Cafés to Read in Across the World

Enjoy Tolstoy with a teacake or Dickens with a danish in peace with these delightful places we’ve found on our travels.

Sometimes it can be hard to find somewhere to read in peace. It can be harder still to find a café to read in, with the constant land battle for space, fighting off parents with prams bigger than tow-trucks and students desperately hunting for plug sockets. Plus, cafés are seeming more reticent than ever to let customers curl up for a few hours with a book, regardless of how many flat whites they buy or baristas they smile at.

So, based on our travels and desperate need to find cosy corners to rest our weary feet and kick back with a book, we’ve put together a list of some of the reader-friendly cafés across the world.

Ampersand Café Bookstore, Sydney

A café-cum-bookshop? If that isn’t the perfect combination in life, I don’t know what is. Not only is Ampersand placed bang, smack in the middle of one of the best shopping streets in Sydney, it’s also right opposite Berkelouw Books — another bookshop worth your time.

With three floors of books — over 30,000, including some rare older editions — for sale, you can find a cosy corner and a big arm chair to nestle up with a book, or perch yourself with some friends on one of their big dining tables. Feast on pastas, salads, baked goods and, of course, coffee. Freya

Fuckoffee, London

Yes, we know what you’re thinking: what a great name for a coffee shop. We couldn’t agree more. Tucked away in a pocket of south London on Bermondsey Street, Fuckoffee is a bustling little establishment with a real DIY feel to its interiors.

Seat space is limited on the weekend, but once you’ve secured a spot you’re all set. It’s a great little setting to chow down on a chapter or, if you’re feeling productive, smash out some work while sipping one of their delicious smoothies. (No really, try the smoothies — they will blow your mind.) Alex

Boot Café, Paris

Small but perfectly formed, Paris’ Boot Café is located in an old cobblers (hence the ‘cordonnerie’ facade) and the coffee and pastries are well worth making the trip for. The best bit is, if you forget to bring a book, the walls are lined with glossy magazines for you to get your teeth into. The café has been designed by Phil Euell, an American furniture designer, and you can see the influence of a design professional in the interiors. Freya

Blitz Konyha, Budapest

We found this delightful (and, we have to admit, very grammable) café/restaurant during our recent visit to Budapest. Don’t feel weirded out by the restaurant area downstairs, because upstairs is where the party’s at. It’s a lovely open plan area with lots of greenery, great music and pleasant hues to take your reading experience to the next level. If you’re feeling like something a little jazzier than a latté, their Aperol Spritzes were 10/10, too. Alex

Massolit Books & Café, Krakow

Another bookshop/café hybrid. Our favourite. If you’re after traditional Polish fare, however, this place may not necessarily be for you. With shelves upon shelves of English-language classic and contemporary literature and American-style baked goods, fresh bagels, tea and freshly-brewed coffee on offer, you could hibernate in Massolit for days on end while the snow falls outside (which it inevitably will, because it’s Poland). Their choice of soundtrack is usually always a winner, too. Freya

EYE Film Museum, Amsterdam

Picture yourself sitting on a terrace overlooking the Amstel river, coffee and book in hand, watching the boats sail by in the sun. No, this isn’t picturesque postcard or lyrics by The Beatles — this is reality, which is why the stunning architectural triumph that is the EYE Film Museum makes our list. We spent most of our mornings at this café (it was rude not to) with a crossword and a coffee. Satisfied. Alex