Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookshop

El Ateneo Grand Splendid, in Buenos Aires

El Ateneo Grand Splendid is a magnificent bookshop located in a former theatre, one of the finest in the world. The Buenos Aires audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this spectacular place, where books have replaced shows.

A bookshop in a former theatre

El Ateneo Grand Splendid occupies a former and sumptuous theatre of the beginning of the twentieth century, transformed into a bookshop. The original decor has been superbly preserved: adorned balconies, ceiling frescoes, red velvet, boxes and stage, on which is today a café. The bookshelves spread out where the spectators used to sit, in a theatrical setting of rare elegance. Regularly cited among the finest bookshops in the world, it has become a cult place of Buenos Aires, where the love of books meets the magnificence of a theatre.

What to see

You admire the superbly preserved theatrical decor, with its adorned balconies, its ceiling frescoes, its red velvet and its stage become a café, where the bookshelves have replaced the spectators. El Ateneo Grand Splendid is one of the finest bookshops in the world. It is a must-see stop, to be discovered in the heart of Buenos Aires.

Practical information

El Ateneo Grand Splendid lies in the heart of Buenos Aires, reachable on foot and by public transport. The bookshop follows its own opening hours, which vary; entry is generally free. It is best to check the hours and to enjoy the setting, on the stage become a café.

Why is El Ateneo Grand Splendid famous?

Because this magnificent bookshop occupies a former theatre with a superbly preserved decor, and it is regularly cited among the finest bookshops in the world, in Buenos Aires.

Where is El Ateneo Grand Splendid?

In the heart of Buenos Aires, in Argentina.