Apologies for the pause in regular programming, but we were lost among the bookshelves of a few of the most charming and personable bookstores on the planet. But lucky you, we took some photos along the way, just to show off. As locations, the bookstores in Budapest conjure up dreamy afternoons spent in some romantic reverie. Just what you would expect from a location in Budapest.

First up is Atlantisz bookshop. Located in the heart of the Jewish quarter, even though it is a relatively new bookstore, the space is drenched with old-world atmosphere and romantic lighting that calls to mind the Travel Bookshop from the film Notting Hill.

Massolit Books is a used-books bookstore, also in the Jewish Quarter, that doubles as a café.  The space has five-meter high ceilings and huge windows that brighten the room with lots of natural light. It is a youthful place that also blends well into the old buildings of central Pest.

The prize bookstore in Budapest might be the flagship of the Alexandra publishing house. As a bookstore it is large and somewhat impersonal, like a European Barnes and Noble superstore. But it is the café in the back, the Lotz Hall, also known as the Book Café, that steals the show. Originally opened in was was called the Grande Parisienne Department store in the early 1900s, it was part of the first department store in Budapest. The interior of the cafe, which will have you craning your neck looking up, has been painstakingly restored and is a museum piece in itself. This Neo-Renaissance building is one of the most opulent and elegant on Budapest’s great Andrássy Avenue.

So now that we have gotten our heads out from in between the pages of books old and new, and found our way from the aisles of Budapest’s most picturesque bookstores, we will happily resume this blog next week. Until then, happy browsing.