Love books? Love travel? Mexico City is full of gorgeous bookstores and libraries. We only scratched the surface during our two weeks in the city. Here are some of our (okay, Megan’s) favorite spots:
Libraries
Biblioteca Vasconcelos
This is perhaps the most famous library in Mexico City, and for good reason! The suspended shelves and whale bone sculpture are both impressive and eye-catching. The library is open to the public.
Biblioteca de México José Vasconcelos
This public library is easily walkable from the Centro Historico. It has more traditional public library spaces [above right] as well as gorgeous private collections [above left]. The library is open to the public and free to enter, though you may have to sign in as a guest to access some of the rooms.
P.S. — I’ve also heard the libraries at UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) are worth a visit. We didn’t make it to UNAM on our visit, so if you do go, please share your photos with me so I can live vicariously through you. 😉
Bookstores
For the quick and dirty way to visit bookstores in Mexico City, head to Avenida Alvaro Obregon in La Roma neighborhood and stroll from Córdoba and Jalapa. You’ll run into so many great bookstores just in those few blocks. For specific stores to visit, keep reading.
Cafebrería El Péndulo
This beautiful bookstore café has multiple locations throughout the city. My personal favorite is the one in La Roma [pictured above], but I didn’t visit all of them. El Péndulo in Polanco also looks spacious and lovely, but we didn’t make it to that part of the city.
Librería Ático
Located just one block down from Cafebrería El Péndulo in La Roma, you won’t be able to walk by these tottering stacks of used books without ducking inside to take a look.
Librería A Través del Espejo
This bookstore neighbors Librería Ático, and they look so perfect next to each other. Bursting with wooden shelves and haphazard books, you can’t visit one without the other. And A Través del Espejo has a cat [above middle]!
La Increíble Librería
Also located in La Roma, this bookstore featured colorful decorations and lots of huge maps. I’m a sucker for maps and books! In addition to books, La Increíble Librería also offers a wide assortment of gifts and paper products.
Librería Porrúa
You might notice this location of Librería Porrúa (a national publishing house and bookstore chain) when strolling through Bosque de Chapultepec to visit one of the many museums in the park because there is a tree growing right through the bookstore [see above]! Who could resist checking that out? Librería Porrúa has multiple locations in CDMX, including a beautiful store in the Centro Historico.
Librerías El Sótano
El Sótano also has multiple locations in CDMX, including the Coyoacán neighborhood (home to Frida Kahlo’s house). This Coyoacán location has a lovely outdoor space with books for sale, but unfortunately I didn’t get any good pictures of the outside to share with you. I guess you’ll just have to go and see for yourself! 😉
Bookish Map
Want to visit the places I mention above? Find them all on this handy Google map:
Reading List
Check out my suggested reading lists for books set in Mexico and/or written by Mexican authors.
Also, are you looking for a good place to cozy up with a cup of coffee and read your book in Mexico City? El Beneficio [pictured above] had the best coffee we drank in CDMX!
Planning a trip to CDMX soon? Read our full travel guide to Mexico City!
Feature image: Biblioteca de México José Vasconcelos
I can’t stop starring at those first two photos of Biblioteca Vasconcelos! Those suspended shelves are wild- I can’t imagine seeing it in person.
Thanks, Carly! It was pretty special. I had seen photos, but it was really impressive in person. I hope you get to see the shelves yourself one day. 🙂