6 Best Bookstore in Buenos Aires that you Cannot Miss

Argentina Travel Posted on 05/09/2015

There are 467 bookstores in Buenos Aires, more than any other city in the world. That’s 25 for every 100,000 inhabitants! This exceeds Hong Kong (22), Madrid (16), and Shanghai (15). In the past thirty years it has become much easier to find books in Argentina. 

According to the Buenos Aires official webpage this is the number of libraries in Buenos Aires per neighborhood:

    • San Nicolás has the most bookshops with a whopping 121. There are 242 inhabitants per bookstore.
    • Recoleta with 57
    • Balvanera with 46. 
    • In San Telmo there are a number of inhabitants per bookstore 1,278
  • In Caballito there are a number of inhabitants per boostore 10,357
  • On the other hand, there aren’t any bookstores in neighborhoods like Barracas, Parque Chacabuco, and Coghlan.

 It’s worth remembering that from 2002 through 2013 the number of published books grew steadily, faced with the diversification of the public sector that also brought with it the diversification of interests and categories.

If interested in buying English books in Buenos Aires there are a few bookstores in Buenos Aires that have a respectable English-language section (and some bookstores that actually carry only English books). 

The following are bookstores in Buenos Aires where you can find English language books:

  1. KEL Ediciones
  2. Walrus Books
  3.  Entre Libros
  4. SBS Librería Internacional
  5. The Book Cellar
  6.  El Ateneo Grand 

In this article we can’t not mention a must visit of a Buenos Aires icon: El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookstore which is among the 10 most beautiful in the world. You can wander in between the books and climb up the galleries  to get the whole view. 

This bookshop was first built as Teatro Grand Splendid in 1919, before becoming a cinema in 1929. With frescoed ceilings, ornate carvings and plush red stage curtains (you can have a cup of coffee in the ex theatre stage), definitely this unique book lover stop over, has retained its original splendour and you can grab a book and  sit in the theatre boxes to browse in comfort.

For more interesting information and fun facts about Buenos Aires, check out more of our blog! Or to see Argentina for yourself, contact Say Hueque to start planning your perfect trip!

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