The 20 Most Exquisite Libraries You Can Visit Around The Globe
Libraries Worth Traveling For
Not all travel memories come from landmarks you rush through. Some are found in hushed rooms where time slows, and stories surround you. Across continents, remarkable libraries stand as reflections of design excellence and deep respect for learning. Each space offers atmosphere, architecture, and a thrilling adventure. These stunning 20 libraries we're about to uncover together have been known to leave visitors in awe.
1. Admont Abbey Library, Austria
Step inside Admont Abbey Library and the scale hits you instantly. Designed in lavish Baroque style by Josef Hueber, the hall reached completion in 1776 and now holds over 70,000 volumes beneath ceiling frescoes. It’s so grand that it has earned the nickname “Eighth Wonder of the World.”
2. Trinity College Library, Dublin, Ireland
Dating back to 1592, Trinity College Library stands as Ireland’s largest research library. The place houses a 65-meter-long room, marble busts, and the treasured Book of Kells, all adding to its legendary presence in Dublin.
3. Biblioteca Joanina, Coimbra, Portugal
Biblioteca Joanina feels like a gilded time capsule. It was created during King John V’s reign between 1717 and 1728. The National Monument shelters more than 70,000 rare volumes. Interestingly, resident bats patrol the shelves at night to protect the books from insects.
4. Royal Library (Black Diamond), Copenhagen, Denmark
In contrast to classic libraries, Copenhagen’s Black Diamond embraces bold modernity. This is known for its polished granite façade. The neomodern extension was designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen and opened in 1999, which merges tranquil reading spaces with an unexpected concert hall.
5. Stuttgart City Library, Germany
This one makes a powerful first impression through simplicity. Rising at Mailänder Platz in 2011, the cube-shaped concrete-and-glass design glows blue after dark, while the stark white interior helped earn Germany’s Library of the Year in 2013—and Instagram fame.
6. George Peabody Library, USA
George Peabody Library makes its impact before you even look at a book. The dramatic atrium, often called the “Cathedral of Books,” rises around shelves holding 300,000 volumes from the 18th and 19th centuries. It reflects Peabody’s vision of free public access.
7. Library Of Congress, Washington, D.C., USA
The Library of Congress feels less like a library and more like a living archive of civilization. This began in 1800 as a small federal collection that has grown into the world’s largest library, now holding over 173 million items and adding thousands more each day.
Carol M. Highsmith on Wikimedia
8. Bodleian Library, Oxford, UK
Oxford’s Bodleian was reestablished in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley. It serves as a UK legal deposit library and safeguards more than 13 million printed works, a legacy that has also made it a favorite backdrop for iconic films.
9. Klementinum Library, Prague, Czechia
Inside Prague’s Klementinum Library, scholarship meets spectacle. This marvel was founded by Jesuits in 1722. The Baroque hall dazzles with Jan Hiebl’s ceiling frescoes while housing rare Czech texts. Its broader complex once welcomed both Mozart’s music and Einstein’s lectures.
10. National Library Of China, Beijing
Few institutions carry China’s written legacy quite like its National Library. Home to more than 41 million items today, the repository began in 1909 and now safeguards the world’s largest collection of ancient Chinese texts spanning centuries of history.
IQRemix from Canada on Wikimedia
11. Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Paris, France
Across from the Panthéon, Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève merges beauty with innovation. Designed by Henri Labrouste and completed between 1843 and 1850, it houses over two million documents, with its iron-and-glass reading room shaping library design well beyond France.
12. Strahov Monastery Library, Prague, Czechia
This library feels almost unreal and is hidden within the Strahov Monastery. It preserves over 200,000 volumes beneath Siard Nosecký’s ornate Baroque frescoes, especially in the breathtaking Philosophical Hall that often resembles a movie set.
13. New York Public Library, USA
The New York Public Library commands attention long before you step inside. The Fifth Avenue landmark houses over 55 million items and is guarded by the marble lions Patience and Fortitude. The immense Rose Main Reading Room defines a building that first welcomed readers in 1911.
ponafotkas from Kiev, Ukraine on Wikimedia
14. State Library Of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
The heart of Melbourne’s literary life beats inside the State Library of Victoria. Millions of books and photographs fill its halls today. The Domed Reading Room, opened in 1913, stands as the library’s centerpiece, crowning an institution that was first established in 1854.
Geraldine Lewa geraldine_lewa on Wikimedia
15. Stockholm Public Library, Sweden
A cylindrical rotunda and open shelving define the Stockholm Public Library. Long before its collection surpassed two million volumes, Gunnar Asplund’s design had already set a Nordic Classicist benchmark when the library welcomed readers in 1928.
16. Seattle Central Library, USA
This one looks more like a bold art installation than a traditional reading space. The library is wrapped in glass and steel. It's a Rem Koolhaas–designed landmark opened in 2004 and now houses over 1.45 million books, with its famous Books Spiral letting visitors browse nonfiction without climbing stairs.
brewbooks from near Seattle, USA on Wikimedia
17. National Library Of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
The National Library of Brazil carries a royal story within its walls. Its origins date to 1810, when Portugal’s royal collection was transferred to Rio, which laid the foundation for what became Latin America’s largest library, now holding over nine million items and recognized globally by UNESCO.
Donatas Dabravolskas on Wikimedia
18. Austrian National Library, Vienna
Imperial ambition defines the Austrian National Library. Expanded during the reign of Emperor Charles VI, it now preserves more than 12 million items. The Baroque State Hall—designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach—showcases frescoes that elevate the emperor to Apollo‑like wisdom.
19. Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt
More than a tribute, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a living center of knowledge. Since opening in 2002, its circular Snøhetta design—meant to echo the rising sun—has housed millions of books and research institutions along Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
20. Mafra Palace Library, Portugal
Step into the Mafra Palace Library and the architectural mastery takes center stage. Baroque design, marble flooring, and Rococo shelving surround 36,000 leather-bound volumes inside a hall finished in 1755, with resident bats quietly serving as the library’s natural caretakers.
