Bokbyen, Norway

Photo © bokbyen.no

Bokbyen (Book Town), in Fjærland, in the county of Sogn og Fjordane in western Norway, is the bookish destination par excellence. The town, or rather village as only a couple of hundred people live here, boasts miles of shelves in a string of second-hand bookshops. Most are housed in quaint little sheds along the picturesque fjord.

The shops vary in size, but most of them sell books in foreign languages as well as Norwegian, and books are well priced, even by Scandinavian standards.
A couple of the smallest shops still apply the good old-fashioned honesty box system, instead of a shop assistant.

Bokbyen really has a unique atmosphere, whether or not you take your books seriously, and it’s a great place to while away a few hours. It’s open daily May to September, 10am–6pm.

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