London is one of the best cities in the world for bookshops. The highlights for a visitor are Hatchards on Piccadilly, Daunt Books in Marylebone, the big Foyles and Waterstones flagships, the second-hand and antiquarian dealers of Charing Cross Road and Cecil Court, and Word on the Water, a bookshop on a barge on the Regent's Canal.
Bookshops are among the easiest pleasures London offers. They are free to enter, warm and dry on a wet day, and most are run by staff who love recommending books. Many are also beautiful buildings, with wooden galleries, creaking stairs and shelves that reach the ceiling.
This guide groups the best shops by area, so you can visit two or three in one walk. It includes the historic names, the specialist shops, the second-hand dealers and a few unusual ones, with opening hours where the shops publish them.
London bookshops at a glance
- Oldest
- Hatchards, Piccadilly, founded in 1797
- Most beautiful room
- Daunt Books, Marylebone High Street
- Second-hand and antiquarian
- Charing Cross Road and Cecil Court
- Maps and travel
- Stanfords, 7 Mercer Walk, Covent Garden
- Most unusual
- Word on the Water, a book barge on the Regent's Canal at King's Cross
- VAT
- Printed books are zero-rated, so there is no VAT to reclaim
Piccadilly: Hatchards and the big Waterstones
Hatchards, at 187 Piccadilly, was founded by John Hatchard in 1797 and is usually described as London's oldest bookshop. It sits next door to Fortnum & Mason and holds royal warrants, the official recognition given to suppliers of the royal household. Inside, the shop is spread over several floors of narrow rooms and staircases, with dark wood, a strong selection of history, biography and fiction, and many signed copies.
It feels like a private library that happens to sell books, and it is one of the few places where you can still ask a bookseller for an opinion on almost any subject. Hatchards' website did not allow us to read its opening hours in September 2026, so check them before you go.
A few minutes' walk east, towards Piccadilly Circus, Waterstones Piccadilly occupies a large 1930s building that was once the Simpsons department store. It is the flagship of Britain's biggest bookshop chain, with several floors and a very wide range. It is a good choice if you want a specific new title, a British cookbook or a London guide. Check its hours on the Waterstones website.
Both shops fit easily into a walk around Mayfair and St James's, and Fortnum & Mason next door is covered in our guide to London's great department stores.
Charing Cross Road and Cecil Court
For most of the 20th century, Charing Cross Road, which runs from Trafalgar Square north to Tottenham Court Road, was London's street of booksellers. Many of the old second-hand shops have closed, but the tradition is not dead, and it is still the best place in the West End to spend an afternoon browsing.
Foyles, the flagship on Charing Cross Road
Foyles is one of London's best-known bookselling names, and its flagship shop at 107 Charing Cross Road is a large, bright, modern store over several floors. It is a pleasant place to browse for an hour, with a wide range across every subject. The Foyles website did not load for us in September 2026, so check the current hours there before you visit.
Any Amount of Books and the second-hand trade
Any Amount of Books, at 56 Charing Cross Road, is one of the last general second-hand bookshops on the street. It describes itself as keeping the tradition of second-hand bookselling alive, and it sells everything from cheap paperbacks to rare editions. It opens from 10:30 to 19:00 Monday to Saturday and from 11:00 to 18:30 on Sunday (September 2026).
Book lovers may know the street from Helene Hanff's book 84, Charing Cross Road, the story of her letters with a London bookseller. That shop has long gone, but the address still draws readers.
Cecil Court, the booksellers' alley
Cecil Court is a short pedestrian lane between Charing Cross Road and St Martin's Lane, close to Leicester Square station. It has been a street of shops since the 17th century and today is lined with small independent dealers in books, prints, maps, coins, medals and antiques. Among them are Goldsboro Books (signed and first editions), Watkins Books (mind, body and spirit), Travis & Emery (music books and scores), and specialists in children's books and illustration.
Cecil Court is best on a weekday afternoon. The shops are small and the dealers are experts, so a quiet moment is the time to ask questions about a first edition or an old map. Many of the dealers keep their own hours, so check the shop directory on the Cecil Court website if you are coming for one particular shop.
From Cecil Court it is a short walk to Covent Garden. Our guide to shopping in Covent Garden and Seven Dials covers the next stop, including Stanfords, the map and travel bookshop at 7 Mercer Walk.
Marylebone and west London: the Daunt Books shops
Daunt Books on Marylebone High Street is often called the most beautiful bookshop in London. The shop is in an Edwardian building, and its back room is a long hall with oak galleries, green walls and a skylight. Daunt is best known for arranging travel books by country, so guidebooks, novels, history and cookery about each place sit side by side.
The Marylebone shop is at 83-84 Marylebone High Street. It opens from 09:00 to 19:30 Monday to Saturday and from 11:00 to 18:00 on Sunday (September 2026), and it holds regular talks and author events, some of which sell out. Daunt's canvas tote bags are a popular, light souvenir.
Daunt Books also has London shops in Holland Park, Cheapside in the City, Hampstead, Belsize Park and Notting Hill. The Notting Hill shop is handy if you are visiting Portobello Road Market on a Saturday. For more on the area around the flagship, see our Marylebone neighbourhood guide.
Bloomsbury: literary London near the British Museum
Bloomsbury, the area around the British Museum and the University of London, has been linked with writers and publishers for more than a century. It is also one of the best areas for bookshops.
