Dublin’s literary history is well known and UNESCO recognised, homages to famous Irish writers like Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett dotting the city’s streets, parks, and museums, dominating its major attractions. But if you’re looking for a bookish to-do beyond a bench James Joyce might have sat on once, here is a comprehensive guide of Dublin’s best bookstores — big and small, new and secondhand — in which literature lovers can actually browse, shop, and most importantly: read. 

 

Best Overall

 

Books Upstairs prides itself on being “Dublin’s oldest independent bookshop,” founded in 1973, and its multi-level selection of new and secondhand books certainly lives up to its claim of seniority, as does its striking blue facade. With three floors of books, an ever-interesting table of curated features, a stacked docket of literary events, a cosy top-floor cafe, an adorable “blind date with a book” basket (books wrapped in newspaper so readers can avoid the pitfall of judging a book by its cover), and a truly iconic tote bag, Books Upstairs cements itself as a pillar of Dublin’s literary scene both past and present. At a short walk from campus’ Pearse Street entrance and a stone’s throw from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Books Upstairs’ eclectic and inviting environment is the best place for Dublin’s book lovers to find their next five-star read.

 

For those who enjoy rifling through the organised chaos characteristic of secondhand bookstores, The Last Bookshop on Camden Street is an oasis. In The Last Bookshop, a truly impressive number of books are stuffed into a small space: books blanket the floor and pile high on the display tables, accomplishing any bookworm’s dream of being literally surrounded by reading material. Wandering back through the shop takes readers into a picturesque garden cafe, The Cake Cafe, hidden away from the noise of the street, further contributing to the sense that The Last Bookshop is a book (and cake) lover’s paradise. 

 

Best Atmosphere

 

The Winding Stair is perched along Lower Ormond Quay, adjacent to the Ha’Penny Bridge. The small space abounds with eclectic and contemporary selections including poetry, drama, Irish interest, stationary, and zines. The location, layout, and local charm make The Winding Stair the perfect shop to ramble into on a rainy day. 

 

Gutter Bookshop — named for Oscar Wilde’s oft-quoted saying “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars” — has two locations: one in Dalkey, easily accessible by the DART. While its city centre iteration is in tourist-packed Temple Bar, Gutter Bookshop provides a quiet escape in which readers can browse the hand-selected features, best-sellers, and staff picks. Gutter Bookshop also offers a wide menu of book clubs, perfect for anyone who had “read more” as their back-to-school resolution. 

 

Best Selection

 

Hodges Figgis is Ireland’s oldest bookseller, feeding the literary community in Dublin for 255 years. Its six floors of reading material constitute the widest selection in the city as well as the largest Irish department in the world. Its location is convenient to the Arts Block entrance of college and the Dawson Street LUAS station, making it an opportune shop in which to pick up all the books on your too-long module reading lists. While the price point is certainly higher than the independent and secondhand shops on this list, they do offer a handy punch card (buying ten books just to get one free is totally saving money, right?).

 

Best Study Spot

 

While Dubray Books is a chain store, reaping higher prices and a larger environmental footprint than secondhand bookselling, what elevates this shop is its top-floor cafe. High enough to deafen the noise of busy, busker-filled Grafton Street and only a few minutes’ walk from campus, Dubray provides a quiet and cosy study area for exam season when spots in the library are scarce. And unlike other bookstore-cafes on this list (such as Books Upstairs), Dubray allows laptop-use and even provides wifi. 

 

Best Prices

 

Chapters Bookstore has a bit of a complicated history in Dublin. The Parnell Street icon had served the local literary community for 40 years before its chapter ended in January 2022, only to reopen months later funded by the owners of GameStop. Despite its brief hiatus, Ireland’s largest independent bookstore continues to offer an impressive selection of both new and used books for student-friendly prices. Chapters has also added a top-floor cafe and garden shop, cementing itself as the Dublin bookstore with the best bang for your buck. 

 

Almost every charity shop in Dublin has a bookshelf with some real steals, and Oxfam even has a book-specific branch in Temple Bar. While the selection is limited, your next read will only run you 2-5 euros. 

 

Best Hidden Gems

 

Beginning with a literal hidden gem, The Secret Bookstore (pssst… it’s on Wicklow Street) hosts an extensive and eclectic selection of inexpensive new and secondhand books and records, so it’s great for music lovers, too.

 

Stokes Books is tucked away among the stalls of George’s Street Arcade, about a five minute walk from campus. The bookstore truly monopolises its small space, stuffing its shelves with tons of cool second hand paperbacks and dusty vintage hardcovers. 

 

Hidden in a quiet corner of Temple Bar, just a few paces from Gutter Bookshop on Cow’s Lane, is Temple Bar Bookshop. This cosy spot offers secondhand and antiquarian treasures on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only.  

 

Marrowbone Books is a small secondhand bookshop in the Liberties. Its website says it all: “Mostly fiction. Mostly paperbacks. Mostly pretty cheap. We don’t have everything, but we usually have the good stuff.” 

 

Best Outside City Centre

 

The Company of Books in Ranelagh, Dublin 6 is a cosy independent bookshop and the 2021 winner of An Post’s Bookshop of the Year Award. 

 

Rathmines is home to the first-years of Trinity Halls as well as Alan Hanna’s Bookshop, a neighbourhood bookseller with a coffee bar and a wide selection of books including Irish interest and even academic textbooks, making it perfect for local students. 

 

Honourable Mentions

 

In The Liberties, just across the street from Marrowbone Books is Books at One: an equally small-yet-cosy (and reasonably-priced) shop with only a few books in each section and strong connections to the Liberties’ literary history and working-class roots. 

 

Connolly Books in Temple Bar is a self-proclaimed “radical bookshop” — the oldest of its kind, founded in 1932 and named after James Connolly. They offer secondhand selections of books related to Irish history, politics, critical theories such as feminism, and environmental justice as well as monthly conversation, film, and reading groups.  

 

Though far and above a student budget, Ulysses Rare Books on Duke Street is the place for window shopping if you’re the type to get excited by a Christmas card signed by Seamus Heaney or a Rooney-signed first edition of Normal People.

 

While not entirely considered bookstores, the Temple Bar Book Market and the Liberties’ Books and Browsables Market are worth mentioning as they make wonderful weekend activities for bookworms. The Temple Bar Book Market is held on Saturdays at Barnardo Square, and the Books and Browsables market can be found on Sundays in Saint Patrick’s Park. Happy reading!

 

WORDS: Lucy Garretson