Join us as we explore Paris’ most charming English-language bookstores
Travel and reading go hand-in-hand: traveling inspires us to write and reading inspires us to travel. And as Paris has inspired countless novelists, fittingly the City of Lights is teaming with bookstores. Shakespeare and Company, the most famous among the English-speaking crowd, is one among many. Here, our team of guides selects 7 other Anglophone bookshops where you might find us browsing the shelves, or your next favorite novel!
WHSmith
248 Rue de Rivoli, 75001
+33 1 44 77 88 99
Metro: Concorde (lines 1 and 12)
This enormous British bookstore is conveniently located just off the Place de la Concorde and the Tuileries Garden, not far from the Louvre museum. Great for paperbacks, new releases, children’s books, and pretty much everything else.
Bonus: English language board-games, Sudoku, and crossword puzzle books can be found upstairs
Brentano’s American Bookstore
37 avenue de l’Opéra, 75002 Paris
+33 1 42 61 52 50
Metro: Opéra (lines 3, 7, and 8) or Pyramides (lines 7 and 14)
First opened on the stylish Opera Avenue in 1895, Brentano’s Paris branch closed briefly in 2009. Residents were happy to see it return in 2010, as this American bookstore offers a good selection of English-language titles as well as a wide selection of city maps and guide books.
Bonus: This place is postcard heaven. Perfect for little French souvenirs, posters, sparkly stickers, and other small gift items
The Abbey Bookshop
29 Rue de la Parcheminerie, 75005
+33 1 46 33 16 24
Metro: Cluny – La Sorbonne (line 10)
The Latin Quarter, so-named for the language medieval students spoke at the University of Paris, is rich with bookstores like this one. Located blocks away from the main campus today, this bookshop offers thousands of all-English titles stacked to the rafters. Their selection of new and used books includes classics, children’s books, young adult fare, and more. Look for the Canadian flag out front.
Bonus: Visitors can enjoy free coffee while they browse
Gibert-Joseph
26 Boulevard Saint-Michel, 75006
+33 1 44 41 88 88
Metro: Cluny – La Sorbonne (line 10) or Saint-Michel (line 4)
This French chain takes up much of the real estate around Boulevard Saint-Michel, so be sure to locate the right branch at number 26 for a welcome selection of English-language titles. Follow the signs for “Littérature VO” (Literature in its version original), located on the 2nd floor, just to the left as you step off the escalator. The largest sections are literature, science fiction, and murder mysteries.
TASCHEN Books
2 Rue de Buci, 75006
+ 33 1 40 51 79 22
Metro: Odéon (lines 4 and 10)
Hip and stylish, TASCHEN’s Paris branch is the place to buy French and English-language art books. They specialize in enormous, visually rich volumes of art, architecture, fashion, photography, and more. If you spend much time here you might need to pick up another suitcase!
Bonus: Open late until 8:00 pm, 7 days a week
L’Ecume des Pages
174 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006
+33 1 45 48 54 48
Metro: Saint-Germain-des-Prés (line 4)
This cute book and stationary store is not far from the Saint-Germain-des-Prés church, in an area made famous by the 20th-century Parisian intellectuals who frequented the neighboring cafés. There is a small but solid English-language section in the back, but the real draw here is the stationary. If Paris inspires you to write, this is where you can pick up beautiful bound journals and pens in all the colors of the rainbow.
Bonus: Stop for a coffee at the famous Café de Flore next door
Happy reading!
