There’s no denying the great escapes books can offer, transporting you to wondrous and exotic worlds. But sometimes the very space where you discover that great read — be it library or bookstore — can be just as magical. Here, a Top 10 list of our favorites.

1. Stuttgart City Library in Stuttgart, Germany

2. George Peabody Library at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland

3. The Monastery Library at St. Florian Monastery in St. Florian, Austria

4. Shakespeare and Company Bookstore in Paris

5. Central Library of The Seattle Public Library in Seattle, Washington

6. Admont Abbey Library in Admont, Austria

7. Waldsassen Abbey Library in Bavaria, Germany

8. Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City, Mexico

9. Saraiva Bookstore in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

10. Cafebreria El Pendulo Bookstore in Juárez, Mexico

More to read…