the best bookstores everywhere you go? Head down to Pennsylvania and check out the one-of-a-kind Baldwin’s Book Barn.

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Commonwealth Books

Location: 9 Spring Lane, Downtown Crossing

Commonwealth Books is a tucked-away little bookstore on one of Boston’s oldest streets. It’s right along the Freedom Trail right near the Old South Meeting House, so it’s easy to pop in while doing a self-guided walk of the trail. The store is also easy walking distance from any of the 4 main metro lines, so really there’s no excuse not to check this iconic Boston bookstore out!

Commonwealth Books is without doubt one of the best Boston bookstores. They specialize in antiquarian and out-of-print books, so you’re sure to find something interesting. In addition to books, there are loads of antique prints, engravings, and maps to browse through.

All in all, it’s just a fun Boston bookshop to lose yourself in for a couple of hours.

Commonwealth Books is open 7 days a week and only closes on Christmas Day and Thanksgiving, so pop by any time. Odds are, they’re open.

To get here: Easily accessed from just about any line in Boston, get off at Downtown Crossing, Park Street, or Government Center and walk about 5 minutes. Or, pop in while you’re doing your Freedom Trail walk.

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Brattle Book Shop (the best Boston bookstore)

Location: 9 West St., Downtown Boston

Brattle Book Shop Boston is the bookstore I come back to again and again every time I’m in Boston without fail. Also without fail, I end up spending hours and not a spare few dollars here, and I just can’t rave about it enough.

Located just North of Central Boston and just a few blocks away from Boston Commons, Brattle Book Shop is actually one of the oldest bookstores in the country. Dating back to 1825, the current location features three full floors of books plus an alley next door that’s full of bargain books (or in other words, heaven), that is, when it isn’t raining or snowing.

That book alley is one of the coolest parts of this Boston bookstore. During open hours, if the weather is right, they roll out cart after cart of sale-priced books to browse (priced anywhere from $2-$8). To add to the aesthetic pleasure of seeing that many books (and on sale!), the brick wall above it is painted with the faces of famous authors, and the lockers that encase books along the side are painted as bookshelves.

Brattle Book Shop’s book alley in Boston is a very Instagrammable spot if that’s your kind of thing and a can’t miss sight, even if you only have one day in Boston. Any time I turn the corner onto West Street, I get giddy just seeing it in all its pretty bookishness.

I didn’t know this until I was researching for this list of the best Boston bookstores, but the outdoor book lot is actually the former site of Brattle Book Shop before it burned down. The owners continued to sell books in the empty lot until they could raise the funds to take over the storefront next door. Now, it’s become an inseparable appendage to the main shop. That kind of history and resiliency just makes my favorite Boston bookstore all the more dear to me.

Once you get inside the store (and if the book carts are out, just getting to that point might take you hours!), the shelves inside Brattle Book Shop are packed many layers deep, with new, used, and antique books all mixed together so you never know what treasures you’ll find while you browse. This is the kind of bookshop where you should plan to spend hours.

If you collect rare books, you’ll find an entire room of antiquarian books on the top floor in the special collections room.

Brattle Book Shop is a wonderful place to get lost in and one of the best Boston bookstores (and my personal favorite). Best of all, the book prices are incredibly reasonable! If you’re looking for used books in Boston, you will not walk away disappointed from Brattle Book Shop.

On any trip to Boston, I always under-pack my suitcase, just to leave room for the books I’ll find in Brattle Book Shop.

Boston travel tip: After you’ve loaded up on books, I recommend popping into The Thinking Cup for a cup of tea, coffee, or hot cocoa while you dive into your new reads.

To get here: Brattle Book Shop is very easily accessed, just a couple blocks away from Boston Commons and a couple blocks away from Commonwealth Books. You can take virtually any line to get here, getting off at Park St, Downtown Crossing, or Government Center.

However, even in the worst of weather, this part of Boston is really best enjoyed by walking. Stroll through the Boston Commons and then head into historic downtown, checking out the mix of historic and new buildings, historic cemeteries, yummy eateries, and of course, incredible bookshops.

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Related: Bookish travelers in Boston will definitely want to make a day trip to nearby Salem, a great spooky literary destination.

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Let me know, what do you think are the best Boston bookstores? Did I miss any that you love? Drop your favorites in the comments.

Pin this now to reference when planning your next Boston trip.