Must-visit Libraries for Avid Readers Around the Globe

From the rise of “dark academia” to the growing need for more free public spaces, libraries are having a moment. There’s no better way to spend an afternoon than among the stacks, and details like soaring ceilings, historical architecture, and soft light streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows make certain libraries like veritable book museums.

Some are already major tourist attractions. The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library, for instance, is constantly photographed and has appeared in dozens of movies. You’ve probably seen it, even if you haven’t been to New York. Then, there are the libraries that celebrate innovation—look at the undulating, clean minimalism of Norway’s Vennesla Library—and the downright stately—like India’s Rampur Raza Library or Portugal’s Mafra National Palace Library.

So many libraries, whether they’re several centuries or just a few decades old, make a wonderful stop while traveling. Here, we’ve gathered some of the most beautiful libraries from around the world.

George Peabody Library in Baltimore

Part of Johns Hopkins University, this austere, five-story library is named after the famous philanthropist George Peabody and holds 300,000 volumes. Though it’s technically part of the college, any member of the public in Baltimore is free to use the library. The library is also located near the Baltimore Washington Monument (not to be confused with the Washington Monument on the National Mall) in the Mount Vernon-Belvedere neighborhood.

Central Library of Vancouver

This famous library bears a resemblance to the Roman Colosseum. It has nine floors and takes up an entire city block of Vancouver, so it’s not only a library with 9.5 million items—including books, e-books, CDs, DVDs, newspapers, and magazines—but also a complex with exhibition spaces, a theater, meeting and reading rooms, and even a rooftop garden.

The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at the New York Public Library in New York City

Although there are many branches of the New York Public Library, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building is also known as the Main Branch. It’s nestled on Fifth Avenue, near Bryant Park, in New York City. The building is perhaps most famous for its intricate, marble facade and lion statues that stand guard at the base of the steps.

Bodleian Library in Oxford, England

Of course, Oxford is home to many impressive libraries, but Bodleian looks like an ancient cathedral. With a history that goes back to the 14th century, the library has more than 13 million items to explore, including Shakespeare’s First Folio and a Gutenberg Bible.

Library of Trinity College in Dublin

In Dublin, this classic library stands two stories with dark wood arches and an impressive collection of more than six million volumes. The oldest library building, known as the Old Library, began construction in 1712, though the college is much older than that. In fact, it’s home to many ancient texts such as “The Book of Kells,” “The Book of Durrow,” and “The Garland of Howth.” The main chamber, known as the Long Room, contains 200,000 old books and 14 busts of great thinkers and writers like Jonathan Swift, Shakespeare, and Aristotle.

Stuttgart City Library in Stuttgart, Germany

This cube-shaped library isn’t as opulent as some of the older, grander halls, but it’s certainly one of the most interesting. The bright white environment and multi-story gallery hall—with tiers of mezzanines shaped like an inverted pyramid—makes it look more like a modern art museum.

Sorbonne Library in Paris

This centuries-old library is part of the famous Sorbonne—otherwise known as the University of Paris. Originally built in the 17th century, it now contains more than two million volumes on various subjects, especially history, geography, philosophy, and French literature. The Saint-Jacques Reading Room is a particularly beautiful part of the library, with rich wood walls and mint green and cream colors.

Admont Abbey Library in Admont, Austria

This gorgeous library opened in 1776. It’s attached to the oldest remaining monastery in Styria (a state in Austria) and contains the largest monastic library in the world. The airy white and gold interiors are decorated with beautiful frescoes by Bartolomeo Altomonte and sculptures by Josef Stammel, two artists of the Baroque period.

Strahov Monastery Library in Prague

Although the monastery dates back to the 12th century, this beautiful library (complete with an ornate, stucco ceiling of Biblical artwork) was built in the 1600s. On top of being home to about 200,000 volumes of books, it’s also a splendid art gallery that is certainly one of the best things to see in Prague.

