The creak of wooden floors. The hushed reverence of people browsing the shelves. The unmistakable scent of new and old books alike. There honestly is nothing like a good bookshop to while away the hours, losing yourself in the finest literature known to humanity. And you better believe that London has some winners – in fact, we’ve found a whole host of London bookshops that will satisfy anyone with a love for the written word. So, next time you fancy picking up a new paperback or wandering among the written wares, head to one of these London bookshops.
1. Libreria
Where better to start than with a bookshop inspired by literature? Libreria was shaped by Jorge Luis Borges’ ‘The Library of Babel’, a short story about a library which holds all books. Mirrored walls and ceilings make this place seem huge, and the books are arranged in idiosyncratic categories such as ‘mothers, madonnas, and whores’. It’s a quirky vibe that perfectly complements the curated selection of books on offer. Plus, thanks to an overarching golden colour palette, the shop quite literally emits a warm glow on cold, dark nights.
📍 65 Hanbury Street, E1 5JP.
🚇 Nearest stations are Whitechapel and Shoreditch High Street.
2. Walden Books
This little bookshop near Camden High Street is perfectly hidden away from the hustle and bustle. In springtime, expect this bookshop to be adorned in flowers (making it all the more harder to find, just FYI), but it’s charmingly laid out all year round with rows and stacks of books everywhere. The offering encompasses a wide selection of used and rare books. Prices range from 50p to £50, so you can pick up bargains or go for the pricey stuff if you’re flush with cash (you lucky thing you).
📍 38 Harmood Street, NW1 8DP.
🚇 Nearest stations are Chalk Farm and Kentish Town West.
3. L&R Bookshop
Bookshops and Notting Hill are a dream team, so we’re big fans of this spot. Charming, and stuffed to the rafters with an epic selection of literature, L&R Bookshop is a brilliant spot to while away the hours. You can head along for their regular talks and Q&As with authors, but you could also just find the right book and head up the road to Biscuiteers, to lounge around reading and munching biccies.
📍 21 Kensington Park Road, W11 2EU.
🚇 Nearest station is Ladbroke Grove.
4. Books for Cooks
Staying in notoriously foodie Notting Hill, you’ll find a bookshop and intimate eatery all in one. As the name suggests, Books for Cooks focuses on the wonderful world of food, with floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with cookbooks. Even better, they regularly trial recipes in their on-site test kitchen, meaning you’ll leave with inspiration and a full stomach.
📍 4 Blenheim Crescent, W11 1NN.
🚇 Nearest station is Westbourne Park.
5. John Sandoe Books
An endlessly charming, Dickensian-looking spot just off Kings Road, John Sandoe Books has been fiercely independent for over sixty years. With over 30,000 titles in stock, you’d have to be insanely picky to leave here empty-handed. The stock is so large that there are even books stacked up the stairs!
🚇 Nearest station is Sloane Square.
6. Foster Books
Lying behind this highly ‘grammable green facade is a real gem of a bookshop. Foster Books boasts a charming bow window, along with a stunning range of rare books. While a desire to see a social-famous exterior may find you outside their doors, we’d highly recommend taking a peek inside too. You won’t regret it! (Unless you’re on a book-buying budget…)
📍 183 Chiswick High Road, W4 2DR
🚇 Nearest stations are Chiswick Park and Stamford Brook.
7. Daunt Books
There are multiple branches, but you all know the one we’re talking about… The original Marylebone branch of the Daunt Books group features heavily on Instagram – hey, we’ve all done it – with the Edwardian features making for a picture-perfect bookshop. Books are arranged depending on their country (no matter what the genre), and will surely stir up a sense of wanderlust in the casual visitor.
📍 Find your nearest Daunt Books shop here.
8. Word on the Water
This one barges aside other competitors in the race for London’s best bookshop. Floating on Regent’s Canal, Word on the Water is easily the most buoyant of London bookshops. Whilst the novelty of browsing on a barge is a big draw, the boat’s range of talks, poetry readings, and musical performances make it one to visit.
📍 Regent’s Canal Towpath, N1C 4LW.
🚇 Nearest station is King’s Cross St. Pancras.
9. Hurlingham Books
Owner Ray Cole opened Hurlingham Books back in 1968, and is still running things a half-century later. It isn’t the kind of place for window-shopping, purely because the windows are usually blocked by stacks and stacks of books. Between the shop and the nearby warehouse, this bookshop boasts over two million books – so if you can’t find something here, you’re no friend of books…
📍 91 Fulham High Street, SW6 3JS.
🚇 Nearest station is Putney Bridge
10. Gay’s the Word
The UK’s oldest LGBTQ+ bookshop, Gay’s the Word has been a London institution since the 1970s. In the intervening years, they’ve faced down homophobia, Customs raids, and the rise of online booksellers to sell fiction and non-fiction to the good people of London, as well as acting as the headquarters of several gay rights movements. Long may they continue!
