The best bookshops Geneva

It's always a pleasure to explore a bookshop, this time on a large scale, dedicated to all areas: travel, children's books and literature from French-speaking countries and around the world. The bookshop has very rich collections and excellent, professional service from booksellers who take the time to advise you. Prices are higher than in France. Within the bookshop, the Nature & Découvertes store offers a wide range of products dedicated to nature, outdoor activities, children and well-being.

The Institute of Arab and Mediterranean Cultures aims to promote Arab culture and intercultural exchanges between Switzerland and the Arab world. In addition to the management of this bookstore specialized on the richness of its literature, ICAM organizes symposiums, conferences, shows, exhibitions, meetings with authors... Generalist bookstore in Arabic, L'Olivier offers a wide choice of CDs, DVDs and magazines, and many books in French and English dealing with different aspects of the Arab world.

Located in the heart of the old town, this very old bookshop (1839) has a stock of about 25,000 books. The Jullien bookshop gives pride of place to regional books, about Switzerland or Geneva. Second-hand books, old and new books can be found on the shelves at the back of the arcade: classical literature, philosophy, theology, travel... Engravings and lithographs from the collection are also on sale. The smell of the books bewitches. You plunge into a literary universe whose richness is impressive.

The square comes alive every week with thousands of books. A dozen or so booksellers meet in front of the Temple de la Fusterie on Tuesdays and Fridays depending on the weather. It is a convivial meeting place and the occasion to unearth some old books and others at very low prices. For the record, the name Fusterie comes from the name of the fustiers who were there before the construction of the temple in 1715. The fustiers were in charge of making barrels (casks), structural parts or boats for the nearby port.

Thanks to the library's extensive holdings, everyone has the right to access reading and literature. The association's volunteers and professionals offer specific guidance and advice on reading for the visually impaired. Books can be in large print, in digitized form or as touch books for children, or even digitized texts to be read on a touch-sensitive tablet.

Adorable books to inspire a passion for reading, from toddlers to grown-ups, varied and creative games, cuddly toys, everything to draw, craft and create... It's hard to leave this superb bookshop, which specializes in children's books, but also has books and comics for adults. This welcoming, colorful bookshop boasts rich collections dedicated to children's literature. Here, we take the time to advise and inspire children to browse and read. Recommended address.

The works go through time and the booksellers are the guarantors of time. When you walk past this shop, you can smell the smell of old paper. You can always find something in this Ali Baba's cave and second-hand bookshop. Located inside a block of buildings called Block 13, it is striking at first glance. On two wooded floors, in what could be a renovated farmhouse front, books and more books until you lose your gaze. Literature, theatre, poetry, great classics, science fiction.

Our favorite HQ, it's the place to be for those with travel in their blood, just like the founders of this bookshop. It's the place to build all your projects, to set course for new horizons and discover new lands. Travelers, this bookshop will be your HQ, with its fine books, maps, guidebooks and travel literature before you set off on the road, in the image of Nicolas Bouvier, Henry de Monfreid, Joseph Kessel, Ella Maillard... "The shortest route is not the longest one The shortest route is not the straight line, but the dream" (Malian proverb).

A bright and spacious bookshop in the charming rue Leschot. Convinced of the close links between mind, psyche and body, the bookseller has brought together in one space works on spirituality, psychology and health. There are books on the great religions of East and West, on mythology and ancient philosophies, books on psychology, shamanism and personal development, as well as treatises on alternative medicine: homeopathy, ayurveda, reflexology, aromatherapy, acupuncture..

This music bookshop specializes in new and used classical and variety music scores, which can be bought or sold. It also offers a range of music-related literature and accessories. The Aulos Musica bookshop also acts as an art gallery, exhibiting works by Genevan, Valaisan and Spanish artists, sometimes on a musical theme. A fine selection of sheet music and a musical art gallery.

Here is a bookstore engaged as there are few left in Geneva. A reference for political books

In the middle of the Rhône, an island in the middle of the city makes us dream, escape, travel. This is what this bookshop specialising in works on art and its masterpieces has to offer. Architecture, design, painting, graphics, photography, everything is there and more to navigate between the oceans of taste and human creations.

Part bookshop, part literary café, part apéros-lecture on the first Tuesday of the month and part philosophical encounter on Thursdays at 6.15pm, this is truly a place where people like to spend time. Invited to read, you're encouraged to grab a book and settle down at a table, inside or out. Travel guides, African literature, literary classics, children's books, poetry, with also, at the back, a corner featuring many rare and used books. The choice is wide and eclectic.

Citizens of the world, this is your appointment! The Center for Cultural Integration offers spaces for exchanges and meetings, equipped with a library of thousands of books in 280 different languages. Everything to learn with dictionaries, encyclopedias, methods and languages, magazines and a collection of 300 world bibles. French courses are offered. In exile, what could be better than reading a book in your own language and reconnecting with your land?

This bookshop is nestled in the heart of Geneva's most cosmopolitan district, the Pâquis. And this is no coincidence, since this small establishment is the first bookshop in Geneva entirely devoted to Africa. On the menu are books on a wide range of subjects, from African politics to religion, from the concept of "negritude" dear to Aimé Césaire to biographies and extracts from speeches by prominent men, including the ardent defenders of human equality, with Martin Luther King at the forefront... Various works deal with religious issues.

Located just behind the Plainpalais plain, this bookstore is also a Latin American cultural center. It offers a nice choice of books written in Spanish: novels by Spanish or Latin American authors, travel guides, poetry, language learning methods, dictionaries, books translated into French and a nice selection of children's books.

Even if it seems a little risky, don't hesitate to climb the steps leading from the hallway through the Halles de l'Île. They will lead you to a vast semicircular bookshop with a beautiful view over the Rhône, where Roland Margueron, a leading figure in Geneva's comics world, has reigned for the past twenty years. He'll help you make your choice from among the many new releases on display or the finest avant-garde comics on the shelves, along with a few more classic albums.

Buddhism, Hinduism, shamanism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, civilizations, fine books or esotericism, this bookshop specializing in religions and philosophy is a goldmine in other themes too, such as tourism, hiking, ecology, food, personal development and tarot. Fantastic stories and tales from Japan, tales from the Americas, Buddhist legends, Knights of the Round Table, extraordinary stories by Jules Verne, mythology... A wide choice of fascinating literary works.

A true marvel, a cavern of Ali Baba for book lovers. One can spend hours consulting these luxurious books on a wide variety of subjects: a delight for literature aficionados. You will be spoilt for choice between books on applied arts, Islamic arts, African or Asian arts, fine arts, graphic arts, ethnology, photography... A world of books, a universe of passions. Loyalty card and online orders.