12 Of The World's Most Beautiful Libraries Worth Travelling For

The world’s most beautiful libraries, from Dublin’s Long Room to Tianjin’s futuristic ‘Eye’.

A book can transport you to another place; but so can a stunning library. At a time when beautifully bound books reclaim coffee tables, and book clubs are cool again, libraries are enjoying a renaissance as well. Perhaps that’s no surprise. With so much of our time spent looking at screens, there’s something comforting about wandering among rows of books for a few hours. Some libraries, though, make an impression even before you’ve opened a book.

From painted ceilings in Austria and towering bookshelves in Dublin to centuries-old reading rooms in Portugal and futuristic architecture in China, these remarkable spaces are as memorable for their architecture as they are for the stories they hold. Here are 12 of the world’s most beautiful libraries worth travelling for.

Trinity College Library, Dublin, Ireland

Most visitors arrive at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, one of the world’s most celebrated illuminated medieval manuscripts, but they leave talking about the Long Room. With its soaring oak bookshelves, barrel-vaulted ceiling and marble busts of great writers and philosophers, the 18th-century library has become one of Ireland’s most recognisable interiors. Somehow, it still feels much the same as it did centuries ago. Home to some of Trinity College’s oldest collections, the Long Room is the sort of place where every shelf seems to tell a story. History, architecture and literature come together beneath one remarkable roof.

Biblioteca Joanina, Coimbra, Portugal

Most historic libraries rely on climate control to protect their books. Biblioteca Joanina relies on bats. Every night, colonies emerge from behind the towering bookshelves to feed on the insects that would otherwise damage the library’s centuries-old manuscripts, a tradition that’s helped preserve the collection for generations.

Hidden within the University of Coimbra, one of Europe’s oldest universities and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the early 18th-century library was commissioned by King João V. Its gilded bookshelves, frescoed ceilings and more than 60,000 rare volumes have made Biblioteca Joanina one of Portugal’s most extraordinary cultural landmarks.

Admont Abbey Library, Austria

It’s easy to see why Admont Abbey Library is often described as something out of a fairytale. Completed in 1776, the world’s largest monastic library is flooded with natural light, a striking contrast to the dark wood interiors typically associated with historic libraries. White-and-gold bookshelves stretch beneath seven magnificent frescoed domes, creating a space that feels surprisingly bright, even centuries later.

Look a little closer, and you’ll notice one of its cleverest details. Hidden among the bookshelves are secret doors disguised as books, leading to spiral staircases tucked behind the walls. Home to more than 70,000 books in its grand hall and medieval manuscripts dating back to the 8th century, Admont is as much an architectural masterpiece as it is a library.

Royal Portuguese Reading Room, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

If there were ever a library that could turn someone into a reader, this might be it. Behind an unassuming façade in downtown Rio lies the Royal Portuguese Reading Room, where soaring wooden bookshelves, carved stonework and a stained-glass skylight create one of the city’s most unexpected interiors.

Built in 1887 by Portuguese immigrants, the library is home to the largest collection of Portuguese-language literature outside Portugal. While visitors often come for the architecture, it’s the feeling of stepping into a place that has preserved centuries of history and literature that stays with you.

George Peabody Library, Baltimore, USA

There are few libraries as instantly recognisable as the George Peabody Library. Nicknamed the “Cathedral of Books,” its five tiers of cast-iron balconies crowned by a glass skylight have become one of Baltimore’s most iconic interiors.

Despite its grandeur, it never feels intimidating. Most visitors walk in and gaze at the magnificence of the ceiling above, a true architectural marvel. Founded in 1878 by philanthropist George Peabody, the library was built on the simple idea that knowledge should be open to everyone. More than a century later, it’s still one of Baltimore’s most extraordinary spaces.

Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Paris, France

It’s hard to walk into Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève without looking up. When Henri Labrouste designed the library in the mid-19th century, its elegant iron arches and light-filled reading room completely reimagined what a public library could be.

More than 170 years later, students still fill the reading room beneath those same soaring arches. Tucked away in Paris’ Latin Quarter, just across from the Panthéon, it’s one of those rare places where the building is every bit as inspiring as the books inside it.

Abbey Library of Saint Gall, St. Gallen, Switzerland

This is one of the world's most beautiful libraries; before you even step inside, the library tells you what to expect. Above the entrance are the words “Healing place for the soul.” Few libraries have a more fitting welcome. Also a part of the UNESCO-listed Abbey of Saint Gall, the library has preserved knowledge for more than a thousand years. Step inside and it feels as though the outside world has quietly disappeared. Carved wooden shelves, painted ceilings and centuries-old manuscripts have changed remarkably little over the centuries.

Strahov Monastery Library, Prague, Czech Republic

At this library, you can’t actually walk through the Strahov Library. Instead, visitors admire it from the doorway, and somehow that makes the experience even more memorable. Beyond the rope are soaring Baroque halls lined with leather-bound books, painted ceilings and antique globes that look almost untouched by time. A key lesson in architectural marvels.

Founded in the 12th century, the monastery has protected knowledge through wars, fires and centuries of change. One of the library’s most fascinating details is the 18th-century compilation wheel, an ingenious device that allowed scholars to consult several books at once without carrying heavy volumes across the room.

New York Public Library, New York City, USA

If you’ve watched Sex and the City, you’ll probably recognise the New York Public Library before you even walk through its doors. Carrie Bradshaw almost got married here, but in real life the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building has been one of New York City’s great landmarks since 1911.

Step inside and you’ll find the Rose Main Reading Room, where painted ceilings, grand chandeliers and long oak tables have welcomed generations of readers. Beyond the famous marble lions, Patience and Fortitude, guarding the entrance, the library is home to millions of books, rare manuscripts and rotating exhibitions that make it worth lingering long after you’ve admired the reading room.

Starfield Library, Seoul, South Korea

You don’t expect to find one of the world’s most beautiful libraries in the middle of a shopping mall. The Starfield Library rises through the centre of Seoul’s COEX Mall; its towering 13-metre bookshelves and light-filled atrium have turned an ordinary shopping trip into one of Seoul’s defining modern landmarks.

Home to more than 70,000 books and magazines, the library is free to visit and regularly hosts author talks, exhibitions and cultural events. It’s the sort of place where a quick shopping trip unexpectedly turns into an afternoon spent reading.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt

Some libraries preserve history. Bibliotheca Alexandrina was built to honour it. Standing on Alexandria’s waterfront, close to where the legendary ancient Library of Alexandria once stood, it is a modern tribute to one of history’s greatest centres of knowledge.

Opened in 2002, the striking circular building is impossible to miss. Its granite walls are carved with thousands of characters from writing systems around the world, while the vast sunlit reading room holds around 1.8 million books. Today, it’s much more than a library. Museums, exhibitions and even a planetarium make it easy to spend an entire day exploring.

Tianjin Binhai Library, Tianjin, China

Walking into the Tianjin Binhai Library feels a little surreal. White bookshelves ripple across the walls and ceilings, before converging around a giant sphere at the centre of the atrium, earning the building its nickname, “The Eye.” It’s one of those spaces that makes you stop in your tracks before you’ve even noticed the books.

Designed by Dutch architecture firm MVRDV, the library opened in 2017 as part of Tianjin’s cultural district. While the dramatic shelves create the illusion of holding millions of books, some of the highest stacks are actually printed panels, an ingenious design detail that has become part of the library’s story. The real collection is spread across the surrounding reading rooms, but it’s the extraordinary architecture that’s become the biggest part of the conversation.