In our unceasingly digital world, the analog experience of turning a book’s paper pages almost feels new again. Fortunately, there are cities and towns around the globe eager to nurture this return to reading, where bookstores outnumber bars, literary festivals rejuvenate communities, and it’s perfectly acceptable—encouraged, even—to spend an afternoon with your head in a book. Here, four bibliophile paradises that invite travelers to get lost in the chapters and sit in the joy of a life well read.
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Hay-On-Wye, Wales
Ideally, you’ll plan your visit to this “town of books,” about 160 miles west of London, during the summertime Hay Festival, typically held in May. The annual event, once dubbed the “Woodstock of the mind” by Bill Clinton, is not only a celebration of reading but a space for authors and readers to gather and discuss social, political, and environmental challenges. No matter when you visit, you’re certain to be among a pilgrimage of readers who have found their literary mecca.
