Our Fave Bookshops in Scotland

Hi there!

Here at Walking Tours in Scotland we're book and bookshop lovers, and Scotland is not short of amazing bookshops to wander and explore. We even have a whole bookshop town dedicated to the amazing act of reading.

This was a tough blog to write because we have such a massive selection of great bookshops. However, we've managed to round it down to our few favourites. On your next trip to Scotland, make sure to include some of these gems!

Bookshops in Wigtown

We can't write a blog about bookshops in Scotland without writing about Wigtown, Scotland's National Town of Books. It's way too hard to choose just one but among our faves are; ReadingLasses, a bookshop dedicated to books written by and for women; Byre Books, for all your mythology and folklore needs; and The Bookshop, Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop.

Category is Books, Glasgow

Scotland's only LGBTQ+ dedicated bookshop, this is a lovely safe space to explore all books for the queer community. We worked with them in 2020 when we ran our LGBTQ+ History Walking Tour and they are a couple of lovely humans that run the bookshop. Make sure you don't miss out this wonderful bookshop on your next visit to the big city!

Photo: gaystarnews.com

Topping & Company, St Andrews

Topping & Company has a few bookshops across the country but our favourite definitely has to be the St Andrews one, which we always make sure to visit when we're there. A quiet, dreamy space to explore all things new and old. They have a great selection of signed new releases alongside non-fiction wonderful finds.

Photo credit: toppingbooks.co.uk

Blackwell's, Edinburgh

An Oxford based company with a stunning bookshop in the centre of Edinburgh, Blackwell's is a staple to Scotland's bookshop scene. Edinburgh has many wonderful bookshops to explore, however no trip to Edinburgh would be complete without a visit to Blackwell's.

Leakey's, Inverness

One of Scotland's more northern bookstores, Leakey's, is known across the country for being one of the best second-hand bookshops you can find. The building used to be an old church which makes a very interesting setting for a bookshop. You can instantly smell that addictive "old book" smell as soon as you walk in, seeing piles of books and winding staircases. If you're going up north, don't miss this one!

Photo credit: theculturemap.com

Lighthouse, Edinburgh

A queer-owned, women-led, radical bookshop in Edinburgh, Lighthouse shouldn't be missed either on a visit to the capital. This homely shop has a great selection of all things political and radical, as well as new and upcoming releases.

Photo credit: theliterarysalon.co.uk

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We hope you've enjoyed reading about our fave picks for bookshops across the country. If you want to learn more about the cities of Scotland and explore them with a local, visit our website to view the tours we offer.