The top 10 UK cities for book lovers

Key findings:

• The best UK city for book lovers is officially London.
• London has the highest number of libraries and bookstores in the UK, with the highest average review rating. 
• Edinburgh is the second-best city for book lovers, with a choice of 47 highly-rated bookstores and 28 libraries. 
• Manchester comes in third place with 24 bookstores, of which over 83% of them are rated 4 stars and above. It is also home to 23 libraries. 

A book is an ideal way to escape from the real world and sink into a great read. With the UK being home to some of the most stunning bookstores and libraries around, Aura Print sought to discover the best UK cities for bookworms, with local recommendations of some of the best independent stores to visit. 

Ranking	City	Number of bookstores	Average rating (Yelp)	% of stores rated 4+ stars	Number of libraries	Overall score / 10
1	London	149	4.12	79.8%	325	9.0
2	Edinburgh	47	3.91	70.2%	28	7.3
3	Manchester	24	3.92	83.3%	23	6.7
4	Glasgow	31	3.80	58.1%	32	6.2
5	Bristol	21	3.82	71.4%	27	6.0
6	Birmingham	25	3.77	52%	39	4.6
6=	Leeds	13	3.81	53.9%	37	4.6
7	Cardiff	29	3.80	51.7%	20	4.2
8	Norwich	16	3.80	56.3%	16	3.5
9	Belfast	15	3.80	60%	18	3.3
10	Liverpool	27	3.75	48.15%	19	2.7

1. London – overall rating 9/10

London is home to some of the most famous bookstores in the world. Here you will find independent bookshops that have rich histories and beautiful interiors, visited by literature lovers and tourists alike. With a whopping 149 bookstores to choose from, London is the perfect city to find your next read. It beats all other UK cities with the highest average Yelp rating of 4.12/5, and is a great place to visit some famous literary landmarks such as The Sherlock Holmes Museum or Keats House. 

Few cities can match the 325 libraries that London boasts and they are so happen to be some of the finest around. You are spoiled for choice in London when it comes to visually impressive libraries, but some of the best include Bethnal Green Library and Senate House Library. 

London’s top bookstores to visit 

Ranking	Bookshop	Average score
1=	Daunt Books, Marylebone	4.79
1=	Hatchards, Piccadilly	4.79
1=	Watkins Books, Leicester Square	4.79
2	Foyles, Charing Cross	4.70
3	Stanfords Map & Travel Bookshop, Covent Garden	4.71

*average score based upon Yelp/Google review scores and number of ‘aesthetic’ reviews

Daunt Books is not one to miss.. 

Renowned for its beauty, Daunt Books in Marylebone is amongst the highest-rated bookstores in the city, alongside Hatchards and Watkins Books, with an average Yelp/Google review score of 4.79 out of 5. Though it is first and foremost a travel bookstore, Daunt Marylebone also offers an expansive range of literary fiction for bookaholics to enjoy. 

Marylebone has been home to many famous authors and playwrights including the great Charles Dickens, making this bookstore the perfect stop-off point for a literary tour of London. It offers a wonderful retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, providing a serene space to browse for your next read. 

2. Edinburgh – 7.3/ 10

Edinburgh is widely regarded as one of the top literary cities in the UK, and has 47 bookshops to transport you into a world of enchanting tales and Scottish highland fables. Literature is celebrated in Edinburgh not just by quaint and beautiful independent bookshops, but by the city’s commitment to the arts, with the renowned Edinburgh International Book Festival taking place every year. The city was also the first to be named on UNESCO’s Cities of Literature list in 2004. 

Just over 70% of the bookshops in Edinburgh have a review score of at least 4 stars, so there are plenty of quality storybook spots to immerse yourself in during your literary tour of the city. There are  28 Libraries in Edinburgh, which for the size of the city is impressive. When visiting the city, the National Library of Scotland and Mitchell Library provide a serene environment to delve into your favourite literature. 

Photo credit: https://www.pexels.com/

Edinburgh’s top bookstores to visit

Ranking	Store	Average review score (Google/Yelp)
1	Topping & Company Booksellers of Edinburgh	4.90
2	Golden Hare Books	4.80
3	The Edinburgh Bookshop	4.70
4	Armchair Books	4.69
5	Waterstones – Edinburgh	4.60

3. Manchester, 6.7/10 

Manchester has joined Edinburgh as a city listed on the UNESCO Cities of Literature, celebrating local and national literary links. 83% of the bookstores in Manchester are rated 4+ stars, so you won’t be stuck trying to find your next thrilling read. It has a number of independent, well-loved bookstores including Chorlton Bookshop, a charming independent store which has been selling carefully curated books to the community for over 40 years. 

Home to 24 bookstores and some 23 libraries, Manchester is surely not one to miss if you are a bookworm. 

Photo credit: https://www.pexels.com/

Manchester’s top bookstores to visit

Ranking	Store	Average review score (Google/Yelp)
1	Chorlton Bookshop	4.76
2	EJ Morten Bookshop	4.71
3	Chapter One Books	4.60
4	Waterstones	4.59
4=	Forbidden Planet

Credit to https://aura-print.com/uk/ who commissioned this research and supplied the above post.