The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries Worth Traveling For

Skip to main contentFrom converted monasteries to redwood forested reading rooms, the most beautiful libraries are for truly ones for the books.Getty ImagesThe most beautiful libraries have long been more than places to check out books, though some make a particularly compelling case for lingering. As a demand for third places to gather outside of home or work continues to grow, libraries are having a moment as prime spots for idling, browsing, and simply taking a break from the bustle beyond of their opulent doors.Libraries have taken on an array of forms around the world, as reading rooms that have been tucked into former monasteries, designed as futuristic cultural hubs, and constructed in the heart of the California redwoods. While the books are still the main attraction, it certainly doesn’t hurt to be surrounded by ornate frescoes or unexpected nooks that make you want to stay a while longer. From Colombia to Qatar, these 11 libraries are worth building into your next trip, whether you are architecture-obsessed or longing to sit down in a picturesque setting with a new read.This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.GettyTama Art University Library, JapanInspired by natural geological patterns, the entire first floor of the Tama Art University Library follows a gentle slope, allowing it to match the inclined path it’s built upon. Its structural arches made of steel and concrete are a melange of heights and lengths, emphasizing the stark, cavelike perspective created by the rising floor. The library holds over 124,000 volumes in its free flowing interior space.Brandstaetter Images/GettyAdmont Abbey Library, AustriaOriginally modeled after the Imperial Court Library in Vienna, this monastic library is an architectural beauty straight out of a fairytale. With Baroque ceiling frescoes and gold trim, it’s easy to imagine yourself as fabled royalty wandering through the palatial hall, which houses some 200,000 volumes. Just be careful not to get lost among its hidden spiral staircases and secret doors nestled in the hall’s famous white and gold bookshelves.Getty ImagesBoston Public Library, United StatesBoston Public Library’s McKim Building feels like a palace for the people, a fitting description from Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.'s poem dedicated to its opening in the late 19th century. The Bates Hall reading room spans the length of the building beneath a grand barrel-vaulted ceiling, with rows of green lamps illuminating the original tables and bookcases. When the library opened, patrons could request books through a pneumatic tube system, which staff sent back along a miniature book railway. Though this technology is gone, the palace remains.Tim WhiteQatar National Library, QatarThe corrugated glass façade of the Qatar National Library was designed to look like an open book, with two pages folded at the corners to filter the intense desert sun. Its spacious interior allows visitors to take in the building’s architecture and collections all at once. Descend into the sunken travertine marble Heritage Collection, which includes ceramic tiles bearing Quranic inscriptions and the rare Cedid Atlas, an illustrated Ottoman atlas from the 18th century.GettyRoyal Library of Denmark, DenmarkThe striking, geometric exterior of Royal Danish Library’s waterfront extension (better known as the Black Diamond) gives a modernist impression, but the treasures inside are anything but. The eight-story building's special collection offers Hans Christian Andersen’s diary, a Gutenberg Bible, and much more. Once inside, find a massive atrium flooding the space with natural light, curving around the building like a giant guitar when viewed from above.Getty ImagesBiblioteca Virgilio Barco, ColombiaSituated in Simón Bolivar Metropolitan Park and surrounded by the rolling landscape of the Andes, the Virgilio Barco Library appears to be almost a small city unto itself. Designed by Colombian architect Rogelio Salmona, its circular arches and warm, natural lighting are enough to inspire visitors. Its water features are the icing on the cake: a series of reflecting pools and a cascading water channel not only look beautiful but cool the building as well.Courtesy MVRDV/Ossip van DuivenbodeTianjin Binhai Library, ChinaAptly nicknamed “the Eye” after its central spherical auditorium, the futuristic Tianjin Binhai Library was designed by Dutch firm MVRDV and completed in an astonishing three years. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves with a capacity of over one million books encircle the building, but before you get too impressed, know that the very top shelves are inaccessible. Instead, they’re lined with perforated aluminum plates printed to look like real books, creating the illusion of a library that stretches endlessly upward.Getty ImagesMill Valley Public Library, United StatesIn the middle of a redwood forest, the iconic mid-century modern design of Mill Valley Public Library feels like a log cabin retreat perfect for cozying up with a book. Sweeping windows in the reading room offer views of the lush forest canopy, and when it’s time for a fresh air break, head onto the scenic outdoor deck to watch the peaceful fern-lined Old Mill Creek flow by.GettyRoyal Portuguese Reading Room, BrazilAt the heart of Rio lies the spectacular Royal Portuguese Reading Room, founded in 1837. Its ornate Gothic-meets-Renaissance exterior was designed to mirror the Jerónimo Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal. However, the star of the show are the vivid greens, reds, and blues of the stained glass dome and iron skylight, illuminating the nearly 350,000 volumes encased in dark wooden bookshelves. The library holds the largest collection of Portuguese works outside of Portugal.AlamyBibliotheca Alexandrina, EgyptThe ancient Library of Alexandria is known today for being the Western world’s premier learning center, before gradually dwindling into obscurity. Officially inaugurated in 2002, Bibliotheca Alexandrina commemorates its forerunner with a cylindrical shape facing the Mediterranean Sea to represent the cycles of knowledge. Its Egyptian granite façade is carved with 4,000 characters from writing systems around the world, such as alphabets, symbols, musical notation, and even Braille.GettyTrinity College Library, IrelandYou could come to Trinity College Library to see Ireland’s famed Book of Kells, the ninth-century illuminated manuscript containing the four Gospels of the New Testament, but the real showstopper awaits you upstairs. The library’s Long Room stretches nearly 200 feet beneath a vaulted ceiling, with towering shelves stacked with 200,000 of Trinity’s oldest books. Marble busts line the room while the Brian Boru harp, one of Ireland’s national symbols, sits among them.Anna Zou is a freelance journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from UC Berkeley, where she focused on audio journalism. Her work has appeared on KQED, KALX, and KRCB, as well as in City on a Hill Press. ... Read More