My favorite bookstores in all of Granada!

By all accounts (and by that I mean just me), you can’t say you’ve truly made yourself at home in a place until you’ve marched around trying to find the best food, the best cafes, the best hikes and most importantly…the best possible spots to buy yourself a new book. In this line of reasoning, a few of my friends and I decided to spend one Friday afternoon scouting out of few of the many bookstores scattered around Granada.

Though all were amazing, here are my rankings. First on our list…

TROA Librería Dauro  ★★★✰✰

• Right in the middle of Granada’s shop-filled streets that surround the cathedral, this book store has a good selection of the most recent books, classic literature, and a collection of Granada specific guides and pamphlets that would make great souvenirs. It is a good staple bookstore located in a great area, so if you’re looking for a book as you walk near Plaza Bib-Rambla, this store is perfect. 

Librería Reciclaje  ★★★✰✰

• The second store we visited, this shop is small and quaint and full of secondhand books, comic books, albums and much more. They have a great selection of well known classics as well many old and unique books and booklets from the last 50-60 years. A large portion of the back of the store is dedicated to vinyls and CDs, and you can tell that the store has a passion for all kinds of media over the decades. I thoroughly enjoyed flipping through their boxes of old pamphlets and comics, pointing out funny looking drawings on their illustrated covers.

Re-read Granada ★★★★✰

• This chain bookstore is an amazing way to buy second hand books for very affordable prices—their current pricing is 1 book for 3€, 2 for 5€ and 5 for 10€! The Granada location is located on Calle Gran Vía and is a great place to explore if you’re looking for books about anything and everything. Their bookshelves are organized by genre, and make for a great way to happen across your new favorite book in whatever topic you’re craving.

Babel ★★★★✰

• Next up, if you’re looking for a large bookstore fully stocked with everything at all times, look no further than Babel. There are two locations in Granada, and these stores are much like a Barnes and Noble in the United States, they have the newest releases, trendiest books, as well as a collection of a few tote bags and other knick knacks. Babel is by far the largest bookstore on the list, and has quite a lot of children’s and young adult books. I had to stop myself from buying the box set of Percy Jackson in Spanish, but I can’t promise it won’t eventually end up in my suitcase at the end of the semester.

Librería Moriarty  ★★★★★

• This quaint little bookstore takes obvious inspiration for its name from Sherlock Holmes, and also showcases a cute drawing of the detective on the store’s front sign. Like many bookstores on this list, it is stocked with recent releases and classics, but this store also has a great collection of whimsical coffee table and children’s books, as well as local themed books for all ages. My favorite find here was a Spanish edition of Frog and Toad as well as a gorgeous illustrated book of fairy tales.

Librería El Tiempo Perdido  ★★★★★

• Last but most certainly not least, this bookstore is one of my absolute favorite places in all of Granada. Located in the shopping district of Centro, it feels like it is straight out of a fairy tale. Complete with fairy lights in the entryway, an Edgar Allen Poe shrine, and a spiral staircase up to a little reading corner, the whole store is delightfully cozy. It has a great selection of classic and secondhand books, with some gorgeous editions of classic literature in Spanish, so of course I bought a lovely copy of the Hounds of Baskerville in Spanish! If you visit one store on this list, it has to be this one!

All in all, each of these stores is amazing and I couldn’t recommend them enough. In a study abroad semester where everything goes a mile a minute, it’s important to give yourself some time to take a break, and sit down with a book in a cozy cafe every once in a while. So…if you happen to find yourself in Granada with a craving to read and no book on hand, it might just be time to wander around the city in search of your new favorite librería.