The 10 most beautiful libraries in the world

Some libraries aren’t just places to borrow books — they’re destinations with deep history and architecture that tell stories beyond the pages.

The 1000 Libraries Awards 2025 highlights some of the most beautiful libraries and bookstores globally, according to 200,000 online voters.

The organization, 1000 Libraries, began as a blog and has since grown into a global community of book lovers who share travel tips and destination guides, said founder Vincent Phan.

“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.

Here is the top 10 list of the most beautiful libraries in the world.

Name: Library of Trinity College Dublin

The Library of Trinity College Dublin is Ireland’s largest library, housing thousands of rare manuscripts including the 9th-century Book of Kells, a lavishly-decorated, symbol-laden manuscript of four Gospels from the Bible’s New Testament.

The library is renowned for its Long Room, a 65-meter hallway lined with 200,000 books, and charges entrance fees starting from 19 euros ($22).

Name: State Library of South Australia

The State Library of South Australia offers more than just books — it features a collection of historical board games and is well-known for the Victorian-designed Mortlock Chamber, which dates to 1866.

The basement — once a workplace for skilled taxidermists — is a treasure trove too, housing more than 40,000 books.

Name: St. Gallen Abbey Library

The St. Gallen Abbey Library is one of the oldest libraries in the world and possesses a vast collection of medieval manuscripts.

Located in northeastern Switzerland, the St. Gallen Abbey was once a large monastery.

“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.

The site was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

Name: Duke Humfrey’s Library

Duke Humfrey’s Library is a library within a library.

It’s the oldest reading room in the larger Bodleian Library, the main research library at the University of Oxford.

Books in Humfrey’s library were once chained to the bookshelves, and today can only be read in Bodleian Library’s reading rooms, according to its website.

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.

Name: The library at Admont Monastery

The Admont Abbey Library is the world’s largest monastery library with a 70 meter long hallway, displaying more than 60,000 books.

A masterpiece of Baroque architecture, the library features seven ceiling frescoes by the Austrian painter Bartolomeo Altomonte.

Fun fact: The Benedictine monastery is still active today, with monks living on-site.

The Cuypers Library is located inside Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, home to many of the most famous paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and other Dutch masters.

The library is the largest and oldest art historical library in the Netherlands, according to the Rijksmuseum’s website.

Visitors can explore its books and neo-Gothic architecture, or use available iPads to delve deeper into the museum’s collection.  

Name: State Library Victoria

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.

Its La Trobe reading room is a six-story high octagonal reading room that has seating for 320 readers and shelves for 32,000 books.

“It feels like walking into a cathedral… a place where knowledge is sacred… and stories are worshipped,” said Phan, who recalled his day of studying there as a student.

Name: Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading

Inspired by Portugal’s 16th-century Jerónimos Monastery, the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading holds rare first editions and the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside of Portugal.

Beyond books, it is also a Portuguese cultural hub, hosting events and activities.

Name: Wiblingen Monastery Library

Often considered a hidden gem for its lack of crowds, the library sits in the north wing of the larger Wiblingen Monastery, a former Benedictine monastery founded in 1093.

Renowned for its ornate Rococo interior, the library’s colorful gallery is marked with statues and artworks of mythological and biblical figures.    

Name: Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève

The 6th century Sainte-Geneviève Library is located in Paris’ bustling Latin Quarter.

The library was designed with a double-barreled roof that is supported by a row of thin iron columns, with lattice metalwork framing the ceiling.

“That strikes me whenever I walk into it, those arches are immense. They go all the way to the sky,” said 1000 Libraries’ Phan.

The Parisian city guide Sortir à Paris described it as “one library in Paris that you absolutely must visit.”

Correction: This article was updated to accurately reflect the contents of the Library of Trinity College Dublin’s Long Room.