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I’ll see you at the bookshop!
Is the Livraria Lello the Most Beautiful Bookstore in the World?
I explore Portugal’s historic bookshop, Livraria Lello, which is frequently named the world’s most beautiful bookstore.
Established in 1906, the Livraria Lello is a bookshop and publisher known for its stunning neo-gothic interiors.
The shop takes its name from founder Jose Pinto De Sousa Lello, who opened his first bookshop in 1881. The Livraria Lello came along 25 years later, opened in collaboration with Jose’s brother.
Inside Daunt Books, Marylebone, London
One of London’s most recognisable bookshops, Daunt Books has occupied its iconic premises in Marylebone since it was first opened by Richard Daunt in 1990.
The shop now forms part of one of the largest independent bookshop chains in the UK, with ten branches located across London and the south of England.
Inside Waterstones Gower Street in London
Here’s my review of London’s historic branch of Waterstones on Gower Street in Bloomsbury.
Known to be the second largest bookshop in Europe that sells both new and used books, Waterstones Gower Street is based in a beautiful grade two listed building in Bloomsbury.
Here you’ll find five miles of books to browse, spanning across five floors - four of which are non-fiction. There’s thought to be around 200,000 titles available in the shop as well as records, board games and art supplies.
The Book Elephant - Bookshop Review
I visited Elephant and Castle’s brand new bookshop, The Book Elephant.
Opening for a soft launch in January 2025, The Book Elephant is located in Elephant and Castle, making it the first bookshop in the area since The Kennington Bookshop closed in 2015.
Inside Hatchards Piccadilly in London - Bookshop Review
Here’s everything you need to know about London’s oldest bookshop.
Founded in 1797, Hatchards claims to be the oldest bookshop in the whole of the UK, and is held in high regard as the bookseller to several generations of the royal family.
Their flagship shop is based in Piccadilly Circus, in the same premises that it’s occupied since 1801. The shop has a gorgeous dark green facade, with dark wood interiors and five floors filled with books.
Inside Heffers Bookshop & Cambridge Bookshop Guide
As one of England’s historic university cities, Cambridge has a wide variety of fantastic bookshops to explore.
Heffers is one of those - a vital and well regarded part of the literary scene in Cambridge, having been present in the city for over 100 years.
Formerly owned by the Heffer family, the shop was founded by William Heffer in 1876, initially selling stationary and later adding books. Heffers was eventually sold to Blackwell’s in 1999, but retains its independent charm.
Shakespeare and Company, Paris - Bookshop Review
I explored Paris’ famous English language bookshop and literary meeting place, Shakespeare and Company.
I arrived at the bookshop on one of those cold yet sunny winter mornings as part of an excursion with Viking Cruises. The tour guide had allocated us an hour of free time to spend as we liked, and as most of the tour group pottered off to peruse the nearby Christmas market, I rubbed my hands together with glee, knowing that I was about to visit one of my bucket list bookshops.
Although many people report having to wait in line to enter Shakespeare and Company, I was fortunate and ended up walking straight inside.
The Abbey Bookshop, Paris - Bookshop Review
Located in Paris’ Latin Quarter, The Abbey Bookshop is an independently owned Canadian bookshop specialising in English language books.
I was excited to finally visit this iconic shop during my recent visit to Paris, where I embarked on an exciting press trip with Viking Cruises, which involved sailing down the Seine on a roundtrip from the capital.
Armchair Books, Edinburgh - Bookshop Review
Located in West Port, above Edinburgh’s colourful Grassmarket, Armchair Books is one of the city’s most beloved secondhand bookshops.
Of course, there’s huge competition in Edinburgh when it comes to bookshops.
The city has more than 20, spanning books used, new and antiquarian, with some shops specialising in specific genres such as science fiction and romance. I like to think that there’s room for all of them, and I never leave the city without a new (to me) book in hand.
Inside Carturesti Carusel - Bookshop Review
I visited Bucharest in October 2024 as part of my 30th birthday celebrations. As well as visiting the fantastic Therme Spa that’s been hugely popular on social media, I was also keen to visit one of my bucket list bookshop locations: Cărturești Carusel.
