Six Must-Visit Buenos Aires Bookstores

 

 I think of reading a book as no less an experience than traveling or falling in love.

Jorge Luis Borges

Imagine losing yourself among bulging bookshelves looking for that unique treasure; the smell of ink, glue, and paper enveloping you like a warm hug. Buenos Aires, the hometown of acclaimed Argentinean author Jorge Luis Borges, offers the combined experience of travel and books. With 20.1 bookstores per 100,000 population, Buenos Aires is a haven for literature fans. People read on the subway, at cafes, and on park benches. And, despite the rise of digital formats, print books continue to be relevant and cherished. So, if you are planning to visit Buenos Aires and are a keen reader, you must visit these bookstores.

Librería de Ávila, the Country’s Oldest Bookseller

Although the current building is from 1926, there has been a bookstore on this site since 1785, when La Botica became the first store to sell books in what was then a remote Spanish colonial outpost. Then, its name changed to La Librería del Colegio in 1830, when it started selling schoolbooks to the Real Colegio de San Carlos students, now Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires, located across the street. The current owner, Ávila saved the business from bankruptcy in 1994.

There are books on shelves and piled high on tables. Librería de Ávila specializes in the humanities, like history, anthropology, and culture mainly of Argentina and the Americas. The ground floor houses new and out-of-print books, but it is the basement that holds the treasures. The shelves burst with second-hand and antique books in Spanish, English, French, and Italian on any subject under the sun.

Address: Alsina 500 in the historic district of Manzana de las Luces.

Majestic Grandeur at El Ateneo Grand Splendid

Considered among the world’s most beautiful bookstores, El Ateneo Grand Splendid deserves a visit. Nestled among the elegant buildings of Avenida Santa Fe, Teatro Grand Splendid opened in 1919 and staged ballet, opera, and concerts by renowned artists like Carlos Gardel. Later, it became a cinema theater, which is how I remember it. Although the old theater was renovated in the nineties, it retains many of the original features like the façade, the wonderful ceiling frescoes, and the gilded moldings.

The boxes were turned into reading alcoves, and the stage into a café. Books are everywhere, on tidy shelves or in piles along the perimeter of the circle, sorted by subject and language. Grab a book and sit down for coffee or wander around the main floor and the basement looking for the latest best-seller. Whatever you do, do not forget your camera! It is very popular with tourists and locals, so go at opening time or be prepared to brave the crowds.

Address: Avenida Santa Fe 1860.

The German and British Roots of The Book Cellar & Henschel

The story starts in Hamburg, Germany, in the late 19^th century, when the Henschel family opened the Henschel Antiquariat, purveyors of vintage and rare books. They had to flee Nazi Germany at the start of the Second World War and settled in Buenos Aires where they specialized in German and Argentinean literature and history books. In the early 2000s, Daniel Zachariah swapped his native Britain for Buenos Aires, and having spotted a need for books in English, he started a bookselling business. In 2016, Zachariah bought Henschel Antiquariat and merged both concerns.

Although The Book Cellar is on a first-floor apartment (one floor up from the lobby) of a commercial building in the busy Microcentro area, it does feel like you are in a cellar. With walls lined with sagging shelves and piles of books every which way, it is a book lover paradise in the middle of an – at times –  chaotic city. The Book Cellar trades in second-hand, rare, antique, and out-of-print books in different languages like English, French, German, and Spanish, although they recently sourced and sold rare books in Hungarian. Nothing is impossible in the book world.

The Book Cellar is on Reconquista 533, 1st floor, and the sister bookshop is on Lavalle 386. They also buy and sell online.

Libros del Pasaje in Trendy Palermo Soho

Imagine a sleepy neighborhood with tree-lined streets, shotgun houses, and two-story family homes. That’s what Palermo used to look like. Now, it’s become one of the trendiest areas, with many bars and restaurants, fashionable boutiques, and, of course, bookstores. Libros del Pasaje is in a repurposed, turn-of-the-century two-story home. The vast space is filled floor to vaulted ceiling with bookshelves.

After you’ve browsed to your heart’s content, you can take a break at the cozy café at the back of the store. Sit at a table or a couch to soak in the quiet atmosphere and let the books do all the talking.

Libros del Pasaje is on Thames 1762, across the street from the colorful Pasaje Russell. Most books are in Spanish but it’s worth visiting.

Live Music and Books at Clásica y Moderna

Libería Clásica y Moderna has been a cultural hub since 1938 when Spanish émigré Emilio Poblet Diaz established a bookstore. Years later, in the 1980s, his son and daughter added a café with live music. The café seating area is at the front and the books are at the back, divided by a glass and metal wall.  The book selection is varied but compact and the café’s intimate ambiance perfectly contrasts with the busy Avenida Callao outside.  Come for an afternoon coffee break with a good book, or an evening meal and stay for a jazz concert.

Avenida Callao 892.

Oysters Welcome at Walrus Books

Walrus Books, a cozy bookstore in the heart of San Telmo, buys and sells used books in English. They also hold online literary and creative writing workshops.

Estados Unidos 617.

 

Click here for discounted accommodations in Buenos Aires.