- London Review Bookshop, at 14 Bury Place, a few minutes from the British Museum, is run by the literary magazine the London Review of Books. It has a carefully chosen stock and a busy programme of talks, many of which sell out. It opens from 10:00 to 18:30 Monday to Saturday and from 12:00 to 18:00 on Sunday (September 2026).
- Skoob Books, at 66 The Brunswick, in the Brunswick Centre off Marchmont Street, is a large basement shop that calls itself home to London's broadest selection of second-hand books. It is open seven days a week.
- Gay's the Word, at 66 Marchmont Street, opened in January 1979 and describes itself as the UK's oldest LGBT+ bookshop. It is closed on Mondays and opens from 11:00 to 18:00 Tuesday to Saturday and from 13:00 to 18:00 on Sunday (September 2026). Our LGBTQ+ guide to London has more places to visit.
A morning at the British Museum followed by an afternoon in these shops makes an excellent day, especially if it rains. Our guide to Bloomsbury suggests cafés and squares in between.
Word on the Water: the book barge at King's Cross
Word on the Water is a second-hand and new bookshop on an old barge on the Regent's Canal at King's Cross. Books are packed into shelves inside the narrow boat, with more on display on the towpath outside, and in good weather the towpath becomes part of the shop. It is small, a little chaotic and very charming.
The barge opens from midday to 19:00 every day except Christmas Day (September 2026). Check its website or social media before you make a special trip, and bring cash as a back-up in case a card machine is having a bad day.
The book barge is better on a dry afternoon. Much of the browsing happens on the towpath, and the barge itself is cramped. Pair it with a walk along the canal and a look around the redeveloped streets north of King's Cross station, where there are plenty of places to eat.
King's Cross is also home to the Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾ in the station, popular with families; see our guide to Harry Potter locations in London. Our King's Cross neighbourhood guide covers the canal, the markets and the restaurants.
The South Bank book market and other outdoor stalls
Under Waterloo Bridge, on the riverside walk outside the Southbank Centre, second-hand book dealers set up long tables of paperbacks, old maps and prints. It is one of the few outdoor book markets in central London, and a pleasant stop on a walk along the Thames. The stalls depend on the weather, so do not rely on them on a wet day. See our guide to the South Bank for everything else along this stretch of the river.
Several of London's weekly markets also have book stalls among the antiques and clothes. If you enjoy second-hand browsing, our guide to vintage and second-hand shopping in London covers charity shops, which often sell books very cheaply.
Specialist bookshops worth a detour
London has bookshops for almost every interest. A few that are easy for visitors to reach:
| Interest | Where to go | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Maps, travel guides, globes | Stanfords, 7 Mercer Walk | Covent Garden |
| Signed and first editions | Goldsboro Books, Cecil Court | Leicester Square |
| Music books and scores | Travis & Emery, Cecil Court | Leicester Square |
| Mind, body and spirit | Watkins Books, Cecil Court | Leicester Square |
| LGBT+ literature | Gay's the Word, Marchmont Street | Bloomsbury |
| Second-hand, all subjects | Skoob Books; Any Amount of Books | Bloomsbury; Charing Cross Road |
Museum shops are worth a look too. The big national museums have bookshops with excellent ranges on art, history and science, and they are free to enter.
Buying books as a visitor: prices, VAT and packing
Printed books are zero-rated for VAT in the UK, which means there is no VAT in the price and nothing to reclaim. Prices are printed on the back cover of most new British books, and independent shops charge the same cover price as the chains.
Books are heavy, so think about your luggage allowance before you buy a pile of hardbacks. Many shops can post books abroad for you, and some sell online with international delivery, so you can browse in person and order later. If you want a light souvenir from a bookshop, a tote bag, a signed paperback or a London map is easier to carry. Our list of souvenirs worth buying in London has more ideas.
Almost all bookshops take cards and contactless payment. Small second-hand dealers and market stalls are the places where cash can still be useful.
Frequently asked questions
What is the oldest bookshop in London?
Hatchards on Piccadilly was founded by John Hatchard in 1797 and is usually described as London's oldest bookshop. It holds royal warrants and is still a working bookshop with several floors of new books and many signed copies.
Where are the second-hand bookshops in London?
The traditional area is Charing Cross Road and Cecil Court, near Leicester Square, where Any Amount of Books and many specialist dealers still trade. Skoob Books in Bloomsbury, the book stalls under Waterloo Bridge and the Word on the Water barge are also good for second-hand books.
Is Daunt Books open on Sundays?
Yes. The Marylebone shop at 83-84 Marylebone High Street opens from 11:00 to 18:00 on Sunday and from 09:00 to 19:30 Monday to Saturday (September 2026). Check the Daunt Books website for the hours of its other London shops.
Where is the floating bookshop in London?
Word on the Water is a book barge on the Regent's Canal at King's Cross, a short walk from King's Cross and St Pancras stations. It opens from midday to 19:00 every day except Christmas Day, according to its own website.
Do I pay VAT on books in the UK?
No. Printed books are zero-rated for VAT in the UK, so the price you pay includes no VAT. There is therefore nothing to claim back, and the cover price is the same for visitors and residents.
Sources
- Daunt Books - Marylebone shop (checked September 2026)
- Any Amount of Books - Visit us (checked September 2026)
- Cecil Court - Shop directory (checked September 2026)
- London Review Bookshop - Opening hours (checked September 2026)
- Gay's the Word - Visit the bookshop (checked September 2026)
- Skoob Books - Home (checked September 2026)
- Word on the Water - The London Bookbarge (checked September 2026)
- Stanfords - Our stores (checked September 2026)