La Noche de las Librerías and the Best Bookstores in Buenos Aires
The lowdown on the city's annual celebration of the bookstore.
Coinciding with the height of spring, November is when Buenos Aires hits its cultural stride with an action-packed agenda of art fairs, festivals, open-air concerts, and pride events. It’s also the month of one of the most eagerly awaited free events, La Noche de las Librerías (Night of the Bookstores). It’s a night to lose yourself amid pages, discover new titles, and enjoy a shared passion for celebrating literature in all of its forms. Here’s a rundown of what’s going on, as well as a list of some of the top bookstores around the city – back in 2014 Buenos Aires had the most per capita in the world (25 for every 100,000).
When and where is La Noche de las Librerías?
This year’s event is the 15th edition of the festival, and takes place on Saturday, November 22nd, from 6 pm until around 1 am on Sunday morning. Avenida Corrientes, between Callao and Cerrito, is the epicenter of the festival. Additionally, some 70 citywide stores will offer extended opening hours.
What’s Going On?
With Buenos Aires turning into one big open-air reading room, Corrientes is the festival hub. Expect stages for author talks, live music, debates, kids’ storytelling, philosophy corners, and more. More than 20 bookstores spill onto the sidewalks with tables of new releases and one-night-only discounts. Meanwhile, pedestrian-only Lavalle Street adds its own flavor with music and food stalls.
Escenario Principal (around El Obelisco): sets the tone with bookstore stands and is flanked by a lineup of themed spaces.
Escenario Urgente: focused on journalism, investigations, debates, and media.
Escenario Novela Romántica: diving into the history of romance novels, story arcs, character crafting, and sub-genres.
Escenario Poesía en la Ciudad: mixing poetry readings with performance and music.
Escenario Artes Gráficas: a stage geared towards the graphic arts, with hands-on and participation activities.
Escenario Escrituras: home to conversations and debates throughout the night.
Espacio Infancias y Familias: a kid-friendly creative area of workshops and exhibits.
Espacio Biblio Digital: showcasing the Biblioteca Digital Jorge Luis Borges, along with the use of ebooks and audiobooks.
Espacio Audiorama: a space for listening sessions and literary previews.
It doesn’t stop at Correintes, either. Following last year’s citywide expansion, neighborhood bookstore circuits return with after-hours programming. Among those taking part are Almagro, Belgrano, Caballito, Chacarita, Coghlan, Liniers, Palermo, San Telmo, Villa Crespo, and Villa Ortúzar. You could discover anything from poetry slams and bookbinding workshops, live illustration and comic showcases, manga meetups, and interactive activities for kids.
Many bookstores offer discounts, and bars, cafés, and restaurants join in with special menus, creating a citywide open house for readers.
11 Great Bookstores in the City
Tucked into leafy Colegiales, Céspedes Libros feels like a writer’s living room turned bookstore. Founded by author Cecilia Fanti in 2017, it began as a tiny neighborhood space and has since evolved into a cultural hub known for its unashamedly feminist and inclusive ethos. Regular readings, debates, and signings keep it buzzing, while Fanti’s sharp curatorship ensures every title on the shelf earns its place. Such has been the success that there’s now a store in Belgrano (Blanco Encalada 1881) and inside Centro Cultural Recoleta (Junín 1930).
Location: Av. Álvarez Thomas 853, Colegiales
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 8pm
According to owners Martina Luri and Fernando Pérez Solivella, “books are precious and priceless, something we revere, cherish, and worship.” And that’s the basic philosophy of Fetiche Libros – to take care of and put books on a pedestal. Whether new or secondhand, from established or emerging authors, every title is treated with the same respect here. The addition of a coffee-and-pastry window and streetside seating makes it a great place to linger. Film buffs are particularly drawn to the cinema and art collection.
Location: Thames 744, Villa Crespo
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 7.30pm
3. Feria de Libros Plaza Italia
Some of the best places to buy books in Buenos Aires aren’t shops at all, but markets and street stalls. This is exactly the case at the start of the Metrobus stops just off Plaza Italia. Here you’ll find around 40 independent sellers offering both new and used titles. It’s the kind of place that champions the true essence of Argentine resilience – people dedicated to making a living through what they love most.
