5 fairy-tale bookshops to get lost in in Valencia

A hip, well-read crowd heads to this boundary-pushing library to join book groups, take a creative writing workshop, listen to gastro-literary talks or find a new favourite magazine. The selection of classics is vast, but the comic book selection (graphic novels by Ana Penyas are ace) underpins the whole operation.

Benimaclet locals fiercely support their bookshop-meets-bar, and any event here is usually full to the rafters, with folks spilling out onto the pretty pedestrianised streets. They have a killer combination: large glasses of garnacha go incredibly well with a good book and a pianist playing Yann Tiersen classics.

Named after a 1930’s submarine, this seaside bookshop is the place to dive into novels, explore lesser-known poetry and rub shoulders with the authors at meet and greet events. Peckish? The laidback cafe serves an excellent mint julep and beautifully presented nibbles, like langoustine tacos and cheese boards.

This highly-regarded bookshop was named the best in Spain in 2022 for its contribution to the literary scene. It stocks a stellar line-up of page-turners, from the poems of Bertolt Brecht to the ethereal short stories by Clara Pastor, and hosts loads of events from reading clubs to seminars and workshops.

Shelves buckling with books reach the wonky wooden beams of this store. Squeeze past weathered spines and gold lettering to find Rafael sifting through dusty boxes of old diaries and antique photographs. Ask him about the books that his dad wrote on the history of Valencia.