Getting close to one of the big icons of Western civilization—the Acropolis, the Palace of Versailles, the Colosseum—can be the spine-tingling high point of a European trip. But don’t paper over Europe’s “smaller” achievements. Many of Europe’s lasting cultural contributions are captured on dusty sheets of vellum or parchment, and paging through the Continent’s literary treasures can raise a few goosebumps of their own. Here are some of Europe’s best cities and sights for bookworm travelers.
London, England: The vast British Library has managed to cram everything that really matters into a two-room exhibition called “The Treasures.” Early Bibles, a First Folio of Shakespeare’s works, Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” the Magna Carta, and multiple early Jane Austen manuscripts vie for your attention. Surrounded by this bounty, it’s clear that the British Empire built some of its greatest monuments out of paper.
