If you’re a book lover then you’re going to ADORE Paris. The city has been attracting and inspiring writers for centuries and there are some really cool ways to discover the city’s literary history and current book culture. From world-famous bookshops to the former homes and haunts of writers, here are the best literary spots in Paris that book lovers HAVE TO check out while visiting the city.
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Image Courtesy of Shakespeare and Company
Wander through the rooms of Shakespeare and Company
Even though it’s a bit over-hyped, no book lover’s guide to Paris would be complete without this renowned bookshop. The shop’s roots date back to 1919 when American Sylvia Beach opened the first English-language bookstore on the European continent (outside England and Ireland). Her shop, which was in two different locations a few blocks from here and NOT at this location (more on this in the next section), became an important meeting point for expat writers in the 1920s.
Closed during WWII and not reopened afterward, in 1951 another American, George Witman, opened this shop, first called Le Mistral, and then renamed Shakespeare and Company in 1964. His shop was a hub of the next generations of innovative writers and is now run by his daughter Sylvie Witman, who added a café a few years ago. The shop has become something of a tourist attraction and can get pretty crowded, but it’s still worth visiting. To avoid waiting in line, I recommend going when it first opens at 10 am (you should still expect a line though, so bring a coffee for while you wait), or in the early evening since it’s open till 8 pm. No matter when you go, please buy a book or souvenir tote bag to help keep the shop in business.
Image Courtesy of Shakespeare and Company via Facebook
See where the original Shakespeare and Company was
As I mentioned above, the current Shakespeare and Company isn’t the original one (as most visitors assume). Instead, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Joyce, and the rest of the Paris 1920s literary crowd meet up at Sylvia Beach’s shop found a few blocks away from the current one. So if you’re a hardcore book lover, you really need to take a little detour to see where it was at 12 rue de l’Odeon. The building doesn’t look like much today, but there’s a plaque on the facade that honors the fact that James Joyce’s book Ulysses was published here. Back when Sylvia’s shop existed, the street was lined with French bookshops, some of these still exist, so look out for them while you’re strolling down it.
Image Courtesy of Red Wheelbarrow
Visit some other fantastic bookstores in Paris
Shakespeare and Company isn’t the ONLY great English bookshop in Paris, there are actually a bunch of others. They’re much less busy and are great for book lovers who love browsing. Just a few minutes’ walk away from Shakespeare’s is the Abbey Bookshop, a Canadian-owned store packed with new and used English books and where you can get a free cup of coffee. Around a ten-minute stroll to the 6th district will take you to the Red Wheelbarrow and San Francisco Books. Over on the Right Bank, you might like to visit the beautiful historic shop Galignani, which has a good selection of English books.
Image Courtesy of Café de Flore via Facebook
Go look at (but don’t sit down) at historic Saint-Germain cafés
If you’re a big book lover, you’ll want to see some of the cafés where the Lost Generation writers hung out. The most famous are the historic Saint-Germain cafés, Les Deux Magots and the Café de Flore. They’ve become tourist traps and are SO overpriced, that I really don’t recommend actually getting a drink at either. Just have a look at the outside, take a photo if you like, then go to an authentic literary café, like the next suggestions.
Image Courtesy of Maison Fleuret
Go to a real literary café
Paris has some really great literary cafés that are not touristy at all. I’ve included a bunch in my Paris Itineraries, but I’ll fill you in on some of my favorites. A short walk from the touristy Saint-Germain cafés is the super charming Maison Fleuret, which used to be a bookshop and its walls are covered in books. If you’re exploring or shopping in the North Marais, take a coffee break or meal in the Used Book Café, which is in the Merci concept store and surrounded by books. Or for a more local experience, go to Le Barbouquin, a café in Belleville designed for curling up with a book – the French even have a verb for doing this, “bouquiner,” which comes from the English word “book” (we’ll see this word again below).
Image Courtesy of Viator
Walk in the footsteps of the Lost Generation writers on the Left Bank
If you’d like to discover the best literary spots of the Left Bank in the company of a local expert, then join one of these small-group Literary Paris tours. You’ll see where famous writers like Hemingway and Joyce lived and wrote, see the original location of the Shakespeare and Company bookshop, and visit some of the historic Montparnasse cafés where these writers spent many of their evenings.
Image Courtesy of BnF
Pop into the French National Library
If you’re looking for the top literary spots in Paris, you’ll love visiting this historic Richelieu branch of the French National Library. Situated between the Louvre and the Opera Garnier, the royal library was founded in the 1300s but the current buildings were created in the 1600s. It’s free to duck in to have a look. You absolutely have to see its STUNNING Oval reading room, which is included in Day 1 of our Paris Itineraries. Here you can browse books and magazines or simply settle into their comfy chairs with your own book. The library also has a new museum that displays special artifacts from its collections, so if you’re really into books, don’t miss this either.
Image Courtesy of Maison de Balzac via Facebook
Visit the former home of a famous French writer
Other than the English-speaking writers who lived in Paris, you might also like to see a couple of places linked to famous French writers. There are actually two fantastic museums in the former homes of two French – and they’re both free to visit. The most convenient is the Maison Victor Hugo, which overlooks the beautiful Place des Vosges and is included on Day 3 of our Paris Itineraries. The writer of Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame lived here for 15 years and the museum displays all kinds of cool artifacts once belonging to Hugo.
A little out of the way (but which makes it a better secret spot to discover), the Maison de Balzac is a charming cottage-turned-museum in the 16th arrondissement where the early 19th-century writer hid from his debt collectors. It has a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower and a great café, two other fabulous reasons to visit.
Browse the stalls of Les Bouquinistes
Another great thing to do in Paris if you’re a book lover is to browse the stalls of “Les Bouquinistes,” the famous Paris booksellers found along the Seine River. There are over 200 of these green bookseller stands bordering the sidewalks above the river in the historic core of the city. The stalls sell mostly used books, but some also have fun vintage posters and Paris souvenirs. I’ve included some of the best places to find these on Days 1 and 2 of our Paris itineraries.
Pay homage to legendary writers in Père Lachaise or Montparnasse Cemeteries
My last recommendation for the best literary spots in Paris is to visit the final resting place of some of Paris’s most famous writers. The greatest number are in Père Lachaise and Montparnasse Cemeteries. A number of writers, including Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, and Balzac, can be visited on this great tour of Père Lachaise. In the Left Bank’s Montparnasse Cemetery, you can seek out the tombs of Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Marguerite Duras, Charles Baudelaire, and Guy de Maupassant, along with a huge array of other celebrities, mainly from the late 19th and 20th centuries.
If you liked my selection of the best literary spots in Paris, you might be interested in my other cool recommendations on places to visit. Read these articles next:
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