Our Favourite Independent Bookshops Around The World

There’s something about independent bookshops. They feel personal. They are personal. You can feel the people behind them; their tastes reflected in the curations that line the shelves; the handwritten recommendations peeking out of book covers. There’s always something that makes you want to return again, whether it’s the events they host, the great coffee brewing behind the counter or a niche selection that you can’t find anywhere else.  

These are our favourite indie bookstores from around the world. You might have spotted our monthly highlights on our Instagram. Here are all of them in one place.

This cosy cooperative bookshop in Antwerp has been running for nearly six decades. De Groene Waterman stocks alternative books and magazines you are unlikely to find anywhere else. 

This bookshop in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge neighbourhood is built around a single, clear mission: to champion female authors. The range runs from literary heavyweights to beach reads – helping you make space on your bookshelf for women's writing across every genre.

In the face of escalating violence and cultural repression in 1990s Kosovo, Buzuku was founded with a dedication to preserve and promote the Albanian language, culture and identity. Today, that vision lives on through Libraria Buzuku, a family-run bookstore in the heart of Pristina that offers a great selection of Albanian and English literature.

Part bookshop, part publisher and part writing school, Flying Books has been serving Toronto since 2015. It stocks a steady rotation of fiction, memoirs, graphic novels, science, history, poetry and children’s books – always carefully chosen.  

Book Soup has been on Sunset Strip since 1975, and its guest list is iconic: David Lynch, Patti Smith, Muhammad Ali. Offering more than 60,000 titles ranging from art and film, queer studies, rare and cult favourites, it’s a true West Hollywood landmark. 

Tucked beneath a modernist building in downtown Rio, Livraria Leonardo da Vinci has been trading since 1952, making it one of Brazil’s oldest independent bookstores. It operates as both a literary hub and publishing house, with a focus on history, social sciences, and critical thought. It also hosts hundreds of events each year.

Open until midnight, this bookstore-bar in Condesa has become a literary hotspot for romantics and night owls alike. Inside, a curated selection shines a light on indie publishers, contemporary fiction and zines, while a busy cultural calendar includes readings, workshops and late-night events. 

Best known for its beautiful selection of art, design and architecture books, Ariel in Paddington is one of Sydney’s oldest independent bookshops. From poetry, plays and film history to stationery and greetings cards, it’s the kind of place you pop into for a browse but leave with your hands full. 

Specialising in contemporary fiction, magazines and indie publications, this Camberwell gem has a strong community focus. There’s a bar that opens late at weekends, while an events roster includes author talks, poetry readings and workshops. 

Having graduated from market stall enterprise to a sunny, spacious new home, complete with cafe, Tintabudi marks its 10th anniversary this year. Its founders’ selection of new and second-hand books includes philosophy, history and literature, brought further to life by regular lectures and workshops.

Tucked away in the Ikoyi neighbourhood, Jazzhole – part record store, part cafe – has been celebrating African literature and Black music for more than 30 years. From bestsellers to rare finds, Jazzhole has become a cultural cornerstone for the city’s artists, writers and musicians.

This pioneering bookstore opened in 2023, dedicated to celebrating the richness and diversity of LGBTQ+ literature. It also hosts regular author readings, book clubs, workshops and panels to engage and empower the local community.  

A local favourite on NYC’s Lower East Side, Sweet Pickle Books offers second-hand books, as well as jars of homemade pickles. The shop’s name and concept are an homage to the owner, Leigh’s, Jewish heritage, as well as the neighbourhood’s history as the city’s ‘pickle district’. 

Alongside its extensive collection of art and design books, this three-floor creative hub runs art and photography exhibitions and workshops. Each floor offers something different, from the classic bookshop space on the first floor, to a cafe and exhibition area featuring emerging artists.  

Known for its sweeping wooden staircase, this neo-gothic space opened in 1906 and is home to a wide range of literature, from special editions to rare books and Portuguese language titles. You’ll need a timed ticket to visit but the price is redeemable against a purchase in store. (Tip: book for when the shop opens in the morning, as the queues are likely to be shorter.) 

This cosy bookshop, housed in a bungalow in Galle, houses a mix of Sri Lankan releases and international contemporary books spanning all genres. As well as author talks and story time sessions for children, there’s a sunny courtyard cafe and restaurant serving breakfast and lunch and dinner three nights a week.

Sappho is a goldmine of second-hand books in Glebe, with 30,000 titles covering everything from Australian fiction to out-of-print books. There’s a cafe by day and a wine bar at night, which hosts poetry, comedy and live music, while upstairs is Da Capo, Australia’s only second-hand sheet music store.  

An installation of 5,000 books by Italian artist Federico Ellade Peruzzotti – spans an entire wall on the top floor of this bookshop, which also has a cafe and event space. Founder Maaja Hallik is committed to providing access to affordable books, so REaD stocks mainly second-hand titles, with plenty sourced from Estonia’s Soviet-era libraries.  

A bibliophile’s dream in the Himalayan mountains, this bookstore and cafe also has a bed and breakfast above it, so you don’t have to leave. Since opening in 1979, Rachna Books has become a cultural landmark, platforming local and up-and-coming writers, hosting events and publishing books under its own imprint.  

Amplifying marginalised voices has been part of this Ontario bookstore’s DNA since it was founded in 1987. Its book selection focuses on equity, diversity and social justice, and it also provides intersectional educational titles to schools. 

Atlantis came about after its founders spent time in Santorini and noticed there was no bookshop. This stunning clifftop bookstore overlooks the island’s caldera and specialises in new and second-hand books in a variety of languages, as well as rare and antique editions.   

Tokyo’s Jimbōchō book town comprises more than 170 bookstores, many of them decades old. Among them is the multi-floor Komiyama, which specialises in books on Japanese culture, photography, fashion, queer subcultures and art, as well as holding exhibitions. 

Clarke’s opened in the centre of Cape Town in 1957 and started specialising in African books in the 1970s. These days, you can find a large collection of new, used and hard-to-find fiction, non-fiction, rare and antique books, including titles that were banned during Apartheid. 

Named after the Swiss patron saint of libraries and librarians, Wilborada 1047 sits in an impressive building that dates to 1943. Across three floors that includes reading nooks and a coffee shop, its book selection spans all genres, plus there’s a regular schedule of book club events.    

Compiled with additional reporting from Helen Whitaker.