You visit foreign libraries and read about the city before you even get there. Take these trips even the nerdiest bookworm will love. You’ll need your passport and credit card ready for this one, you’ll be booking a flight as soon as you’re done.
Paris, France
Shakespeare & Co sits on Paris’ Left Bank opposite Notre Dame. The original store was a local hangout for Ernest Hemingway and Anais Nin before being shut down by the Nazis. The current treasure is made up of narrow book-lined corridors and cubbyholes for readers. Stay at the Hotel Le Pavillon des Lettres, where each of the 26 rooms is dedicated to a different writer and make sure to visit the Père Llachaise cemetery where you will find the final resting places of Gertrude Stein and Oscar Wilde.
New York, United States
Of course, the big apple is on out list. Not only is the New York Public Library Carrie and Big’s breaking point but is the second largest public library in the United States. F.Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald were regularly seen at The Plaza as well as Harper Lee, who moved to NYC and worked as a ticket agent while writing on the side.
Verona, Italy
The Montecchi family from Romeo and Juliet really existed in Verona. Although Shakespeare himself never made it to the city, he made Verona the literary home of the most famous lovers in the world
Dublin, Ireland
June 16th is a very important day in Dublin, Bloomsday is a celebration of James Joyce’s Ulysses. You can also visit the Oscar Wilde House where the author spent most of his childhood. Be sure to bring a partner along to Ireland since the more contemporary PS. I love you was shot here, you can visit Whelan’s Pub and Wicklow.
Venice, Italy
We’re not sorry Italy is on our list again. Caffe Florian is the oldest cafeteria in Italy and was often visited by Dickens, Byron and Rousseau. Henry James was also known to seek inspiration at the Grand Canal’s Palazzo Barbaro.
London, England
The George Inn dates back to the late 16th century, and it stands as the last remaining original coaching inn in London. A placard in the courtyard (which offers ample seating) counts both Shakespeare and Charles Dickens among those who “knew the hospitality of the inn”. Charing Cross Road is a perfect place for a book lover, offering thousands of independent and secondhand bookshops. However, this list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Shakespeare’s Globe theatre. It offers a more thorough background on Shakespeare’s history and London as he would’ve experienced it.
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