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This beloved London bookshop was just named the world’s best

Taylah Darnell Taylah Darnell
Bookworms just got a new reason to travel.

Some people travel to experience new cultures or learn about history. Some seek thrill and adventure, while others go to rest and recharge. Me? I’m the kind of person to travel for books. I’m not alone either – according to Explore Worldwide, 72 per cent of travellers have visited or considered visiting a destination after reading a novel set there. Clearly, book-based tourism is on the rise. So, what cities should readers be adding to their 2025 bucket list? By analysing countless reviews from across Google and TripAdvisor, language learning platform Preply has your itinerary booked. From a beloved boutique in London to a popular Parisian icon, these are the best bookshops around the world. Best get packing, bookworms!

The top three bookshops in the world are…

1. Daunt Books

For any avid reader, it will come as no surprise that Daunt Books in London is officially 2025’s most popular bookshop in the world. The independent chain, which originally only published travel books, launched its flagship store on Marylebone’s High Street in 1990. Since then, nine other locations across the city have opened, including in Notting Hill, Hampstead and Marlow.

Daunt Books in London, UK
Bookworms often settle in to read among the shelves. (Image: Pauline Loroy)

But it’s the original store that came out on top, with an overall rating of 96.58. Daunt’s expansion into fiction, as well as other non-fiction genres, saw it explode in popularity, with Edwardian architecture, oak balconies and ornate windows only adding to its endless charm. But for the wanderlust-afflicted, it still primarily offers an incredible selection of travel-based literature.

Daunt Books in London, UK
Daunt’s flagship store is in the London borough of Marylebone. (Image: Ugur Akdemir)

2. El Ateneo Grand Splendid

Coming in second place is El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is often referred to as the Paris of South America. Considered one of the biggest bookshops in the world, it is currently home to over 120,000 books and wears its 95.9 public rating like a badge of honour.

First opened as a theatre in 1919, El Ateneo retains most of its original decor – from the fresco ceiling painted by Nazareno Orlandi to the rounded balconies and red curtains framing the stage. It was converted to a bookstore in 2000 and, eight years later, was voted 2008’s most beautiful bookshop in the world by The Guardian.

El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires, Argentina
El Ateneo is housed in a converted theatre. (Image: Alex Person)

3. State Library of Victoria

In exciting news, an Aussie landmark took out the third spot. While the State Library of Victoria is not really a bookshop, it is home to Readings, the first-ever permanent commercial bookshop permitted within the building since it opened in 1854. It is also recognised as the oldest public library in Australia; while the State Library of NSW is technically the oldest (established in 1826), it only opened to the public in 1869.

The State Library of Victoria in Melbourne
The State Library of Victoria opened in 1856. (Image: Neon Wang)

The State Library of Victoria is an icon of Melbourne’s cityscape, its Neoclassical design and classic Victorian touches rivalling some of the world’s most beautiful buildings. Inside is just as awe-inspiring – with fluted ionic columns, Tasmanian freestone work and a stunning octastyle portico. With over two million books on display inside, it’s no wonder it made the list.

What does the rest of the top 10 look like?

Coming in fourth place is Bookstore Dominicanen in Maastricht, The Netherlands, followed by The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles and Starfield Library in Seoul. Shakespeare & Company out of Paris, Powell’s Books in the US city of Portland, Dublin’s Trinity College Library and Venice’s Libreria Acqua Alta round out the top 10.

Starfield Library in Seoul, South Korea
Seoul’s Starfield Library also made the list. (Image: AiMuse/Getty Images)

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Taylah Darnell
Taylah Darnell is International Traveller's Writer & Producer. She has been passionate about writing since she learnt to read, and this life-long love of words inspired her to study a Bachelor of Communication majoring in Creative Writing at the University of Technology Sydney, where she completed two editorial internships. After graduating, she began her full-time career in publishing at Ocean Media before scoring her dream job with Australian Traveller. Now as Writer & Producer, Taylah passionately works across both digital platforms and print titles. When she's not wielding a red pen over magazine proofs, you can find Taylah among the aisles of a second-hand bookshop, following a good nature trail or cheering on her EPL team at 3am. While she's fairly certain nothing can top witnessing the northern lights in Norway, she'd love to explore Scotland and Ireland next.
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These are officially the 5 best train journeys in the world right now

    Emily Murphy Emily Murphy
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    Travel + Leisure just crowned the world’s best trains for 2026, and the results might reroute your next holiday.

    Forget the airport security queue. Forget the middle seat. Forget the bloke in 14C who reclines the second the seatbelt sign turns off. Travel + Leisure just dropped its 2026 World’s Best Awards, and the train category is basically a love letter to slow, scenic, ridiculously plush travel – voted on by roughly 661,000 readers who have very strong opinions about onboard spas and pisco sours. Here’s who made the cut.

    1. Andean Explorer, a Belmond Train – 96.84

    Peru takes the crown, with the Andean Explorer, South America’s first luxury overnight train, running a three-day, two-night route between Arequipa and Cusco that has zero direct competition on the continent – which might explain why it’s clearing 96 points.

    Launched in 2017, the train threads through the Peruvian highlands with stops at Lake Titicaca, all while passengers tuck into signature Andean cuisine, get treatments in an onboard spa carriage, and take in scenery that will blow you away. This isn’t a quick transfer – it’s an immersive, multi-day journey for people who want the trip to be the destination.

    2. Hiram Bingham, a Belmond Train – 96.46

    Peru pulls off the rare feat of taking out the top two spots. Named after the American explorer credited with bringing Machu Picchu to international attention in 1911, the Hiram Bingham is the glossy, dark-wood, live-band, welcome-cocktail version of getting to Machu Picchu. Think traditional dancers on the platform, a five-course dinner on the way there, and a bar carriage full of live music and pisco sours on the way back. It’s shorter and livelier than the Andean Explorer, more group celebration than private hideaway – but it delivers one of the most theatrical arrivals in world travel.

    3. Royal Canadian Pacific – 90.93

    The Royal Canadian Pacific runs vintage rail carriages out of Calgary through the Canadian Rockies, and unlike everything else here, you can’t just book it off a website – it operates mostly through private charters and limited special departures, with no standing public timetable. That scarcity is basically the point: this is old-money rail travel, heavy on restored heritage carriages and light on crowds.

    4. Rocky Mountaineer – 90.80

    The people’s champion of luxury rail, the Rocky Mountaineer, runs daytime routes with glass-domed carriages through British Columbia, Alberta, and down into Colorado and Utah, turning the Canadian and American Rockies into a rolling widescreen movie. It’s more accessible than most trains on this list – no overnight cabins, no need for a private charter – which is probably exactly why so many readers have actually ridden it and voted accordingly.

    5. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a Belmond Train – 90.78

    The name that started the whole luxury train fantasy. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE)’s 1920s-vintage Art Deco carriages – navy-and-gold livery, polished wood, white roof – have been the definitive symbol of golden-age rail travel since 1883, running routes between Paris, Venice and other storied European cities. It might land at number five on points, but in terms of pure name recognition, it’s still the train every other train on this list is being measured against.