Leakey's Bookshop, Inverness, Scotland

Complete with an open log fireplace, Leakey’s is the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland. Over 100,000 books have been collected in this former Gaelic church, that was first opened to the public in 1979. Found in Inverness’s Old Town, it’s something of a pilgrimage site for bookworms from all over the world.

El Ateneo - Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires

El Ateneo has several brick-and-mortar locations throughout Buenos Aires, but it's the one in Grand Splendid that has people the world over singing its praises. 

It first opened as a performing arts theater in 1919, the Grand Splendid, designed by architects Peró and Torres Armengol, and still retains some of its original, 20th-century details. Think velvety red curtains, theater boxes with ornamented trimmings, and a fresco by Italian-Argentine artist Nazzareno Orlandi on El Ateneo's central dome. 

Definitely one for the bucket list!

The Starfield Library in Suwon, South Korea

This library spans over 3 floors (from the 4th to 7th floor), with a height of 22 meters in total. The tall walls of book shelves filled with books serve as a pleasing sight and great background for many Insta-worthy shots.

Abbey Library of Saint Gall, Switzerland

It was founded in the 8th century and contains over 170,000 documents, including many rare and valuable manuscripts. 

Nearly half of the handwritten books are from the Middle Ages and 400 of them are over 1000 years old!

The library is also known for its stunning baroque architecture, which was added in the 18th century.

Prague's Strahov Library

Prague's Strahov Library is the most beautiful library in the world. Housed in the city's Clementium complex, it's not only filled with thousands of books, but gorgeous frescoes and different antique objects of historical curiosity. 

Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal

The self-proclaimed ‘most beautiful bookstore in the world’ certainly lives up to the hype. Livraria Lello in Porto is the city’s oldest bookstore and is absolutely dripping in old-world splendour. Opened in 1906, the striking red double helix staircase is the main centrepiece, otherwise known as the ‘stairway to heaven’ for book lovers.

This neo-gothic bookstore also features a breathtaking stained glass skylight and bronze reliefs of literary figures, carved into the wooden bookshelves lined with leather-bound books. The bookstore is even rumoured to have inspired Hogwarts in Harry Potter! So grab a book and settle in with a coffee or wine at the cosy cafe, and see what you dream up in this magical bookstore.

Central Library of Vancouver, Canada

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 2.3 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 Book Loft of German Village, located in Columbus, Ohio, USA.

The Book Loft of German Village is an independent bookstore in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. Opened in 1977, the store has also been called "a national treasure" by The New York Times. The Book Loft has been described by visitors as a "literary labyrinth" due to its maze-like 32 rooms of books connected by narrow passageways and staircases.