The Best Oxford Bookshops: A Guide for Book Lovers
Are you looking for the best bookshops in Oxford? I have you covered! In this blog post, I will go through the most beautiful Oxford Bookshops, including where to find them and photos to get you an idea of what they are all about. I will take you through second-hand bookshops, independent bookshops, charity shops, and more.
Oxford is a stunning city filled with fantastic university and college buildings. The city oozes with atmosphere. With its gothic architecture, charming bookshops, and cozy cafés, Oxford is perfect for anyone who enjoys relaxed atmospheres! If you are also looking for the best things to do in Oxford, including museums, colleges, and more, head to this blog post too!
While many great cities in the UK offer great bookshops, think London, Edinburgh, or Cambridge, Oxford offers something utterly unique from the rest. Oxford is a literary city with a long history of many of Britain’s famous writers that attended Oxford University. Some of them include Oscar Wilde, Lewis Caroll, and more. So if you are a book lover visiting Oxford, ensure you don’t miss these listed below!
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A Guide to the Best Bookshops in Oxford
1. St. Philip’s Bookshop
If you are a fan of rare, vintage second-hand books like me, you will love St. Philip’s Bookshop. It has over 10,000 books available to buy in-store and specialises in rare and second-hand books in the humanities. This bookshop is right across the street from the famous Christ Church College, making it the perfect pit stop after exploring the college! Despite its very central location, it is one of the Oxford Bookshops that can easily be overlooked, so make sure you do not miss it. Once you step inside St. Philip’s Bookshop, you will quickly realise how many 10,000 books are! Books are cramped everywhere, and you could easily spend an entire afternoon in this beautiful bookshop.
Address: 82 St. Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1RA
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 10am-5pm, Sun: Closed
2. Blackwells Oxford Bookshop
Blackwells Oxford Bookshop is one of the bookshops in Oxford you likely will stumble upon when sightseeing Oxford, the reason being that there are four Blackwells Oxford Bookshops. Blackwell’s was founded in 1879 and is historically known as an academic bookseller. If you must visit one of the four bookshops, I recommend visiting the main Blackwell’s Bookshop on Broad Street. It may not seem extraordinary when you first step into the bookshop but keep going! Underneath the bookshop, you will find a room from 1966 with an impressive collection of 5 kilometers of shelving!
Address: 48-51 Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BQ
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 9am-7pm, Sun: 11am-5pm
3. Oxfam Oxford
This is yet another bookshop you will likely see multiple of in Oxford. If you are familiar with UK bookshops, you may have heard of Oxfam. If you are looking for great deals and second-hand books, anything from classics to general fiction to history, you will likely find something here. All of the Oxfam bookshops in Oxford are worth a visit. However, the most central one is located on Turl Street. While these shops are smaller than the rest on the list, they are still worth visiting, as you never know what you might find and for what deal!
Address: 15 Turl St, Oxford, OX1 3DQ and 56 St. Giles’, Street, OX1 3LU
Opening Hours: Tue-Sat: 9:30am-5:30pm, Sun-Mon: 11am-4pm
4. Arcadia Oxford
If you love whimsical, cottage-core aesthetics and vibes, you will love Arcadia Bookshop, one of the most beautiful Oxford bookshops. Before you even enter the bookshop, you will notice the predominant vibes the bookshop gives off. From its beautiful green and white striped overhanging to its precious vintage items peaking through the window seals, you cannot walk past this shop without having a peek inside! And from there, it only gets better. Arcadia is one of those bookshops in Oxford that stocks a range of beautiful second-hand book editions. And I warn you, you are likely to be able to leave this shop after buying at least one book or vintage item!
Address: 4 St Michael’s St, Oxford, OX1 2DU
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 12pm-6pm, Sun: 2pm-6pm
5. Daunt Books (Summertown)
If you are a book lover and have visited London, you will likely recognize this next name – Daunt Books! This beautiful bookshop is also located in London and is most famous for its location in Marylebone. In London, it is a lovely two-story bookshop where all the books are divided by which country the author is from, and the one in Oxford is just as beautifully laid out! You will find all the newest releases in this shop. Out of all the Oxford Bookshops I have listed so far, tourists are most likely to miss this bookshop as it is located in the local area of Summertown in Oxford. It is one of the best bookshops in Oxford, and I am telling you this now so you do not become one of the tourists that miss it!
Address: 247 Banbury Rd, Summertown, Oxford OX2 7HN
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 9am-6pm, Sun: 10am-5pm
6. Bodleian Libraries Oxford
If you are already visiting the Bodleian Library as part of your Oxford trip, seeing the Bodleian Libraries shop makes sense! While it is technically not a bookshop, it does sell a range of books. It also has a variety of excellent tourist souvenirs and fantastic gift ideas for any book lover, including yourself! Some of the things they sell include books, book-ends, pens, fridge magnets, tote bags, and more.
Address: Broad St, Oxford OX1 3BG
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri: 10am-5pm, Sat: 10am-5pm, Sun: 11am-4pm
7. Sanders of Oxford
Technically Sanders of Oxford is not one of the official Oxford Bookshops either. It is a print and antique shop. However, they also sell a few stunning and rare antique books, so make sure you visit this place too! Anyone who enjoys vintage, antique vibes will love this beautiful shop. Whether you are just seeing their small book collection or interested in looking at their prints, this place is worth visiting! Having said that, I recommend looking at some of their gorgeous prints too. They are stunning and would make for an excellent gift for anyone you can think of, again, including yourself!
Address: Salutation House, 104 High St, Oxford OX1 4BW
Opening Hours: Tue-Fri: 9am-5pm, Sat: 10am-6pm, Sun: 11am-5pm
8. Gulp Fiction
If you plan on visiting Oxford’s famous Covered Market, stop by Gulp Fiction when you are there. It is one of the best bookshops in Oxford. One of the reasons is that it is a bookshop and a coffee shop, making it the perfect place for a pit stop on your travels! While they only offer a small selection of books, it is still one of the most charming. The café screams vintage vibes, so if that is just as much your thing as mine, you will love this spot!
Address: Unit 28, 29 Covered Market, Oxford OX1 3DU
Opening Hours: Sun-Mon: 11am-5pm, Tue-Wed: 9am-5:30pm, Thur-Sat: 9am-10pm
9. The Last Bookshop
The last bookshop on this list is, in fact, The Last Bookshop (This is me trying to be funny, yes). Like Daunt Books, it is a little further away from the city center than most on this list. However, it is one of the best Oxford Bookshops out there and worth the short trip! One of the main selling points of The Last Bookshop is that you will always find amazing deals on books, as well as a range of different titles. It is especially worth visiting in Oxford during the warmer months. During these months, you can sit outside in the sun with a coffee and the book you bought! Is there a more perfect way to spend a day?
Address: 25 Walton Street, Oxford OX1 2HQ
Opening Hours: 10-7pm every day