Location: Avenida Santa Fe 4201 4299, Palermo Soho
Opening hours: Daily from 10am to 8pm
KEL is a chain of stores that has become a go-to for English-language reads in Buenos Aires. Most of the shops are intimate, with shelves filled with everything from Penguin Classics and children’s stories to modern fiction, travel guides, and school books. Many of the titles are imported, so you might have to pay a premium for them, but it’s worth it to get your hands on English material. They also stock Latin American literature translated into English.
Location: Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear 1369, Retiro/Recoleta; Avenida La Plata 63, Caballito; Conde 199, Belgrano; and Recoleta Mall, Vicente López 2050
Opening hours: Varies by store
5. La Libre
La Libre is a cooperative run by a group of passionate booksellers. It’s funky and vibrant, promising a mix of Argentine sci-fi, literary classics, indie titles, and more. What’s more, they seem to have staff that specialize in each and every genre. As well as selling, editing, and distributing books, there’s often an art exhibit, a theater event, or a workshop.
Location: Chacabuco 917, San Telmo
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 12 pm to 7 pm; and weekends from 2 pm
Established in 1785 when the city was still part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, this is said to be the oldest bookstore in Buenos Aires. Inside, you’ll find rare historical documents, antique Spanish grammars, and quirky treasures like a Chinese edition of Don Quixote. But for many, it’s as much a living piece of national history as it is a shop. When first opened, it sold herbal medicines and gaucho paraphernalia. And revolutionaries of the 1810 independence war are also known to have convened here.
Location: Adolfo Alsina 500, Monserrat
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9 am to 7 pm; and Saturday, 10 am to 3 pm
Whenever you need a space in Palermo to sit for a while with a book, coffee, or in silence, this is it. For two decades, it’s been inviting people in for a browse and seeing them leave hours later, perhaps because of the cozy armchairs, couches, and patio café. Housed in a tall, old home with winding staircases and high ceilings, it’s both a bookstore and a cultural hub, hosting readings, workshops, and kids’ activities. While in the area, check out the nearby bookstore-cum-jazz bar Borges 1975.
Location: Thames 1762, Palermo Soho
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm; and Sunday from 2 pm
If comics are your thing, La Revistería, the city’s largest comic store chain, is your happy place. The Florida street flagship location won the Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Awards 2019, given at the San Diego Comic Con to honor the world’s best comic stores. The sprawling temple to pop culture is packed with anime merchandise, collectible figurines, Pokémon, and rows of graphic novels. Life-sized heroes of Batman and C-3PO set the scene for die-hard collectors and the comic-curious alike. There’s a café, too.
Location: Florida 719, San Nicolás/Microcentro
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday, 9.30 am to 8 pm; Friday and Saturday until 9 pm; and Sunday, 12 pm to 8 pm
9. MalaTesta
Hidden away in the maze-like streets of Parque Chas, this is one of those neighborhood secrets locals prefer to keep secret, but word gets out anyway. The collections focus on independent titles, blending contemporary Argentine literature with Andean voices, children’s books, music essays, and political topics. The owners see their shelves as a living reflection of the neighborhood’s community-shaped and proudly independent readers. Talks, workshops, and kid-friendly activities make it all worth the journey out of the BA tourist zone.
Location: Gándara 2994, Parque Chas
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 7 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm; and Sunday, 3 pm to 7 pm
10. Walrus Books
Founded by an American-Argentine couple, Walrus has gained cult status among backpackers and travelers for its English collection. As their motto says, they offer “Good used books in English,” with around four thousand titles to choose from. This includes contemporary and classic English and American literature, translated works, plus history, philosophy, art, and children’s literature. They’ll even buy English-language books, paying roughly a third of their original value.
Location: Estados Unidos 617, San Telmo
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 12 pm to 7 pm
11. Yenny - El Ateneo Grand Splendid
As much a tourist attraction as a bookstore, this city's iconic landmarks live up to their name as splendid. It was once a theater that screened Argentina’s first sound film, and also a recording studio that put tango crooner Carlos Gardel on the road to stardom. Today, the theater’s floor and stalls have been replaced with bookshelves, the stage reimagined as a café, and the basement fully dedicated to children. Meanwhile, the frescoed walls, intricate balconies, and stage curtains recall the sophistication of a 1920s golden age.
Location: Avenida Santa Fe 1860, Recoleta
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 9 pm; and Sunday, 12 pm to 9 pm
Thank you so much for this article. When I get to Argentina this article will be printed and placed in my pocket: I'm happy to have bookstores and neighborhoods to visit and explore. I'll try to plan my visit for November.