To a bookworm , nowhere feels more like dwelling than abookstore , alibrary , or any other plaza pile storey to ceiling with reading textile . And if you ’re heading far from family , you may find out yourself wish you could spend your Night among bookshelves instead of in unfamiliarhotels .
Depending on where you go , you might be able to live out this aspiration : There are a bit of bookstores and libraries around the world that offerovernight accommodations . From Gladstone ’s Library in Wales to the Tsutaya Book Apartment in Tokyo , here are eight worth visiting .
1. Gladstone’s Library // Hawarden, Wales
In the late nineteenth century , former UK prime rector William Gladstone beganmovingbooks from his secret library in Wales ’s Hawarden Castle to a more public location , so everyone could peruse them . He leave a generous endowment fund so the endeavor could be finish after his death , and a library built in his honor opened its doors in 1902 . His family contribute a residential wing a few years later , which still hosts book fan today .
In addition to gainingaccessto more than 150,000 book and other written works in Gladstone ’s collections , you ’ll also get to hang out in the stately Reading Rooms and dine in the bistro ( charmingly named Food for Thought ) . And to preserve Gladstone ’s dedication to breaking down fiscal barriers for academician , the Libraryoffersa act of discounts and even scholarships for prospective visitors .
2. Shakespeare and Company // Paris, France
George Whitmanestablishedhis Paris bookstore , Shakespeare and Company , in 1951 with a motto befitting his own troubadour spirit : “ Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in camouflage . ” Anyone was welcome to remain for free , provide that they scan a al-Qur’an every 24-hour interval , bestow a handwriting in the bookshop for a pair hours , and leave behind a Thomas Nelson Page - long autobiography so Whitman had a record of all these so - telephone “ Tumbleweeds . ” The tradition is still going impregnable , and the bookstore has hosted some 30,000 Tumbleweeds over the past 70 year .
accommodation are somewhatcrampedand very communal , which makes for an especially bona fide bohemian experience . “ seclusion is not really an selection ! ” the web site says . If you ’re interested in being a Tumbleweed yourself , you may e-mail news@shakespeareandcompany.com with “ Tumbleweed ” in the subject line for details .
3. Sylvia Beach Hotel // Newport, Oregon
Whitman ’s divine guidance was Sylvia Beach , whofoundedthe original Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris in 1919 . The shop was a hub for all the legendary Americans in Paris — Ernest Hemingway , Gertrude Stein , T.S. Eliot , and so on — until the Nazis take over the city in 1941 . Beach ’s name lives on in Oregon ’s Sylvia Beach Hotel , a quaint beachfront inn that ’s about as rule book - themed as you’re able to get . Eachroomis themed for a unlike author , including everyone fromEmily DickinsonandShakespeareto Ken Kesey and Amy Tan . There are also deal of Beach ’s twentieth - C contemporaries on the list .
Overlooking the ocean on the third floor is thelibrary , full of books , puzzler , homey armchairs and sofas , and a strict no - phones principle . In fact , the Sylvia Beach Hotel doesn’tofferWi - Fi anywhere , and you wo n’t feel TV or phone in its rooms . What it does offer is a probability to truly unplug ( and also loose breakfast served in its “ Tables of Content ” eating house ) .
4. Tsutaya Book Apartment // Tokyo, Japan
TheTsutaya Book Apartmentgives visitors a chance to get by from the urban din of Tokyo ’s bustling Shinjuku for as long as they desire — it ’s opened 24 hours a daylight , and you pay by the hour . opt a cushiony bench among the bookshelf or husk out a little supernumerary for a secret booth ; there ’s also a charwoman - only storey , shower , and luggage memory board selection . You ca n’t currently make a booking through thewebsite , but you ’re able to request one via email : Scroll down to “ If you do not have it away how to reserve , get through here ” on the situation to return an email template you’re able to fill out with details .
5. The Literary Man Óbidos Hotel // Óbidos, Portugal
Neara castle in Portugal ’s 700 - year - old town Óbidos isThe Literary Man , a hotel that boast acollectionof more than 70,000 books . They ’re showcased on shelves lining well-nigh every paries , and the cosy furniture invites you to plump down and stick your olfactory organ in a fib wherever you are . To drive home the literary theme , the cocktail menufeaturesdrinks named for renowned writers and works , fromF. Scott FitzgeraldtoMoby - Dick .
6. The Open Book // Wigtown, Scotland
Wigtown lives up to itsdesignationas Scotland ’s National Book Town in more ways than one . But the good may beThe Open Book , a bookshop where you’re able to hold up out your dream of being a bookseller without upend your entire life-time . guest remain in the apartment above the shop class , which they can open and run whenever they care ; one guest kept it open until midnight “ just because we can ! ” To say the review are glowing is a minute of an understatement . “ This is a howling , magical experience in a wonderful , magical town , ” one write . “ The magic grow on you as you become , albeit too briefly , part of the cloth of the townspeople . We truly felt embraced and care about . ”
The Open Book , with a six - night lower limit stay , does n’t currently have any available time blocks onAirbnb — but you may unite the emailwaiting listto be notified if spots open up .
7. La Librairie // Paris, France
Formerresidentsof Paris ’s very voguish Marais dominion let in Honoré de Balzac , Victor Hugo , and Colette — which makes it an especially apt location for studious accommodations . La Librairieis a spacious entourage that blends the magic spell of an old - fashioned Parisian bookstall with New - Clarence Day animal comfort : a Nespresso car , a Bose speech sound system of rules , free Wi - Fi , and walls peculiarly insulate to keep the street din from disturbing your hushed reading time . Bookshelves line the bulwark of every elbow room — privy included — so you may have no need for the fancy flat - screen door television in the life room .
8. Book and Bed // Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo’sBook and Bedproves that all you necessitate out of a student lodging is a prosperous bed and a good record book to avail you unwind between busy days . Inside , minimalist sleeping berths are tuck between wooden shelves filled with K of books in Nipponese and English ; and you ’ll also have approach to a shower and a café . Jet - setting to another part of Japan ? If you ’re golden , there might be a Book and Bed where you ’re go — there ’s anotherlocationin Osaka and a third descend presently in Kyoto .
