{"id":14277,"date":"2018-10-26T11:59:32","date_gmt":"2018-10-26T09:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/?p=14277"},"modified":"2026-09-21T12:49:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T10:49:09","slug":"acqua-alta-bookstore-venice-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/acqua-alta-bookstore-venice-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Venice: The bookstore Libreria Acqua Alta"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Get to know the crazy bookstore in Venice! Don’t miss this amazing attraction! Cats in the bookstore as if it were the most normal thing in the world. But what is normal at the Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice<\/strong>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip<\/strong>: The best locations & sights in Venice<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\"Libreria
Hidden: The entrance to the Libreria Acqua Alta is located in a small courtyard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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Libreria Acqua Alta: A Curiosity in Venice<\/h2>\n\n

Very small, the entrance to this other world is hidden in an alleyway of Venice, a bit off the usual tourist stream. If it weren’t for various piles of old maps, prints and books lying around in front of the door, one would hardly suspect this treasure for book nerds like me. There’s always something special about bookstores and libraries for me – they are so calming and so inspiring. <\/p>\n\n

Looking for the best places to stay in Venice?Get the best price here<\/a><\/p>\n\n

\"Libreria
Books and more books at the Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

And the Libreria Acqua Alta is not only that: it is magical<\/strong>. A total work of art. Thousands of stacks of books, old, new, a mess, it’s cramped, dark, yet fascinatingly beautiful. It’s like being in the middle of a Harry Potter book. In between all the books, there’s always a bowl of cat food, because the (I think) eight cats want to be fed, too. <\/p>\n\n

You can find even more of the “Dolce Vita” on my Italy blog!<\/a><\/p>\n\n

\"Libreria<\/figure>\n\n

The most unusual bookstore in Venice<\/h2>\n\n

Books are stacked everywhere\u2014whether in an old gondola or in a bathtub\u2014the possibilities for storing books are endless. Creative chaos around every corner. The name Acqua Alta becomes immediately clear when you see the \u201cemergency exit\u201d: One little hop and you land in the canal that runs along the back of the store. Just a bit of typical Venetian high water\u2014and the bookstore is flooded. <\/p>\n\n

\"Libreria
Right on the canal: During high water, the Libreria Acqua Alta is regularly flooded.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Unfortunately, Libreria Acqua Alta isn\u2019t really a hidden gem anymore, so during peak hours you have to jostle your way through the store with dozens of other tourists\u2014and if you also want to snap an Instagram photo in the particularly Instagrammable spots, you\u2019ll have to wait in line for at least a quarter of an hour. Crazy, right? Still, it\u2019s worth a visit! <\/p>\n\n

Address:<\/strong> Libreria Acqua Alta, Calle Longa Santa Maria Formosa <\/span>5176 – Castello<\/span>, 30122 VeniceHours:<\/strong> Daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n

***<\/p>\n\n

Recommended reading<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n

Here’s another special bookstore: Livraria Lello\u2014the Harry Potter bookstore in Porto<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Get to know the crazy bookstore in Venice! Don’t miss this amazing attraction! Cats in the bookstore as if it were the most normal thing in the world. But what’s normal at the Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2424,1859],"tags":[4201,3847],"class_list":["post-14277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-city-guides","category-italy","tag-city-trips-europe","tag-venice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}