6 Best Places to Shop in Boston, Massachusetts

Background Illustration for Shopping

We've compiled the best of the best in Boston - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.

Brattle Book Shop

Downtown Fodor's choice

Bibliophiles can't get enough of this old-timey book store that has been in operation since 1825 and is, literally, chockablock with books floor to ceiling and stuffed into corners. The owner Ken Gloss, who regularly tours with Antiques Roadshow, fields queries from passionate book lovers about out-of-print, rare, antique, and foreign-language tomes. If you're simply in need of a read for the ride home, browse the rolling carts in Brattle's adjacent outdoor lot, where books of all genres go for $5, $3, or just $1.

The Harvard Coop

Harvard Square Fodor's choice

What began in 1882 as a nonprofit service for students and faculty is now managed by Barnes & Noble College, a separate entity that manages college campus bookstores. Housed in the same location since 1906 and affectionately called The Coop (pronounced "coop," not "co-op"), the store sells books and textbooks (many discounted), school supplies, clothes, and accessories plastered with the Harvard emblem, as well as basic housewares geared toward dorm dwellers. If you need a public restroom, you'll find it here. And if you're looking for MIT swag, they have a location on that campus as well.

Trident Booksellers & Café

Back Bay Fodor's choice

This two-story shop with windows overlooking Newbury Street is known as much for its eclectic collection of books and magazines as its all-day breakfast menu. Follow the pack and order either the lemon-ricotta-stuffed French toast or homemade corned beef hash and then settle in with a favorite read. Feel free to stay through lunch, dinner, and beyond, as the store's open until midnight daily, making it a popular spot with students. A full slate of events, from game nights to author talks, is scheduled almost daily.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Grolier Poetry Book Shop

Harvard Square

A beloved hangout for T. S. Eliot and E. E. Cummings when they attended Harvard, this tiny shop founded in 1927 carries classic, modern, and contemporary in-print poetry from all over the world.

Harvard Book Store

Harvard Square

Time disappears as you browse the tables and shelves of this always-busy bookstore packed with new titles and used books, as well as remaindered books. Founded in 1932, the collection's diversity has made the store a favored destination for casual readers and academics alike, as they have plenty to discover within the floor-to-ceiling bookcases. You can also stock up on Harvard University gifts, or catch an author reading.

I AM Books

North End
Once you've eaten your fill of pasta and cannoli, nourish your noggin at this independent, Italian American bookstore, where you'll find more than 1,200 titles in English and Italian. In addition to books written in Italian, including many children's books like Dr. Seuss, you'll find books devoted to Italian cooking, art, history, language, literature, and more, along with Italian comic books, card games, magazines, ceramics, and fragrances.