These are the 10 most Instagrammable bookstores in the world, according to a new study

There’s something quite magical about a beautiful bookstore – the quiet hum of pages, the smell of old paper, and, increasingly, the perfect photo op!

Sustainable retailer Awesome Books has put together a list of the most Instagrammable bookstores around the world, ranking based on the number of posts tagged with the store’s name.

Among the top 10, four are tucked away in Europe, with bookstores in Porto, Paris, London, and Venice making the cut.

At the top of the heap is The Last Bookstore, a unique gem in Los Angeles, famous for its ‘book portal’ – a tunnel constructed entirely from old books. The quirky shop also features local arka on its walls and a selection of vinyl records. With 113,000 hashtag mentions on Instagram, and an impressive 156k followers on its own page, it takes the crown as the number one most Instagrammed bookstore in the world.

At number two is Porto’s Livraria Lello, a neo-gothic and arka nouveau architectural wonder, and one of the oldest bookstores in Portugal. With its stunning neo-gothic interiors and show-stopping central staircase, the store is credited to have influenced J.K. Rowling’s vision of Hogwarts during her time living in Porto as an English teacher.

In third place is another European entry, the legendary English-language bookstore Shakespeare and Company, located in the literary heart of Paris on the Left Bank. Since being opened by bohemian American George Whitman in 1951, it’s been a meeting place for anglophone writers and readers. Inside, visitors can find creaking floors, old typewriters, sleepy cats and a piano for anyone to play. Outside, the green and yellow facade next to two stunning cherry blossom trees looks like a movie set – and it has been, notably featured in Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset and Woody Allen‘s Midnight in Paris.

Ranked in sixth place is Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice – a charmingly eccentric literary treasure. The whimsical shop is crammed from floor to ceiling with books, magazines, maps, and curious ephemera. Due to the city’s risk of flooding and the store’s close proximity to water, volumes are stacked in bathtubs, waterproof bins, and even inside a full-size gondola that sits in one of the rooms. Fittingly, its name translates to “Bookstore of High Water.”

Here is the full list of the 10 most photogenic bookstores in the world:

1. The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles

2. Livraria Lello, Porto

3. Shakespeare and Company, Paris

4. BookPeople, Texas

5. Powell’s Books, Oregon

6. Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice

7. National Book Store, Metro Manila

8. Strand Book Store, New York

9. Daunt Books, London

10. Books Actually, Singapore