Shakespeare and Company

The Most Famous Bookstore in Paris
- 37 Rue de la Bûcherie ,
- 75005 Paris
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This place needs no introduction. There isn’t a book lover in the world who hasn’t heard of — and dreamt of shopping at — Shakespeare and Company in Paris.
The History of the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore in Paris
Everyone may know of this world-famous bookshop, but few know that it isn’t the original Shakespeare and Company. That bookstore was opened and operated by American expat Sylvia Beach. It was frequented by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, the Fitzgeralds, and many other great writers who called Paris home at the time. Sadly, the store closed in 1941, when the Germans occupied Paris.

Today’s much-loved incarnation of the storied Parisian bookstore didn’t come to life until 1951. Initially called Le Mistral, it became Shakespeare and Company in 1964 when owner George Whitman renamed the shop to mark William Shakespeare’s 400th birthday and to honor Sylvia Beach, the original store’s owner, who passed away in 1962.
Looking for an off-the-beaten-path bookshop instead? Here are the 5 best Paris bookstores according to locals.
Visiting Shakespeare and Company Today
Standing in a crooked old building on the banks of the Seine opposite Notre Dame, Shakespeare and Company gives off an almost whimsical, lost-in-time aura, inviting you to come in and get lost in the pages of a good book.
Past the pretty cherry tree outside, making for perfect pictures in spring, the colorful façade of the shop greets you with a few bins full of second-hand books on the sidewalk. Inside, two floors full of stories await.

Selling new and used English-language books, Shakespeare and Company has sections dedicated to the writers who frequented the original store, to the City of Paris, to the classics, and to the latest releases. The shop is always full, probably because there’s something for everyone here, be it tourists who want that legendary bookshop experience, travelers who have run out of things to read, or expatriates in Paris who need something in English for a change.
The store welcomes all, whether you want a souvenir stamp in your new purchase or not.
Show your passion for prose and Paris with a unique portrait of a famous Parisian writer.
It Isn’t Only a Bookshop
But Shakespeare and Company is so much more than a bookstore. It’s also home to Aggie the cat — be sure to say bonjour and give her a pet while you’re there — as well as a temporary residence for aspiring writers, letting them sleep among the bookshelves in exchange for helping out in the store.
If you’re not a writer yourself, you can always come and meet authors at one of the bookshop’s regular readings, or improve your writing skills at one of their workshops.

