The 10 most beautiful libraries in the world

Some libraries aren't conscionable places to get books — they're destinations with heavy past and architecture that archer stories beyond the pages.

The 1000 Libraries Awards 2025 highlights immoderate of the astir beauteous libraries and bookstores globally, according to 200,000 online voters.

The organization, 1000 Libraries, began arsenic a blog and has since grown into a planetary assemblage of publication lovers who stock question tips and destination guides, said laminitis Vincent Phan.

"Our intent is fundamentally to beforehand libraries and bookstores from each astir the satellite and marque definite that they are inactive applicable successful our property of net and integer technology," Phan told CNBC Travel.

Here is the apical 10 database of the astir beauteous libraries successful the world.

The Library of Trinity College Dublin is Ireland's largest library, housing thousands of uncommon manuscripts including the 9th-century Book of Kells, a lavishly-decorated, symbol-laden manuscript of 4 Gospels from the Bible's New Testament.

The room is renowned for its Long Room, a 65-meter hallway lined with 200,000 marble busts of literate figures, and charges entrance fees starting from 19 euros ($22).

The State Library of South Australia offers much than conscionable books — it features a postulation of humanities committee games and is well-known for the Victorian-designed Mortlock Chamber, which dates to 1866.

The basement — erstwhile a workplace for skilled taxidermists — is a treasure trove too, lodging much than 40,000 books.

The St. Gallen Abbey Library is 1 of the oldest libraries successful the satellite and possesses a immense postulation of medieval manuscripts.

Located successful northeastern Switzerland, the St. Gallen Abbey was erstwhile a ample monastery.

"Since the 8th period until its secularisation successful 1805, [it was] 1 of the astir important taste centres successful Europe," according to UNESCO's website.

The tract was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site successful 1983.

Duke Humfrey's Library is simply a room wrong a library.

It's the oldest speechmaking country successful the larger Bodleian Library, the main probe room astatine the University of Oxford.

Books successful Humfrey's library were erstwhile chained to the bookshelves, and contiguous tin lone beryllium work successful Bodleian Library's speechmaking rooms, according to its website.

Duke Humfrey, the youngest lad of King Henry IV, donated his postulation of 281 manuscripts to the room upon his decease successful 1447. All but 3 were aboriginal removed and destroyed during the Protestant Reformation.

The Admont Abbey Library is the world's largest monastery room with a 70 metre agelong hallway, displaying much than 60,000 books.

A masterpiece of Baroque architecture, the room features 7 ceiling frescoes by the Austrian creator Bartolomeo Altomonte.

Fun fact: The Benedictine monastery is inactive progressive today, with monks surviving on-site.

The Cuypers Library is located wrong Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, location to galore of the astir celebrated paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and different Dutch masters.

The room is the largest and oldest creation humanities room successful the Netherlands, according to the Rijksmuseum's website.

Visitors tin research its books and neo-Gothic architecture, oregon usage disposable iPads to delve deeper into the museum's collection.  

The State Library Victoria is Australia's oldest nationalist room and 1 of the archetypal escaped nationalist libraries successful the world, according to its website.

Its La Trobe speechmaking country is a six-story precocious octagonal speechmaking country that has seating for 320 readers and shelves for 32,000 books.

"It feels similar walking into a cathedral… a spot wherever cognition is sacred… and stories are worshipped," said Phan, who recalled his time of studying determination arsenic a student.

Inspired by Portugal's 16th-century Jerónimos Monastery, the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading holds uncommon archetypal editions and the largest postulation of Portuguese lit extracurricular of Portugal.

Beyond books, it is besides a Portuguese cultural hub, hosting events and activities.

Often considered a hidden gem for its deficiency of crowds, the room sits successful the northbound helping of the larger Wiblingen Monastery, a erstwhile Benedictine monastery founded successful 1093.

Renowned for its ornate Rococo interior, the library's colorful gallery is marked with statues and artworks of mythological and biblical figures.    

The 6th period Sainte-Geneviève Library is located successful Paris' bustling Latin Quarter.

The room was designed with a double-barreled extortion that is supported by a enactment of bladed robust columns, with lattice metalwork framing the ceiling.

"That strikes maine whenever I locomotion into it, those arches are immense. They spell each the mode to the sky," said 1000 Libraries' Phan.

The Parisian metropolis usher Sortir à Paris described it arsenic "one library in Paris that you perfectly indispensable visit."