Sydney is an excellent city for booklovers with many cost spaces to retreat in with a book. From cosy cafes with bookshops to bookshop trails, you can escape into a world of books without leaving the city. The city is also home to excellent libraries perfect for a day’s work, to find your next big book or just while away the hours. Here are some of our favourites around town.
1. State Library of New South Wales
The oldest library in Australia and one of the best in Australia, the State Library of NSW is a brilliant refuge in the heart of the city. Here you can get your hands on age-old materials and manuscripts, free wifi, a super cool cafe and walls upon walls lined with books. It’s also home to a dedicated Shakespeare Room filled with hundreds of sonnets and plays.
📍1 Shakespeare Pl, Sydney NSW 2000
2. Woollahra Library Double Bay
The Woollahra Library could well be a lush green forest that you accidentally wandered into. With real indoor plants, a huge vertical garden and hanging plants spread across three levels of reading spaces, it’s one of the most aesthetically pleasing places to read. The library also has a play area, a study centre and a dedicated workspace if you’re looking to switch up your WFH routine.
📍1/451 New South Head Rd, Double Bay NSW 2028
3. Green Square Library
The Green Square Library is best known for its super Instagrammable reading wall but it offers much more than just photogenic spaces. The award-winning subterranean library has an impressive catalogue of books, study desks, huge open spaces and a children’s room. It’s also home to a cool café if you like coffee to go with your book and an amphitheatre.
📍355 Botany Rd, Zetland NSW 2017
4. Surry Hills Library
The Surry Hills Library houses a huge collection of books, magazines, design items, and LGBTQIA+ reads. Spanning over two floors with plenty of light and a cosy vibe, this award-winning library is located in the heart of the busy Crown Street but offers plenty of quiet within its walls. It also has a spacious green lawn if you want to read or study while soaking up some sunshine.
📍405 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
5. Darling Square Library
The Darling Square library stands out for its fascinating design, reminiscent of a bird’s nest, but it’s also a thriving learning hub. Spanning two floors of the Exchange Building, the library houses a collection of over 30,000 books along with many study spaces, a dedicated children’s area and meeting rooms. The swanky library also comes with free Wifi and public-use computers.
📍The Exchange, levels 1 and 2, 1 Little Pier St, Haymarket NSW 2000
6. Marrickville Library
The award-winning Marrickville Library offers a community space in the heart of Marrickville and fuses contemporary design with its original heritage roots. The library also has a lush landscaped garden and excellent coffee courtesy of Double Roasters café. Grab your favourite new book and enjoy this quiet space in the suburb of Marrickville.
📍313 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville NSW 2204
7. Customs House Library
Why work from home when you could work from a heritage-listed building? The Customs House Library is often counted as one of the best libraries in Sydney and is perched right on the edge of the Sydney Harbour. Spanning two levels of Customs House, you’ll find self-service computer and laptop services, recycling stations, printing services and free exhibition spaces here.
📍31 Alfred St, Sydney NSW 2000
8. Paddington Library
Part of the Woollahra Council, the old Paddington Town Hall is now a library, and if you’re in the area, be sure to pop in for a visit. The library has cosy little nooks and spacious reading areas to peruse. Located in the middle of the business strip on Oxford Street, the Paddington Library allows visitors a moment of respite within its distinctive Victorian building.
📍247 Oxford St, Paddington NSW 2021 5 Parramatta Sq, Parramatta NSW 2150
9. Parramatta Library
The Parramatta Library is one of the busiest parts of the already bustling Parramatta Square. The state-of-the-art library comes from French firm Manuelle Gautrand Architecture and the Australian firm DesignInc and Lacoste + Stevenson and provides plenty of creative spaces including cafes, an extensive book collection, digital resources and exhibition areas.
📍 5 Parramatta Sq, Parramatta NSW 2150