In a city where rush and crowding feel like the norm, there are still places where time stretches and the rhythm slows down. Good bookstores are no longer just shops, but refuges where you can find quiet, inspiration, and sometimes even a sense of community. Bucharest has a few such places, each with its own atmosphere.

1. Cărturești Verona

 Probably the most famous bookstore in the capital, and not just for its books. It’s housed in an old villa on Arthur Verona Street, with wide staircases, bright rooms, and shelves that make you feel as if you’re wandering through a private library. In summer, the courtyard turns into a venue for festivals and evening readings.

2. Humanitas Cișmigiu

 Located on Regina Elisabeta Boulevard, this bookstore has the advantage of being right next to the park. You can leaf through a book and then sit quietly on a bench outside. The interior is well-organized and airy, with shelves that focus on contemporary literature and essays.

3. Anthony Frost Bookshop

A small but essential place for those looking for literature in English. It’s frequented by expats, foreign students, and Romanians passionate about authors you won’t find translated. The bookseller’s personal recommendations make the difference here.

4. Seneca Anticafe

More than a bookstore, it’s a reading and coworking space where you pay for the time you spend, not the coffee. The shelves are filled with philosophy, self-development, and social science titles. The quiet atmosphere, with long wooden tables, makes many people stay for hours.

5. Kyralina Bookshop

Specialized in French literature, this bookstore in the Armenian Quarter stands out for its carefully curated selection and cultural events dedicated to the francophone community. It’s a small but dense island where browsing books often becomes a pretext for conversation.

6. Librarium TNB

Located inside the National Theatre, this bookstore has a special charm. It blends literature with theatre, and some titles are directly connected to the plays staged in the building. It’s the kind of place where you can buy a book before or after a performance.

7. Mihai Eminescu Bookstore

One of the oldest bookstores in Bucharest, near University Square. The space is vast, with seemingly endless shelves and a wide selection ranging from manuals and academic editions to rare novels. The atmosphere may feel less “modern,” but it carries the charm of a place that has endured through change.

These bookstores are more than dots on a map; they are places where you can make time for yourself. Some attract through their architecture, others through their book selection or the people you meet there. All of them offer something rare in the middle of Bucharest: a pause.

Also recommended Bucharest’s bookstores: cultural spaces shaped by curation, audience and identity