A six-storey white bookshop occupying a meticulously restored 19th-century building on Lipscani street. The space — open in the centre, ringed by spiral staircases and cast-iron columns — is one of the most photographed interiors in Bucharest, regularly turning up on lists of the world's most beautiful bookshops.
The stock leans literary and English-language sections are decent. There is a top-floor bistro and a basement gallery, and the whole place stays open late. Even if you have no intention of buying a book, it is worth half an hour of climbing the stairs and admiring the architecture. The Cărturești chain has several other branches around the city; this one is the flagship.