Australia is full of cosy cafés, sun-drenched parks and beautiful beaches where book lovers can bury their noses in a good read. But for true bookworms, nothing beats the hush of a library – where you have access to an unending supply of reading materials. These literary dens are more than just houses of books, though. Around the world, architects have designed libraries so incredible that they might just pull your eyes away from the page. And Australia’s turning both pages and heads, with two of the world’s most beautiful (and distracting) libraries right here.
More than 200,000 votes were cast in the 1,000 Libraries Awards 2025, with the results tallied to crown the world’s ten most beautiful bookish spaces. While the Library of Trinity College Dublin took out the top spot, Australia’s very own State Library of South Australia was voted as the second most beautiful library on Earth.
It’s no wonder that Adelaide’s leading library is consistently ranked among the world’s prettiest – it’s a bygone dream, and you’d just about be mistaken for entering a restricted section of Hogwarts. The North Terrace Mortlock Chamber opened to the public in 1884 and remains a prime example of a late-Victorian library, looks-wise. The grand bibliotheca showcases yesteryear features, with the likes of a glass-domed lantern roof, wrought iron-balustraded balconies and a marvellous clock that ticks above the hall.
Aside from the architecture, the State Library of South Australia itself holds more than 4 million items, including books, manuscripts, maps and special collections. There’s even a lovely little café, so you can easily spend a whole day reading and roaming the aisles. If you’re planning a visit, just a heads-up that the Mortlock Chamber is closed until September for carpet repairs.
South Australia wasn’t the only state in the spotlight, with the State Library Victoria voted as the world’s seventh-most beautiful for 2025. Melbourne's beloved house of books boasts the most popular front lawn in the whole city, and its magnificent, six-storey domed La Trobe Reading Room has wowed visitors since it opened way back in 1854. Now, the Neo-Classical building occupies an entire city block, with 23 interconnected buildings housing more than 2 million books. You could spend the rest of your life there and barely make a dent in your reading list.
The 10 most beautiful libraries in the world for 2025
- The Library of Trinity College, Ireland
- State Library of South Australia, Australia
- Abbey Library of St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Duke Humfrey’s Library (University of Oxford), UK
- Admont Abbey Library, Austria
- Cuypers Library, Netherlands
- State Library Victoria, Australia
- The Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading, Brazil
- Wiblingen Abbey Library, Germany
- Sainte-Geneviève Library, France