The English Bookshops of Paris
25th October 2026
If you love wandering about Paris as much as you love buying books (surely the Venn diagram is a circle?), make a day of both with this English-language bookshop trail …
Start at the legendary Shakespeare and Company, a whimsically ramshackle store that seems straight from a storybook itself. After soaking up the inspirational atmosphere, buy yourself the latest literary prize-winner or a pick from the expertly curated line-up of novels and memoirs set in Paris. Oh, and perhaps also a Shakespeare and Company tote for today’s haul. (The shop opens at ten o’clock every day, except for noon on Sunday; go first thing to minimise queue time)
A few historic blocks away is The Abbey Bookshop. This charming rabbit hole of store, selling both new and used books, is housed in an exquisite eighteenth-century mansion, on a street named for the parchment sellers who toiled here in the 1200s.
Head further south towards the Jardin du Luxembourg, until you reach The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore, a lovely, light and airy space that makes browsing a breeze. Read your purchase across the road in Paris’s most sublime park, or at the cute florist-café next door.
Then wind your way a little north to find San Francisco Books Co and a fabulous selection of second-hand reads … which will perfectly accompany you for lunch at the nearby Polidor, a storied restaurant that was once beloved by Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce.
After lunch, meander onwards to Rue de Buci, and stop in at Taschen to admire its arty tomes, before ambling over to Rue Bonaparte and Assouline (above left), where the ultra-stylish interior perfectly complements the luxury coffee-table books.
Continue north, strolling down along the Seine for a while to browse the bouquiniste sheds. Most books here are in French rather than English, but some of the cellophane-wrapped vintage buys are so pretty you’ll want them just for their covers!
Cross the river and veer towards the north-western corner of the Jardin des Tuileries – over the road you’ll see Smith & Son, whose story traces back to 1870. The bookshop still boasts its beloved magazine nook and atmospheric olde-worlde first floor. And you just might want to stop for cream tea in the nostalgically styled café (closed between 2:30-3:30pm, and on Monday).
Finally, wander eastwards along Rue de Rivoli to Galignani, where you’ll discover a fabulous selection of books on Paris and on French history, among the many other genres. Angelina is next door, so buy a hot chocolate to go, and inhale it and your favourite book of the day over in the Tuileries, while reclining on a green garden chair – one of those that are perfectly slanted for the readers of the world.