Best Book Stores in Paris

Paris’ street-side cafés and coffee culture are an avid reader’s dream, and its bookstores are even better. Here are some of our favorites.

Located in the 5th arrondissement, Shakespeare and Company is one of the city’s most iconic bookstores. It’s a bit touristy but still well worth a visit, as it boasts a vibrant history of association with The Lost Generation of expats who inhabited Paris in the 1920s (i.e. Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald).

Once boasting a bohemian flair, La Hune in the 6^th arrondissement, is now home to a refined collection of French literature and books on the humanities, as well as a great collection of fine arts and cinema books.

Librairie Galignani was the first English bookshop established on the continent in 1801, located along the Jardin des Tuileries near the Place de la Concorde in the 1^st arrondissement. It houses an impressive collection of English and French literature and history.

Located in the 11^th arrondissement, the small bookstore Violette & Co. makes a big statement, offering a selection of books aimed at educating the public on women’s rights, homosexuality, religion and other social subjects.