Charlie Byrne's Bookshop

For book enthusiasts, Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop is a must-visit destination. This renowned independent bookstore offers a cozy haven filled with an extensive collection of books, ranging from rare treasures to bestsellers. While its intricate layout may initially feel overwhelming, it’s all part of its charm. You can easily lose track of time here, immersing yourself in a world of literature. Located in the heart of Galway, this gem might be easily overlooked, but it’s worth the effort to find it. While you’re there, don’t miss the opportunity to visit Magpie Bakery, a delightful little bakery that offers pastries worth waiting in line for. Together, these two establishments make for an unforgettable Galway experience.

This is paradise for book lovers. I got lost in here for over an hour and ended up buying 2 books about Irish folklore. I loved the layout and the peace I felt reading fascinating books. 100% recommend to visit when in Galway.

What a wonderful bookshop…. It’s been a long time since I was able to get the smell of books which was very inviting. Our goal was to find some Irish story book/novel for our daughter written by Irish authors. We were taken to the children’s book section and were pleasantly surprised. The place was very cutely decorated. We found so many books and my daughter was very excited that she found a book after reading the back. Little did we know, the author of that book was the one who directed us to children section. My daughter was star struck and we got an autograph and a picture. It was purely a magical experience. Would highly recommend the store. All the staffs including the author were so friendly.

I couldn’t recommend this book store enough. I had a super easy experience from start to finish. I had been looking for a book that was no longer in print and even the publishers website had none left but Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop had it. The selection of books on the website is fantastic. I ordered the book on Monday (from Dublin) and it was with me by Friday morning. They included 2x postcards of their storefront and a really cute bookmark in the package with my book which was a really nice touch. I will definitely continue to buy from them in the future!

Beautiful place for readers! Endless amount of books of all genres and purchased some unique finds.

As a Galway native I've been coming here for years. The shop itself is a treasure trove of endless books and the Byrnes have the shop run to perfection. Couldn't recommend more.

What a beautiful bookshop! So many rooms filled with such a variety of books to choose from! Very easy to lose track of time (and where you are!) Staff were also really lovely and helpful. Would definitely recommend having a look around if you are visiting Galway.

If I could give more stars I would. The staff at Charlie Byrne’s bookshop chose 60 children’s books for me last week. They went above and beyond, selecting each book based on information we provided. These personalized selections were so spot on, and the kids and their parents were truly delighted. Can’t wait to go back for another recommendation for myself!

Was shown this cute spot by a friend and fell in love instantly. The organization of tables with sale books on them, as well as shelves marked with different categories (used and new mixed together) was a great environment to meander and attempt to look at everything. I could spend hours and hours in here happily.

We had a goal of visiting as many bookstores in Ireland as possible on our trip, and this was one of our favorites. They had an impressive selection of books, so much so we had trouble narrowing down our selection to make sure it would fit in our suitcases. If you're a book lover in Galway, this place should absolutely be on your list.

My aunt who owned a bookshop herself for many years in the suburbs of Dublin describes Charlie Byrne's as her favourite bookshop in Ireland. It's a very traditional bookshop with a higgledy-piggledy layout and somewhere you may need a bit of time to find what you're looking for. I didn't speak to the staff - they don't seem to take a pro active approach to asking you if you need help, instead leaving you to browse (which a lot of people prefer anyway) but I get the impression they are very knowledgeable and the staff picks shelf was full of great recommendations, including the book we'd already picked for my next book club! (Angela Carter, in case you were wondering). I got 2 unusual and interesting books for my uncle, which he seemed very pleased with - one on great Irish reportage and another called the Poet's Chair, the first nine years of the Poetry Chair of Ireland. I don't think I would ever have come across those books anywhere else and they were well priced as well. Definitely a must for a stop when in Galway.

During our time in Galway, we stumbled upon Charlie Byrne's Bookshop by accident. And what a happy one! This is a book lover's dream bookshop. There are books from floor to ceiling and in every crook and nanny in between. It's very clearly labeled between sections and seems to have something for everyone's tastes. Such a cozy shop with an expansive array of topics. Definitely a must stop when in Galway.

Not a place to escape the cold! There appeared to be no heat on the premises. Other than that this place is a dream come true. Prices are reasonable and varying titles are plentiful. Lots of little lovely local crafts as well. This appears to be a true part of the community and it shows. I would return to Galway only to shop here and grab Fish & Chips from Hooked. :)

Wonderful book shop! Large selection in a big meandering space - much larger than it appears when you first walk in. Very knowledgeable staff. I asked a question of one employee, who answered it to my satisfaction as she walked me back to the sections I was asking after. Then, she stopped on the way to consult another employee on a ladder, who gave me even more information about my question. Great prices that vary - multiple copies may have differing prices, so check the tags on the front or back covers.

