Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, has a highbrow reputation and is sometimes called the “Paris of the Southern Hemisphere.” The birthplace of the tango, Buenos Aires is a seductive city characterized by European architecture, stylish people, and late-night revelry. Its residents get up late, and stay up late: Dinner is often served at 11 p.m. and shops stay open past midnight. Buenos Aires is also a city in love with books, with more booksellers per capita than any other city in the world. In fact, there are roughly 25 bookstores for every 100,000 residents, according to a 2015 report by the World Cities Culture Forum.
Curling up with a good book:
The report identified 734 bookstores in Buenos Aires, a city of 2.8 million residents. Hong Kong was second with 22 bookstores for every 100,000 people.
Many Buenos Aires bookshops carry rare editions, including some that are hundreds of years old — such as a French translation of the Spanish poetry of Garcilaso de la Vega from 1650, and Gregorian chants on papyrus dating to 1722.
There is no sales tax on books in Argentina, but if an Argentine buys a book from a foreign retailer (like Amazon), he or she is hit with a 35 percent surcharge.