The best bookshops India

Jimy Library is a French association created in December 2006, whose goal is to promote the education of Indian children by purchasing books and school materials, as well as by concrete actions to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged children. This is done through an intense involvement in the life of the schools of Varanasi, and in particular in the Ramnagar detention center for children. In this small and adorable place, you will be able to buy books in French and to donate your already read books.

This store offers beautiful photo books and books in English on religion and history. Therefore, it is more for the India freaks who are looking for books on specific topics. Even if you don't buy anything, you will enjoy browsing through the books, some of which are real works of art. This can be a nice souvenir to bring back home.

Other bookstores in Connaught Place: Oxford Bookstore, 148 Statesman House, Barakhamba Road (^1st floor) - ✆ +91 11 23 76 60 83; The Bookworm, B-29 block - ✆ +91 11 23 31 11 40.

This agency specializes in road and hiking maps and is the equivalent of our National Geographic Institute, the famous IGN maps. The amateurs of pedestrian or cyclist excursion or of motorcycle rides will take time to stop here. If today's GPS do wonders, connections are not always possible and it's better to have a paper back-up, otherwise you'll end up doing useless kilometers or getting lost.

If you're staying in the south of the city, this is a particularly nice place to browse through books in all genres. Most titles are in English or Hindi. You'll find novels that will make the long hours on the train pass by as well as beautiful books to take home as a souvenir of a memorable trip. Upstairs, the pleasant Cafe Turtle offers a break in a calm and serene environment.

One of the most pleasant markets and especially one of the most typical of Delhi. Hundreds and hundreds of books spread out on stalls worthy of a garage sale near you. Students come here to find cheap textbooks and bibliophiles find thrillers, philosophy books, cookery books, religious books, stories, etc. In short, you can find everything, all year long, at low prices. A smart plan: there are always sales and new arrivals, and from August to December, travel guides and key titles of the new literary season at a lower cost.