One of the most famous and much loved English language book shops in the city luring visitors from around the world to browse amongst the heaving book shelves. It even made an appearance in Woody Allen’s film “Midnight in Paris”.
A stone’s throw from Notre Dame, a Wallace Fountain in front, a cute little café on the corner with fabulous views, I like it best at night (and it opens really late) when the fairy lights glow (see left).
Though this is not the original location for the shop in the days when Ernest Hemingway and Scott Fitzgerald perused the stock, it continues to win smitten fans with its mellow, quaint look and feel, it’s awesome literary connections and fabulous choice of old and new books.
37 Rue de la Bûcherie, 5th Arr; shakespeareandcompany.com; Metro: Saint-Michel; Open 10am – 11pm daily.
Shakespeare & Company
Abbey Bookshop
Opened in 1989 by expat Canadian Brian Spence, this gorgeous bookshop in the Latin Quarter attracts a global audience thanks to the eclectic collection of over 35,000 titles in English ranging from scholarly to popular literature. It’s quirky and utterly photogenic!
29 rue de la Parchminerie, 5th Arr; Abbeybookshop; Metro: St. Michel/Cluny la Sorbonne; Open: 10am-11pm Mon-Sat.