South Korea’s Paju Book City is located just an hour northwest of the capital, Seoul, and is filled with places dedicated to all things literary.
Library Stay Jijihyang
Whether you want to wander along the square shelves of a spacious lounge area or enjoy the privacy of a writing desk in your guest room, Jijihyang Hotel is designed to put any book lover at ease. The hotel has an overall peaceful vibe, with enough of a buffer of greenery between it and the bustle of the city.
This book-themed guesthouse is housed in the same building as the next two spots on this list (each amazing in its own right), making it a perfect retreat for bibliophiles.
Address: 145 Hoedong-gil, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Check-in time: 3PM
– Check-out time: 11AM
Paju Book City Center
Seated right in the heart of Paju Book City is none other than Paju Book City Center, a large cultural complex with five floors and a basement. It not only houses Jijihyang Hotel, but the famous Forest of Wisdom library, plus multipurpose halls, conference rooms, and exhibition spaces for hosting various literary and cultural events.
If you want to relax, the center (also referred to as the Asia Publication-Culture and Information Center) also has a few cafés good for kicking up your feet.
Address: 145 Hoedong-gil, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Monday to Sunday: 10AM – 10PM
Forest of Wisdom (지혜의 숲)
The Forest of Wisdom in Paju City is a vast, architecturally striking library housing over 500,000 donated books on towering 8-meter shelves. It offers peaceful reading spaces, seminar rooms, cafés, and even a letterpress museum, perfect for book lovers seeking tranquility.
The library is best known for its appearance as a backdrop in both K-pop videos and K-dramas, recognizable by the pop of color on the shelves that seem to mimic parts of the Korean alphabet.
Address: 145 Hoedong-gil, Gyoha-dong, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Monday to Sunday: 9AM – 8PM
Book Cafe Noon (효형출판북카페 눈)
This tranquil literary café is best known for its peaceful, mellow atmosphere. Its collection of books is relatively sparse but tasteful, displayed almost like art pieces in tall, narrow shelves lining a wall of the café.
The relaxed and quiet vibe makes for a perfect reading spot as you enjoy the cookies and coffee that many rave about in the reviews.
Address: Munbal-dong, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Monday to Friday: 10AM – 6PM
– Saturday & Sunday: 12PM – 6PM
Milkbook (밀크북)
If you’re looking for a good place to bring your kids while in Paju, try Milkbook on for size. Aside from a delectable range of pastries and other baked goods, this bookstore and café has a first floor that is both kid- and dog-friendly. It has titles for parents and kids of all ages, and even hosts movie screenings with family-friendly films.
You can also head upstairs to the second floor for a peaceful, no-kids zone and enjoy a nice cup of coffee.
Address: 121 Hoedong-gil, Munbal-dong, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Monday to Friday: 9AM – 8PM
– Saturday & Sunday: 10AM – 8PM
Cafe Book Press
More than just a café, Cafe Book Press stirs the pot by combining a coffee shop with a workshop and publishing complex. Not only do you get to have your pick of dessert or beverage, but you’ll get the rare chance to ogle a vintage letterpress and other antiques. There are a lot of gorgeous leather-bound books on display as well, both on shelves and locked behind glass cases.
It makes for a truly fascinating visit that gives bibliophiles a chance to enjoy some of the history behind book-making and the written word.
Address: 203 Munbal-ro, Gyoha-dong, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Tuesday to Friday: 10AM – 6PM
– Saturday & Sunday: 11AM – 7PM
– Monday: Closed
Blue Box
With log-ended bookshelves and indoor metal sheet awnings, Blue Box offers a refreshing change of pace for those looking for some unique designs to spice up their reading life. Though it might sound random, this visual effect comes together rather nicely, making you feel almost as if you’ve lost yourself in a distant village and not smack-dab in Book City.
In addition to its thousands of titles on offer, Blue Box has a café with kind service and delicious drinks and treats.
Address: 240-21 Munbal-ro, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Monday to Friday: 10AM – 5:30PM
– Saturday & Sunday: 10AM – 6PM
Booksdot5 (쩜오책방)
A bit further east, you’ll find booksdot5, a bookstore and thriving community hub. This lively space is crowded with books and constantly hosts events like book presentations and arts and crafts. It has a lot of interactive activities for children, in particular, in hopes of instilling a love of reading and freshening up young minds.
While the collection isn’t huge, it’s thoughtfully and lovingly selected, with an owner who genuinely cares about the local community.
Address: 1F 35 Kkotama-gil, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Tuesday to Saturday: 12PM – 6PM
– Monday & Sunday: Closed
Paju City Hanul Library (파주시 한울도서관)
Paju City Hanul Library is a bit of a standout for its location inside a park veined with cycling paths and filled with sports areas for local teams. Though the exterior might be somewhat unassuming, looking long and almost flat from certain angles, this relatively new library impresses with its vast collection of primarily Korean titles.
Though a bit further out from more central Paju literary spots, the library has a bus stop that makes access fairly easy.
Address: 239 Gyoha-ro, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Monday to Thursday: 9AM – 10PM
– Saturday & Sunday: 9AM – 6PM
– Friday: Closed
Book Café Bandi (북카페 반디)
You can find the last cluster of book cafés on the northern edge of Paju, starting with Book Café Bandi. And frankly, if the uniquely curved wooden building wasn’t eye-catching enough, the giant book spines painted onto the front ought to do the trick. This nature-friendly wooden café features a collection of around 4,000 books, classified by subject, and creates a comforting atmosphere.
The café serves fresh tea, milk tea, homemade tea, fresh juice, and coffee. Its warm, oval-shaped interior invites guests to linger and enjoy a drink with a new favorite book on the side.
Address: 1652-273 KR 북카페반디, Beopheung-ri, 탄현면 Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Monday to Sunday: 10AM – 6PM
9Block Café, Heyri Branch (나인블럭 헤이리점)
In Paju’s Heyri Art Village, you can find a branch of a popular café chain, 9Block Café. However, unlike most other locations in this chain, the Heyri branch is a book café, featuring a huge black bookshelf filled with hundreds of volumes.
While some books feel like they’re more for display, being so far out of reach, the café still sells a decent selection, though only in Korean. The café is overall very spacious, with a nice outdoor seating area to boot.
Address: 59-6 KR, Heyrimaeul-gil, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Tuesday to Thursday & Sunday: 10AM – 7PM
– Friday & Saturday: 10AM – 10PM
– Monday: Closed
Comf Avenue
Comf Avenue is another great book café in Heyri Art Village. It has a meticulous style that is a clean blend of both classy and contemporary design, both inside and out. From the frilled half-dome awnings on the white-walled exterior to the high-arched wooden bookshelves, it’s a café that is chic without being intimidating.
Regulars leave glowing praise for the delicious coffee and great views, filled with plenty of seating over its two-storied interior.
Address: 197 Eoreumsil-ro, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Monday to Sunday: 8AM – 10PM
Cafe Seo
Need some sunlight under a field of umbrellas? Cafe Seo’s got you covered. With an outdoor seating area on the second floor carpeted in astroturf and a pseudo-ceiling of dozens of colored umbrellas, this book café stands out amongst its peers. It also has a great view of the fields and river outside.
The first floor is indoors, and this is where you can find books galore covering almost every corner of the café alongside large floor-to-ceiling windows letting in plenty of natural sunlight.
Address: 106-8 Daedong-ri, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
– Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 11AM – 8PM
– Saturday & Sunday: 11AM – 10PM
– Wednesday: Closed
