The Best Bookshops in W1: Seven Shops Worth the Walk, From London's Oldest to Europe's Largest
The best bookshops in W1 sit within a 25-minute walk of each other, and between them they cover almost every kind of bookselling London does. Piccadilly has the oldest bookshop in the capital and the largest in Europe, side by side. Mayfair has a private bookseller that once employed Nancy Mitford and a rare book dealer for collectors. Marylebone has the most photographed bookshop interior in London, and Soho has two specialists: comics and photography. Addresses and opening details below were checked against each shop's own website in September 2026.
The seven at a glance
| Bookshop | Address | Go for |
|---|---|---|
| Hatchards | 187 Piccadilly, W1J 9LE | London's oldest bookshop and its signed editions |
| Waterstones Piccadilly | 203-206 Piccadilly, W1J 9HD | Range: Europe's largest bookshop |
| Heywood Hill | 10 Curzon Street, W1J 5HH | A tailored, personal bookselling service |
| Peter Harrington | Mayfair | First editions and rare books |
| Daunt Books Marylebone | 83-84 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4QW | Travel writing, shelved by country |
| Gosh! Comics | 1 Berwick Street, W1F 0DR | Comics and graphic novels |
| The Photographers' Gallery bookshop | 16-18 Ramillies Street, W1F 7LW | Photobooks |
Piccadilly and Mayfair
Hatchards, 187 Piccadilly
Booksellers since 1797, Hatchards is the oldest bookshop in London and still trades from the same stretch of Piccadilly, next door to Fortnum & Mason. It feels like a private library spread over several floors of creaking stairs and panelled rooms, and it is strong on biography, history and signed first editions, which it collects through a steady run of author visits. A plaque on the building records that the Royal Horticultural Society was founded in a house on the site in 1804. Waterstones owns it, but it runs as its own shop with its own buying.
Waterstones Piccadilly, 203-206 Piccadilly
A few doors west, in the former Simpson's department store, Waterstones calls its Piccadilly branch Europe's largest bookshop, with more than eight miles of shelves across several floors. If you want a specific title today, this is where to come. The range in every genre is deeper than any other shop in the West End. It also runs a busy calendar of evening talks.
Heywood Hill, 10 Curzon Street
A small Georgian shopfront in Mayfair that most people walk straight past. Heywood Hill opened in 1936, and Nancy Mitford worked behind its counter during the Second World War. Today it is best known for tailored bookselling: its booksellers build libraries for clients and run reading subscriptions that send hand-picked books through the year, with packages from £275. You are equally welcome to browse. It is open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 6pm, and closed at weekends, so plan a weekday visit.
Peter Harrington, Mayfair
Founded in 1969 and now one of the world's leading rare book dealers, Peter Harrington runs a Mayfair gallery alongside its Chelsea shop. Expect first editions of the books you studied at school with prices to match, plus fine bindings and signed copies. Browsing is free and the staff are used to visitors who are just looking.
Marylebone
Daunt Books, 83-84 Marylebone High Street
The reason people photograph a bookshop. Daunt's Marylebone flagship is an Edwardian building with a long, top-lit gallery lined with oak shelves and a stained glass window at the end. It began as a travel bookshop and still shelves its travel section by country, with guidebooks, novels, history and memoir about each place side by side, so you can browse your way around the world. It is open 9am to 7.30pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 6pm on Sundays, which makes it the easiest shop on this list for a weekend. Pair it with a walk along the High Street; our Marylebone guide has the rest of the street.
Soho and Fitzrovia
Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street
London's best-loved independent comic shop, on the corner of Berwick Street in Soho. It covers graphic novels, manga, children's comics, small-press work and European albums, with staff who can recommend something if you only know you liked one book. It also sells limited editions and prints. Our Soho guide covers the market and cafes around it.
The Photographers' Gallery bookshop, 16-18 Ramillies Street
Just behind Oxford Circus, the gallery's ground-floor bookshop is one of the best places in London to buy photobooks, from new independent titles to the big monographs, alongside magazines and camera gear. The bookshop, cafe and print sales gallery stay open even when the galleries close to install a new season, so it is worth a stop whatever is on.
A bookshop walk through W1
All seven fit into one unhurried afternoon. Start at Hatchards and Waterstones on Piccadilly, then cut north through Mayfair to Heywood Hill on Curzon Street (weekdays only) and Peter Harrington. Cross Oxford Street to The Photographers' Gallery, drop into Soho for Gosh!, then finish at Daunt in Marylebone, which stays open latest. Rain is no obstacle: this is one of the better plans in our list of things to do in W1 when it rains. For the big chains and department stores, see the Oxford Street shopping guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the oldest bookshop in London?
Hatchards at 187 Piccadilly, which has been selling books since 1797.
What is the biggest bookshop in London?
Waterstones Piccadilly at 203-206 Piccadilly, which Waterstones describes as Europe's largest bookshop, with more than eight miles of shelves.
What are Daunt Books Marylebone's opening hours?
9am to 7.30pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 6pm on Sunday, at 83-84 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4QW.
Is Heywood Hill open at weekends?
No. Heywood Hill at 10 Curzon Street is open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 6pm.
Where can I buy comics in central London?
Gosh! Comics at 1 Berwick Street in Soho is the main independent comic shop in W1, covering graphic novels, manga, children's comics and small-press titles.
Are there rare book shops in Mayfair?
Yes. Peter Harrington, founded in 1969, has a Mayfair gallery selling first editions, fine bindings and signed copies, and Heywood Hill on Curzon Street sells secondhand books alongside new ones.
Sources
- Hatchards: booksellers since 1797.
- Waterstones Piccadilly: address, Europe's largest bookshop and eight miles of shelves; Hatchards address.
- Heywood Hill: address, opening hours and subscriptions.
- Peter Harrington: founded 1969, Mayfair and Chelsea shops.
- Daunt Books Marylebone: address and opening hours.
- Gosh! Comics: address and range.
- The Photographers' Gallery: address, bookshop and install-period opening.