After choosing a book or attending an atelier, sit down next door at the Shakespeare and Company Café where you can read or write over coffee and homemade cake… Perfection.
Urbansider Tip: You aren’t allowed to take photos of the inside of the shop. Put your phone away and enjoy browsing through the books!
Now that you have some new reading material, we recommend heading to the terrace of one of these iconic Paris literary cafés.
Shakespeare and Company
La Samaritaine
Eataly
Antique & Used Book Market, Marché du Livre
La Cure Gourmande
Marché Belgrand
Bercy Village
Les Puces de Vanves
Liquides
Passy Covered Market
Le Bon Marché
Printemps
Le Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville
Koshka Mashka
Galeries Lafayette
Librairie Galignani
Buly 1803
Androuet
The Frankie Shop
Shakespeare and Company
Assouline – Saint Germain
Fromagerie Quatrehomme
Legrand Filles et Fils
Empreintes
The Abbey Bookshop
Aujourd’hui Demain
Artazart
CityPharma
Verbreuil
TWINS Concept Store
Merci
L’Eau et Les Rêves
Alix D. Reynis
Marché Saint-Pierre
L’Eclair de Génie
Matières à Réflexion
Erotokritos
L’Appartement Sézane
MÔM
Le Pied de Cochon
Le Barbouille
Caïus
Frenchie
Poinçon
The Hardware Société
Le Saint-Régis
Pantagruel
Brasserie La Lorraine
Du Pain et Des Idées
Brasserie Dubillot
Granite
Giorgio
Bouillon Julien
FIEF
Fluctuat
Le Four du 12
Café A
Aux Petits Oignons
Le Coupe-Chou
Les Vins des Dames
Bouillon Chartier
Lapérouse
Monsieur Bleu
Chez Gladines
Le Voltaire
Misso
Bambou
Septime
Il Cottage
Le Chalet de Neuilly
Georges
Le Pantruche
Le Radis Beurre
La Felicità, Station F
Le Comptoir du Relais Saint Germain
Vaudeville
Le Troquet
Le Grand Bain
Ralph’s
Terra
Can Alegria
Les Résistants
La Coupole
Hôtel National des Arts et Métiers
Judy, Cantine Qualitarienne
La Cantine du Troquet
Le Mermoz
Holybelly 5
Le Louchébem
Simonetta
Terrasse des Archives
Le Pure Café
Café Varenne
Miznon
Daroco
Dalmata
Pink Mamma
Season
Brasserie Auteuil
Le Marché des Enfants Rouges
Hotel Lutetia
The Ritz Paris
Clown Bar
Hotel Grand Amour
Bouillon Racine
Semilla
Le Chalet Savoyard
Andia (formerly Restaurant La Gare)
L’Arrosoir
Le Bal Café Otto
Kong
Eggs&Co.
Brasserie Barbès
Aux Prés – Cyril Lignac
Caffè Stern
La Rotonde de la Muette
Miss Kô
Le Fumoir
Bisou.
Paname Brewing Company
Mezcaleria
Berthillon
Willi’s Wine Bar
Dose – Dealer du Café (Batignolles)
Rosa Bonheur – Buttes Chaumont
Mr Culbuto
Boca Dos
Le Comptoir Général
Anticafé
Dragon
Candelarìa
La Péniche Antipode
Castor Club
La Belle Hortense
Le Mary Celeste
Fitzgerald
Café de Flore
Le Syndicat
Night Flight
Tiger
Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
Le Bar Dix
Le Bouclier de Bacchus
CloudM
Strada Café
Le Perchoir de l’Est
Divine
Le Renard Bar
Wild & The Moon
Le Peloton
Le Pavillon des Canaux
Dose – Dealer de Café (Mouffetard)
Café Kitsuné – Palais Royal
Angelina
L’Abribus Café
Le Perchoir Marais
Café Berry
Le Nemours
KB Coffee Roasters
Combat
CopperBay
Café Loustic
Les Deux Magots
Cravan
La Fontaine de Belleville
Léandrés
La REcyclerie
Rosa Bonheur sur Seine
Aux Folies
Dada
Ladurée
Aéro Paris Passy
Bluebird
Nina’s Paris
Galerie Dior
Musée Carnavalet
Square Marcel Bleustein Blanchet
Bourse de Commerce
Square Édouard VII
Musée de Montmartre
Rue Denoyez
Le Village Saint Paul
Square des Batignolles
Wall of ‘I Love You’
Les Champs-Elysées
Galerie Perrotin
Fluctuart
Galerie Kamel Mennour
Atelier des Lumières
Fondation Louis Vuitton
Institut du Monde Arabe
59 Rivoli
Parc de Belleville
Square Barye
Rue des Eaux
Parc Monceau
Arènes de Lutèce
Musée Nissim de Camondo
Musée Jacquemart-André
L’Hôtel de Sully
Centre Pompidou
La Sainte-Chapelle
Cimetière du Montparnasse
Galerie Vivienne
Maison de Balzac
La Conciergerie
Gertrude Stein’s Apartment
Musée de l’Homme
Place Dauphine
Notre Dame Cathedral
Maison de Victor Hugo
Rue Cler
Musée Marmottan Monet
Rue Daguerre
Musée des Arts Forains
Le Pantheon
La Petite Ceinture
Jardin des Plantes
Parc de la Villette
Parc Montsouris
Dalí Paris
Château de Vincennes
Yves Saint Laurent Museum
Bois de Vincennes
Manufacture des Gobelins
Arc de Triomphe
Jardin du Luxembourg
Musée Rodin
Musée de la Céramique de Sèvres
Institut Giacometti
Musée Bourdelle
Place Vendôme
Palais Royal
La Coulée Verte
Place des Vosges
Square du Vert-Galant
Le Bateau Ivre Wall
Île aux Cygnes
Musée en Herbe
Sacré Coeur
Paris Catacombs
Passage du Grand Cerf
Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle
Père Lachaise
Musée de la Vie Romantique
Musée Gustave Moreau
La Grande Mosquée
Les Buttes Chaumont
Canal Saint Martin
Place du Marché Sainte-Catherine
Cité des Sciences
Quai des Saints-Pères
Grande Arche de la Défense
Opéra Garnier
Passage des Princes
Hôtel des Invalides
Cimetière de Passy
Le Palais de Justice
Bibliothèque Richelieu
Jardin des Tuileries
Palais de la Découverte
L’Eglise Saint-Paul Saint-Louis
Parc André Citroën
Le Jardin des Rosiers – Joseph-Migneret
Musée des Arts et Métiers
Hôtel de Ville
Paris Holocaust Memorial
Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation
Basilica of Saint-Denis
Les Bains du Marais
Aux Bains Montorgueil
Hammam Les Cent Ciels
Free Persephone
Spa My Blend by Clarins
Peninsula Spa
The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Paris
La Seine Musicale
Aquaboulevard
Supersonic
BAM Karaoke Box
Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione
Moulin Rouge
Crazy Horse Paris
Folies Bergère
Le Grand Rex
Théâtre Michel
Gossima Ping-Pong Bar
Playground Duperré
‘Oh My God, She’s Parisian’ Comedy Show
Les Petites Flèches
Le Louxor
La Gare
Théâtre du Châtelet
Café Oz – Denfert
Bus Palladium
Open-Air Cinema at La Villette
Latin Quarter
- 37 Rue de la Bûcherie ,
- 75005 Paris
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