Some libraries aren’t just places to borrow books \u2014 they’re destinations with deep history and architecture that tell stories beyond the pages.<\/p>\n
The 1000 Libraries Awards 2025<\/a> highlights some of the most beautiful libraries and bookstores globally, according to <\/strong>200,000 online voters.<\/p>\n The organization, 1000 Libraries, began as a blog <\/strong>and has since grown into a global community of book lovers who share travel tips and destination guides, said founder Vincent Phan.<\/p>\n “Our purpose is essentially to promote libraries and bookstores from all around the world and make sure that they are still relevant in our age of internet and digital technology,” Phan told CNBC Travel<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here is the top 10 list of the most beautiful libraries in the world.<\/p>\n 1. Dublin, Ireland<\/p>\n Name: Library of Trinity College Dublin<\/p>\n The Library of Trinity College Dublin<\/p>\n scenicireland.com_ Christopher Hill Photographic via Alamy<\/p>\n The Library of Trinity College Dublin is Ireland’s largest library, housing thousands of rare manuscripts<\/a> including the 9th-century Book of Kells, a lavishly-decorated, symbol-laden manuscript of four Gospels from the Bible’s New Testament.<\/p>\n The library is renowned for its Long Room, a 65-meter hallway lined with 200,000 marble busts of literary figures<\/a>, and charges <\/strong>entrance fees starting from <\/strong>19 euros ($22).<\/p>\n 2. Adelaide, South Australia<\/p>\n Name: State Library of South Australia<\/p>\n State Library of South Australia<\/p>\n State Library of South Australia<\/p>\n The State Library of South Australia offers more than just books \u2014 it features a collection of historical board games and is well-known for the Victorian-designed Mortlock Chamber<\/a>, which dates to 1866.<\/p>\n The basement \u2014 once a workplace for skilled taxidermists \u2014\u00a0is a treasure trove too, housing more than 40,000 books.<\/p>\n 3. St. Gallen, Switzerland<\/p>\n Name: St. Gallen Abbey Library<\/p>\n St. Gallen Abbey Library<\/p>\n MATTES Ren\u00e9_hemis.fr via Alamy<\/p>\n The St. Gallen Abbey Library is one of the oldest libraries in the world and possesses a vast collection of medieval manuscripts<\/a>.<\/p>\n Located in northeastern Switzerland, the St. Gallen Abbey was once a large monastery.<\/p>\n “Since the 8th century until its secularisation in 1805, [it was] one of the most important cultural centres in Europe,” according to UNESCO’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n The site was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.<\/p>\n 4. Oxford, United Kingdom<\/p>\n Name: Duke Humfrey’s Library<\/p>\n Duke Humfrey\u2019s Library<\/p>\n IMAGO_Li Ying via Alamy<\/p>\n Duke Humfrey’s Library is a library within a library.<\/p>\n It’s the oldest reading room in the larger Bodleian Library, the main research library at the University of Oxford.<\/p>\n Books in Humfrey’s library <\/strong>were once chained to the bookshelves, and today can only be read in Bodleian Library’s reading rooms, according to its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Duke Humfrey, the youngest son of King Henry IV, donated his collection of 281 manuscripts to the library upon his death in 1447. All but three were later removed and destroyed during the Protestant Reformation.<\/p>\n 5. Admont, Austria<\/p>\n Name: The library at Admont Monastery<\/p>\n Admont Monastery Library<\/p>\n Benediktinerstift Admont<\/p>\n The Admont Abbey Library<\/a> is the world’s largest monastery library with a 70 meter long hallway, displaying more than 60,000 books.<\/p>\n A masterpiece of Baroque architecture, the library features seven ceiling frescoes by the Austrian painter Bartolomeo Altomonte.<\/p>\n Fun fact: The Benedictine monastery is still active today, with monks living on-site.<\/p>\n 6. Amsterdam, Netherlands<\/p>\n Cuypers Library<\/p>\n Tolo Balaguer via Alamy<\/p>\n The Cuypers Library is located inside Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, home to many of the most famous paintings <\/strong>by Rembrandt, Vermeer and other Dutch masters.<\/p>\n The library is the largest and oldest art historical library in the Netherlands, according to the Rijksmuseum’s website.<\/p>\n Visitors can explore its books and neo-Gothic architecture, or use available iPads to delve deeper into the museum’s collection<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n 7. Melbourne, Australia<\/p>\n Name: State Library Victoria<\/p>\n State Library Victoria<\/p>\n Jui-Chi Chan via Alamy<\/p>\n The State Library Victoria is Australia’s oldest public library and one of the first free public libraries in the world, according to its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Its La Trobe reading room is a six-story<\/a> high octagonal reading room that has seating for 320 readers and shelves for 32,000 books.<\/p>\n “It feels like walking into a cathedral\u2026 a place where knowledge is sacred\u2026 and stories are worshipped,” said Phan, who recalled his day of studying there as a student.<\/p>\n 8.\u00a0Rio de Janeiro, Brazil<\/p>\n Name: Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading<\/p>\n Real Gabinete Portugues De Leitura<\/p>\n Diego Grandi via Alamy<\/p>\n Inspired by Portugal’s 16th-century Jer\u00f3nimos Monastery<\/a>, the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading holds rare first editions<\/a> and the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside of Portugal.<\/p>\n Beyond books, it is also a Portuguese <\/strong>cultural hub, hosting events and activities.<\/p>\n