If you love books, then you have to visit at least one book town in your lifetime. Here’s a list of 8 around the world that we recommend.
This is a series of towns entirely dedicated to books—a bibliophile’s dream come true.
Hay-on-Wye
Nestled near the border of England, this picturesque market town in Wales is steeped in book culture. It started back in the 1970s, when Richard Booth, then-owner of Hay’s resident castle, opened a secondhand bookshop. Other locals began selling books as well, and that eventually snowballed into Booth marketing the town as the Kingdom of Books. He must have had some killer advertising skills, too, because it worked a charm.
Nowadays, the town is best known for its annual Hay Festival, celebrating books and attracting literary figures from all over. The festival has become an international phenomenon, with cities around the world celebrating their own Hay Festivals in honor of literature and culture.
Jimbocho
Kanda-Jinbocho, colloquially known as Jimbocho, is a haven of publishing houses and bookshops in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward. While technically more of a neighborhood than a town, it has an astonishing number of bookshops, book cafés, and even a book hotel crammed into a relatively small area.
Jimbocho’s vibrant atmosphere makes it a delight to visit, whether you’re there for one of its two annual book fairs or just dropping by to pick up a good read.
Wigtown
Scotland proudly proclaims Wigtown as the country’s national book town. Designated as such in 1998, this town features 17 independent bookshops of varying flavors and varieties around every corner. It also hosts the second biggest literary book festival in Scotland. All of this is done in a (very successful) effort to rejuvenate the local economy through a deep appreciation of culture and literature.
Obidos
Located just an hour from Portugal’s capital, Obidos is all about transformation. Many of its bookstores occupy historic buildings like churches and wine cellars, reshaping the space to accommodate books and their shelves. It utterly shuns the approach of completely tearing down what we deem “unneeded”, and instead repurposes old, traditional architecture to embrace the new.
It reflects the town itself, which doesn’t try to flatten the area to make way for buildings, but curves with the land’s natural shape in cobblestone streets and smooth walls.
Buenos Aires
It feels almost silly to call Buenos Aires a book “town” when it has a population of over 3 million people. But however you want to phrase it, it’s the genuine article. It’s filled with over 800 bookshops plus thousands of smaller booksellers. In fact, the Argentinian capital has more bookstores per capita than any other city in the world.
It also happens to be home to El Ateneo Grand Splendid, arguably the most beautiful bookshop in existence today. Given all that, it’s little wonder that UNESCO officially recognized Buenos Aires as the World Book Capital in 2011. Talk about having your city’s status as a book town made official.
Fjaerland
Much like Hay-on-Wye, Fjaerland, Norway likes to have a few books on hand everywhere you turn: in waiting rooms, stables, banks, and even a former post office. It’s probably the smallest place on this list, as it has only 300 inhabitants. It’s also only open to tourists from May to December, and one visit makes the reason why very clear.
Simply put, a lot of this town’s bookshelves are outdoors, in the open, and would get pretty badly damaged during the town’s harsh winters. One outdoor shelf in particular is called “the country’s most honest bookstore,” as it is unmanned and simply asks you to leave money in a box when you pick a book.
Montolieu
This French village, despite being fairly small, is home to over a dozen delightful antique bookstores, each secondhand and independently owned. It’s the only book town in the south of France, and it is dedicated to preserving book arts and crafts. It even hosts various cultural events throughout the year, such as the Pages de Jazz and Comic Book Festivals.
Paju Book City
While many places on this list are brimming with charm and history, Paju in South Korea puts its own spin on the idea of book towns. To start with, it isn’t actually a town at all. Rather, it is a cultural complex dedicated to the publishing industry. Don’t get me wrong, though, it’s not some rinky-dink mall; it’s a huge, open space encompassing 250 publishers, printers, and bookbinders.
It also includes book cafés, art galleries, and libraries, all encased in sleek, modern architecture that seamlessly integrates with nature. One notable example is the Hannae Forest of Wisdom, a library and cultural hub featured in the K-drama Tempted.
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Migz
K Lou
K. Lou is a writer born in the U.S. who found her way to Japan through a spiritual calling—or, more precisely, better access to tea. She writes about travel, culture, and the occasional creative piece, inspired by her enduring love of books. This love began in high school when K. Lou carried books around to avoid seeming odd while lost in thought. Once she started reading, she never stopped. With zero regrets, she continues to explore the written word and invites others to join her in celebrating its varied forms.