Royal Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

This gorgeous space is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Like many old European libraries, it began as a monastery, and is known for its beautiful frescoes, painted on the ceiling for library-goers to admire. Today, the Royal Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is quite possibly one of the most important sites of the Spanish Renaissance.

Royal Portuguese Reading Room, Rio de Janeiro

It’s appropriate that “royal” is in the name of this library in Rio de Janeiro, because it’s truly fit for a king or queen. The striking, limestone exterior is only rivaled by the intricate, dark wood arches, stained glass windows, and vibrant blue ceilings that make this library a haven for book lovers.

Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt

Julius Caesar might have burned down the famous, ancient library of Alexandria, but these days, Egypt is paying homage to that great monument of antiquity. The new version is a circular, granite building that doesn’t look exactly like the original (based on historical descriptions), but it is certainly beautiful—it’s covered in carvings and surrounded by a clear blue reflecting pool.

Rampur Raza Library in Rampur, India

Founded in 1774 by Rampur’s first ruler, Nawab Faizullah Khan, this library looks like a royal palace in northern India. It houses an incredible collection of Indian and Asian works, including manuscripts, historical documents, Islamic calligraphy, and even an original parchment manuscript of the Quran.

Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch in Taipei

Taiwan’s first green library, this building’s sloping turf roof preserves rainwater that gets recycled back into the library’s operations, and it contains photovoltaic cells that also capture solar energy. Inside, the library’s light-filled, airy levels contain an impressive selection of newspapers and periodicals, Chinese-language books, and special collections. The glass-and-wood respite with idyllic surrounding greenery looks like any book-lover’s utopia.

State Library of New South Wales in Sydney

While the outside of the State Library of New South Wales is quite contemporary, the inside is classic and ornate. The Sydney library is of particular interest to anyone who wants to learn more about Australian heritage and history. It contains collections focusing on pre-European settlement and is home to a large selection of books by Indigenous authors.

Abbey Library of Saint Gall in St. Gallen, Switzerland

Considered one of the oldest surviving in Europe, this library was originally attached to a Benedictine abbey. The abbey is a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its intricate moldings, Baroque touches, and rococo art, which are just as worthy of hours of contemplation as the library’s collection, acquired over the span of 12 centuries.  

Biblioteca Vasconcelos in Mexico City

This steel and glass mammoth looks like it might be found in a Stanley Kubrick film instead of sitting in downtown Mexico City. You can ascend its many floors, open and mezzanine-like, and peruse the 600,000 tomes found within. The main level is overseen by “Matrix Móvil,” the giant plastic skeleton of a gray whale by artist Gabriel Orozco.  

Starfield Library in Seoul

You might mistake this modern space for a bookstore—to be fair, it’s located in a mall in Seoul—but the architectural marvel is very much a public library. The airy, two-story space is filled with giant, wraparound bookcases and impressive rotating artworks, such as holiday displays or stacks of books painted to create charming illustrations. There’s ample seating, iPads, and more than 70,000 books to keep you busy in this mind-blowing library.  

Mafra National Palace Library in Mafra, Portugal

With intricately carved wooden shelves and a sweeping, arched ceiling, the library at the Mafra National Palace is probably what you’d picture when thinking of classic, storybook libraries. The rooms are filled with around 36,000 leather-bound volumes you can appreciate on a tour of the palace grounds. Adding to the library’s gothic charm is a most unusual group of workers: A colony of bats. The bats are instrumental in controlling the bookworms, moths, and other insects that could damage the old, fragile tomes. You probably won’t see any during your visit, as they are nocturnal animals, but many of the bats sleep behind the bookshelves, so be satisfied knowing they’re always there.  

Vennesla Library in Vennesla, Norway

Not all beautiful libraries are Baroque windows into the past. Completed in 2011, this Norwegian library is an elegant, modern space that’s won architectural awards for its undulating design. The sustainable, low-energy building integrates wooden ribs and inset lighting to create a bright, welcoming public space that allows us to glimpse the future of what libraries could be instead of only what they’ve been.