Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Bookstores/Libraries I’ve Always Wanted to Visit

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week there is a new topic for bloggers to choose and list their top ten. This week’s theme is Top Ten Bookstores/Libraries I’ve Always Wanted to Visit.

I changed the theme a little this week, because honestly every bookstore and library I come across is one I want to visit, and instead I picked ten beautiful bookstores/libraries to feature. I spent hours on Pinterest searching for the best images, and got very distracted by how gorgeous some of these places actually are. My must-travel to list was long before this post, but it’s doubled in size now I’ve written it.

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All images are courtesy of Pinterest.

Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice

I stumbled across this bookstore when I was in Venice a few years ago. I’d seen pictures of Libreria Acqua Alta before, and it was somewhere I’d wanted to go, but I didn’t make the connection that I was in the same city it was until I went inside on a whim one afternoon.

It’s gorgeous, and I’d love to go back one day.

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Libreria El Ateneo, Buenos Aires

This is a bookstore in a theatre, and doesn’t it look beyond amazing? Buenos Aires was never high on my must-travel-to list before, and to be honest it’s still not as I’m not sure what else there is the city offers, but I’d be willing to travel there and find out simply for Libreria El Ateneo.

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Livraria Lello, Porto

I actually saw pictures of Livraria Lello a few years back, so when it came to writing this post it was one of the first bookstores that came to mind, and the first thing that caught my eye was the bright staircase in the middle of the room. Between how huge it is and the bright colour it’s impossible to miss.

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Bodelian Library, Oxford

When I went to Oxford earlier this year Bodelian library was on my list of places I wanted to see, and because I didn’t get to see all of it (I was only in Oxford for a day trip so didn’t have time to do it all) Oxford itself is high on my list of places I want to go back to.

Plus this is where they filmed Harry Potter, there’s no other reason needed for this one to have a place on my list this week.

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Word on the Water, London

Word on the Water is in London, and not only do I work close by but I have for over four years now. How was I not aware this was something that existed a ten minute tube ride from where I spend most of my time each and every week?! When I next have an opportunity I will definitely be heading to this book barge.

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Cafebreria El Pendulo, Mexico City

With all the plants this place seems to have a more natural beauty, kind of like Libreria Acqua Alta where you can look out and see the canals. Cafebreria El Pendulo is a coffee shop as well as a bookshop, so it’s the perfect place to spend time; what more do you need besides books and coffee (well, actually it would be tea for me)?

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The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles

Again The Last Bookstore is a place I’ve been lucky enough to visit. When my sister and I went to Los Angeles this was one of places I had to go to, and as my sister isn’t as big a fan of books as I am I did have to bribe her to get her to come along with me. It was well worth it in the end though.

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Barter Books, Alnwick

This is the last of my picks for this week which is in the UK (maybe I’m kind of biased being from the UK, but I like that these are all places I could visit easier than I could Libreria El Ateneo all the way in Buenos Aires) but this is the kind of second hand bookstore I want to have seconds away from where I live rather than all the way in Alnwick.

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Beinecke Rare Books & Manuscripts Library at Yale, New Haven

When I first heard of this library the first thing noticed was the window, or the lack of them I should say because instead this building is made of marble. I’ve never been a big follower of architectural feats, but I appreciate pretty buildings and there’s nothing else I’ve seen like Beinecke Rare Books & Manuscripts Library.

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Atlantis Books, Santorini

As if I needed another reason to visit Greece one day (very soon I hope). Honestly the pictures I found of Atlantis Books make it look like something out of a movie (Mamma Mia comes to mind) rather than somewhere you could visit in real life.

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So what do you think? Did you take part in this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, if so let me know what bookstores/libraries you’ve always wanted to visit. Did any of the ones that made my list make yours, or have you been lucky enough to have already visited any of my picks?