🚇 Nearest station is Russell Square.
11. Hatchards
For both longevity and prestige, Hatchards remains unsurpassed amongst London bookshops. They’ve been flogging fiction since 1797, making it the oldest bookshop in the UK – and one of the most trusted, too. In fact, it counts no fewer than three royal warrants to its name. In recent years, they opened up a St Pancras branch, but nothing matches the original for old-world charm.
📍 187 Piccadilly, W1J 9LE.
🚇 Nearest stations are Green Park and Piccadilly Circus.
12. Alice Through The Looking Glass
Tucked away in charming literary haven Cecil Court, this is the most specialist of specialist bookshops. Alice Through The Looking Glass is (unsurprisingly) dedicated to all things Wonderland – a treasure trove full of gifts, memorabilia and rare editions of Lewis Carroll’s stories. There are artworks! First edition books! Clothing! Stationery! Basically anything and everything Alice related. There’s also a mini museum featuring some extra special items that, unfortunately, aren’t for sale, but they do have a white rabbit called Harley as more-than-adequate compensation.
📍 14 Cecil Court, WC2N 4HE.
🚇 Nearest station is Leicester Square.
13. London Review Bookshop
The bricks-and-mortar shop of the London Review of Books sits a stone’s throw away from the British Museum. It’s a place to find everything you knew you needed, plus a load of books you definitely didn’t need but secretly coveted. Their coffee and cake shop is rather nifty, and it’s a frequent stop for writers publicising their newest work.
🚇 Nearest station is Holborn.
14. Any Amount of Books
The name gives it away: buy as much or as little as you’d like from this bookshop. From their perch on Charing Cross Road, Any Amount of Books sells secondhand books to passersby of a literary bent – particularly those in the market for rare or hard-to-find treasures. It’s a sweet spot for a lovely bit of bargain hunting.
🚇 Nearest station is Leicester Square.
15. Primrose Hill Books
Is there a prettier London neighbourhood than Primrose Hill? Once you’ve drunk in those magnificent views over the city, you can mosey on over to Primrose Hill Books for your next literary indulgence. The bookshop, which is run by a lovely husband and wife team, has new and second-hand books aplenty, so you’re not going to be leaving empty-handed.
📍 134 Regent’s Park Road, NW1 8XL.
🚇 Nearest station is Chalk Farm.
16. Nomad Books
The London literati are a frequent fixture at this lovely little bookshop on Fulham Road, with author Michael Morpurgo and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark amongst its visitors. A beloved fixture in the community since 1990, Nomad Books caters to all, and boasts a well-stocked children’s section that’ll make it a hit with the little folk in your life.
📍 781 Fulham Road, SW6 5HA.
🚇 Nearest station is Parsons Green.
17. Artwords Bookshop
Tucked into a corner of Broadway Market, this east London bookshop is a palace of pleasure for all sorts of alternative titles that you might not find in many other places. Plus, if the books aren’t quite doing it for you at the moment, you can dive into their section of glossy magazines that should scratch an itch. At the very least, it’s hard not to admire the considerable effort and thought that goes into Artwords‘ colour-coordinated window displays – some of the finest displays of all of London’s bookshops!
📍 20-22 Broadway Market, E8 4QJ.
🚇 Nearest station is London Fields.
18. BookBar
Okay, so Notting Hill has a bookshop with a kitchen in it, but wing your n0rth to Blackstock Road and you’ll find a bookshop with a wine bar in it! At BookBar guests are invited to share their love of literature with friends over a glass of wine. Thanks to the joyful vibes, and welcoming atmosphere, what is typically a solitary pastime becomes a communal affair
📍 166 Blackstock Road, N5 1HA.
🚇 Nearest stations are Finsbury Park and Arsenal.
19. Bookmongers
This second-hand bookshop in Brixton has been around for more than 30 years and is run by American-born Patrick Kelly. There’s nothing more special than a shop that’s been around for that long in London – laced with history and time, its stock is great and well-organised. All the things you want from one of London’s bookshops.
Resident cat Popeye makes it all the more special.
📍 439 Coldharbour Ln, London SW9 8LN.
🚇 Nearest station is Brixton.
20. IDEA
IDEA is most definitely the coolest bookshop to exist hands down. Located in the basement of Dover Street Market, IDEA’s stock specialises in fashion and art publications. We’re saying Harley Weir’s ‘Beauty Papers,’ issues of Six, a magazine by Commes des Garçons, “Pentax Calendar” by Guy Bourdin but also limited edition originals published in collaboration with brands like Gucci or interior designer Ashley Hicks. All very, very cool.
📍 101 Wardour St, London W1F 0UG.
🚇 Nearest stations are Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.
So, there you have it. Some of the most charming and brilliant bookshops in London to explore next time you’re feeling book-ish!