This is the epitome of a great bookshop; endless piles of stock all around the place, and what seems like every last topic and subject in the world is covered by someone. It's particularly strong in the non-fiction and educational areas, and I spent ages perusing what must have been every cookbook and guidebook in the whole world. I love that they have the bargain fiction outside the shop to be rummaged through. It's generally well organised but at the same time it's hard to track down exactly what you're looking for-- but you'll always come upon something even more interesting than you came for! The staff are all amazing and clearly obsessed with reading and writing books, and you can really sense that love in their service.

Great place to spend an afternoon. Amazing selection of books at good prices. Well organized as well.

Easy to navigate and clearly labeled. Staff was friendly. Most items were fair to moderate price but some were way too expensive for the wear and tear. Super cold in there which made shopping a bit difficult. Lovely to see so many kids in there and a very diverse children's section.

Charlie Byrne's is what a proper bookshop should be. The place unfolds room by room with an enormous selection across every genre imaginable, but with particular strength in anything Irish. It even has a sizable selection of books in Gaelic. Incredibly cozy, with incredibly friendly, knowledgeable staff, this is what we all wish our local book shop could be. I found some wonderful treasures of books to give as gifts here. Do not miss this wonderful spot.

A hidden treasure trove full of gems to be discovered, Charlie Byrne's is really as good as it gets. With a varied selection of secondhand and new books at reasonable prices, it's unmissable if you are a book lover visiting Galway. It is easy to pass away an hour or five in its delightfully arranged interior. I cannot recommend it strongly enough.

A proper bookshop that a reader could while away an entire day in. Well-organised but not clinical like so many bookshops are these days, I found the sections easy to navigate but lots of surprises to be found in each. The staff really love books and have an eclectic and open-minded approach to what constitutes a book worth reading. Lots of second-hand books and plenty of interesting new titles. Love this place. Love love.

This bookshop is a little gem with a huge range of books. You could easily pass an hour or two just browsing the shelves looking at the huge selection that Charlie Byrnes has to offer.

Fantastic book shop, I'm always amazed at I what I find in there, new and secondhand. I can, and have spend hours in there. There is literally ( pardon the pun) everything and anything on any subject you can imagine !!

For most committed bibliophile, the current trend towards stacking and arranging books like they were any other product is a disturbing one. Books are not apples, or tins of beans, or discount toilet paper; books are living things, full of ideas and concepts, uncontainable and free. In Charlie Byrne's, they understand what a book is. Books prowl the perimeter of the premises; escaped novels snarling at would-be intruders. Inside, ambitious books with lofty ideals climb over and on top of each other, limited only by the physical confines of the ceiling. In Chalie Byrne's, books - not the consumer - are the king. There are no artistic displays by some first-year marketing student here; it's a shop as full of all kinds of books - a mix of 50,000 of them, new, remaindered, cookery, music, geography, Irish language and literature, you name it - as it can physically be, with literally floor to ceiling bookshelves. In short, it's a book shop for people who love books, the kind of people who would think nothing of reading the biography of some unheard-of second-rate nineteenth-century Burmese village bureaucrat if it was a well-written story. Don't get me wrong; Charlie Byrne's stocks all the latest fiction from those hot new Manhattan loft-dwelling authors that the critics love...but if you're only looking for what you know or has been recommended to you by the right critics, then you may as well just go to one of the big chains with their book arrangements, who'll have that loft book right in front of you - if you're not willing or able to track, hunt and trap your own book, or be unexpectedly stalked and pounced on by a random book yourself, then Charlie Byrne's is not for you.

Unbelievable. Haven for a bookworm. There's something here for everyone and every budget. I regularly drop in to pick up the oldest looking books in the classics section for a few euro and I've never been disappointed! Also a good place for reference books for college, and well pretty much everything. Deserving of every award.

Charlie Byrne's Bookshop is the best bookstore I've been to in Ireland. They have such a huge range of books and you never know when you'll stumble upon a hidden gem. The manager, Vinny, is a lovely man who is evidently very knowledgable. Would visit again!

Charlie Byrne's bookshop has that delightfully old fashioned feel to it, so that upon entering the store, you believe you have accidentally stepped into the past. My experience of this bookshop spans 15 years, from when i was a child, choosing picture books, to a teenager reading horror, to now as an adult choosing a good read. It is a lucky dip of a bookstore, as you never know exactly what you will leave with. There is no rush at Charlie Byrnes, where time is endless, and people stand literally nose-in-book, reading ahead to find out the ending. I remember the older days, when the prices were scrawled in pencil on the inside covers, or in some cases estimated at the counter upon purchase. I love the way the staff have time to comment on your book, and relate the history of the collection, or suggest further reading. I also remember one day when a diligent shop assistant searched for 20 completely different books for me, which was truly no easy feat. I hope this bookshop lasts for many years to come, as apart from Shakespeare and Co. in Paris, I have never found another bookstore to rival it.

A Galway institution, just around the corner from tigh Neachtain's, another great Galway institution!