Inside FOLDE Dorset - Bookshop Review
Here’s everything you need to know about Shaftesbury’s beautiful nature focused bookshop, FOLDE Dorset.
Located at the top of Shaftesbury’s iconic Gold Hill, FOLDE Dorset is a stunning independent bookshop that focuses on nature writing and arts and crafts.
Founded by Karen and Amber in 2020, FOLDE later opened as a physical shop in April 2021. The name is rather fittingly taken from the old English word ‘Folde’, which means ‘land, earth and ground’ while also representing books and community.
Inside Den Lille Bokbutikken - Bookshop Review
Translated as The Little Bookshop, I stumbled upon Den Lille Bokbutikken while stopping in Haugesund during a Norwegian Fjords cruise.
Astley Book Farm - Bookshop Review
Here’s everything you need to know about the largest second hand bookshop in the midlands.
I recently found myself on a trip to Birmingham and discovered Astley Book Farm on our route. Located in the county of Warwickshire, Astley has just 200 residents, meaning that it’s a village with more books than people!
The Poetry Pharmacy, London - Everything You Need to Know
Here’s everything you need to know about Lush’s new poetry bookshop which you can find on Oxford Street in London.
The Poetry Pharmacy started life as a pop up at Lush Studios, which is the brand’s dedicated event space in Soho. It then moved to the flagship Lush shop on Oxford Street in June 2024 where it’s open on a permanent basis.
Richard Booth Bookshop Review
Welcome to Hay-on-Wye, the world famous book town located on the Welsh border. With more than 20 bookshops to its name, Hay really is a book lover’s dream, and an essential bucket list location for any reader.
You’ll find the UK’s largest book festival, Hay Fest, there each summer, along with a more modest iteration in the winter. It’s a cultural hub and the place to be for anyone who loves books.
Bookshop Review: Barter Books
Tucked away in the northernmost corner of England, Barter Books can be found in Alnwick - a small town in Northumberland. The shop is a complete showstopper with lots of unique features, and is easily one of the best book shops that I’ve ever visited.
Barter Books is housed in Alnwick’s beautiful Victorian train station, which was decommissioned in 1968. Today the space is simply magical.
4 Bookshops to Visit in Winchester
Nestled in the heart of Hampshire, Winchester is a beautiful medieval city with heaps of history and plenty of things to see and do. In addition to the wonderful yearly Christmas market, beautiful cathedral and picturesque city centre, there are four wonderful bookshops that are all worth a visit.
Here are four fabulous bookshops that you need to visit during your next trip to Winchester.
Inside Leakey’s Bookshop, Inverness
During my recent trip to Inverness I finally got the chance to visit the magnificent Leakey’s Bookshop!
Based in an old Gaelic church and spread out across two floors, Leakey’s has been in business since 1979 and holds around 100,000 second hand books. If you like a rummage, then you’ll love this place.
Inside Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh
Welcome to one of my all time favourite bookshops. Topping & Company are a small UK based bookshop chain that started in Ely, Cambridgeshire back in 2002, and has slowly spread across the country and all the way up to Scotland. Edinburgh is the youngest of their four branches, having only opened in late 2019, and it’s also their largest.
Inside the Original Blackwell’s Bookshop, Oxford
Blackwell’s is one of Britain’s oldest bookshop chains. Situated in the heart of a historic student city, the original shop is based on Broad Street, Oxford, where it originally opened its doors in 1879. But it isn’t just the shop’s history that makes it worth a visit. The Broad Street shop holds the world record for the largest single room in the world selling books - you’d have no idea from the outside!
Welcome to the Viking Skaga - one of Viking Cruises’ noble river ships. She takes her name from an ancient Norse myth, where the Valkyrie Skaga rode into battle and escorted the dead to Valhalla, before preparing them to fight in the epic battle of Ragnarok.
A relatively new ship, the Viking Skaga only entered the fleet in 2020. At just 410 feet and carrying 168 guests and 48 crew, she was built specifically to sail down the Seine in France, although the specific itinerary will vary depending on the time of year. I was fortunate enough to join the ship for her week long Christmas on the Seine cruise, which starts and ends in Paris, calling at Vernon, Caudebec-en-Caux, Rouen, Honflour (via an excursion) and Les Andelys along the way.