Photos: the best English bookshops in Paris according to Vogue France

1. Galignani

Vogue France calls this option “the most obvious” but “most chic”. This shop claims to be the oldest English-language bookshop in Paris (and, the staff say, the whole of Europe). It was established in 1801, and has a prestigious address on Rue de Rivoli, opposite the Tuileries Gardens, and near the Hotel Le Meurice and Café Angelina.

The magazine says it is “large, open and bright, with library ladders adding to the romance of the place”.

Address: 224 rue de Rivoli, 75001

2. Smith & Son

The magazine hails this store - also on rue de Rivoli - as the best place for the latest newspapers and international magazines (including, it claims, the “largest selection of [international] Vogue magazines in the world”.

Opened in 1870 by two British brothers, it still stakes a claim as the largest English-language bookshop in the capital. It also has another, smaller location in the Marais district on rue des Rosiers.

Address: 248 rue de Rivoli, 75001

3. Shakespeare & Company

Perhaps the best-known English-language bookshop in Paris, Shakespeare & Company comes in third place. Vogue France calls it the “most cult, legendary, and famous” in the capital, and states that “it's hard to imagine English bookshops in Paris without it”. 

It was founded in 1951 by George Whitman and Sylvia Beach, and has long been a favourite destination of many well-known visitors and residents in the city.

Address: 37 rue de la Bûcherie, 75005

4. The Abbey Bookshop

Not only English-language, but Canadian! The Abbey Bookshop was founded by Toronto native Brian Spence, and has “now become a cultural centre in the heart of the Latin Quarter”, states Vogue France. 

A special mention goes to its incredible building - the 18th-century Hôtel Dubuisson - which is a protected monument, and has “a picturesque façade, sculptural details, and carved doors”.

Address: 29 rue de la Parcheminerie, 75005

5. San Francisco Books

We travel from Toronto, Canada, to San Francisco, US with this next pick. Founded in 1997, this second-hand store offers what Vogue France calls “a diverse selection, including classics as well as curiosities”. 

It adds that the store recalls the “bright colours, fresh breeze and community of artists committed to social progress” of its namesake US city. It also sells book donations from the public.

Address: 17 rue Monsieur le Prince, 75006

6. Red Wheelbarrow

This bookshop is hailed as great for adults and children, with its own ‘Red Balloon’ selection of bilingual books for very young readers, Vogue France states.

Now found opposite the Luxembourg Gardens, this store first opened in 2001 in the Marais, before moving to the Saint Paul district in 2003, and then to the Rive Gauche in 2012. 

The magazine also goes to great pains to explain the origins of this store’s name, which comes from a 1923 poem by US citizen William Carlos Williams. The poem describes a red wheelbarrow by some chickens, in the rain, and is considered to be an appreciation of manual labour, the small details of life, and the links between people and nature.

Address: 9, 11 rue de Médicis 75006

7. Cahier Central

Vogue France awards this bookshop the prestigious accolade of “trendiest”, and asks: “Looking for an architecture magazine published by a cutting-edge publishing house?...This is the place for you.”

This shop moved to Château d'Eau just last year (2024), and is rare in that it is both a bookshop and a distribution house, which the magazine says is “dedicated to contemporary artists and ‘under-represented creations’”. 

Ultimately, this means that it supports independent authors and editions, as well as more-niche publications about everything from design, ecology, feminism, and music.

Address: 26 rue du Château d'Eau, 75010