You are reading Anywhere But Here, our summer-long series on travel at home and abroad, serving up the information and inspiration you need.
The world’s most photogenic bookshops have been crowned, with spiral staircases, ornate shelving and stain glass windows abundant.
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The list of Instagram-worthy boltholes for book-lovers is based on the number of Insta hashtags associated with each location.
Taking the lead as the most picture-worthy shop is The Last Bookstore located in Los Angeles, California, with a grand total of 110,498 hashtags. The bookshop first opened its doors in 2005 and is now filled with over 250,000 new and used books, making it one of the largest independent bookstores in the world.
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The US also takes second place with Powell’s based in Oregon, which has been serving as an oasis for book lovers since 1971.
Third place goes to Book and Bed in Tokyo, Japan. The bookshop doubles as a 30-bed hostel, allowing visitors to purchase books and drop off to sleep under one roof.
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The UK just about made the top 10, with Daunt Books in Marylebone, London, coming in tenth place. Barter Books in Northumberland and Folyes in London’s Charing Cross also made the top 20.
Others in the list include Venice’s famous “floating bookshop” Libreria Acqua Alta, where books damaged in flooding are repurposed as outdoor furniture, plus Bart’s Books in Ojai, California, which is the world’s largest outdoor bookstore.
Check out the full list, complied by TheKnowledgeAcademy.com, below.
1. The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles, USA
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2. Powell’s, Oregon, USA
3. Book and Bed, Tokyo, Japan
4. Shakespeare and Company, Paris, France
5. Livraria Lello, Porto, Portugal
6. Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice, Italy
7. Cărturești Carusel, Bucharest, Romania
8. Books Actually, formerly Tiong Bahru, Singapore, now online
9. City Lights Books, San Francisco, USA
10. Daunt Books, London, UK
11. Barter Books, Northumberland, UK
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12. El Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
13. Ler Davagar, Lisbon, Portugal
14. El Pendulo, Mexico City, Mexico
15. Atlantis Books, Santorini, Greece
16. Folyes Bookshop, London, UK
17. Strand Book Store, New York City, USA
18. Boekhandel Dominicanen, Maastricht, Netherlands
19. Cook & Book, Brussels, Belgium
20. Bart’s Books, Ojai, USA
Travel is the story of our summer. The rules (and traffic lights) are always changing, but one thing’s clear, we dream of being Anywhere But Here. This seasonal series offers you clear-headed travel advice, ideas-packed staycation guides, clever swaps and hacks, and a healthy dose of wanderlust.
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