If you are looking for a list of books that will take you on a journey to another country all from your armchair, pop in your email address below and I’ll send the printable list right to your inbox!
Recently, an Instagram reader reached out with this fun question:
“Has anyone ever asked for books that will make you feel like you are traveling in the best way? For example, I’m day dreaming about Paris right now, or autumn in Tokyo, or Christmas in London. “Traveling in your head” books?“
Well, this was such a fun question that I asked for suggestions and they came pouring in!
Here are some of the armchair travel books to let you visit a new place without leaving your living room!
These are books where the place matters a LOT to the story – it’s almost a character, not just a backdrop to the book.
We’ve organized these armchair travel books by location so you can pick exactly where you’d like to visit!
ARMCHAIR TRAVEL BOOKS THAT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE THERE
Iran:
Italy:
The Little Venice Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin
*Included on Kindle Unlimited
After losing her mother, Luna finds a bundle of mysterious letters that sends her to a faded, gorgeous bookshop overlooking the canals of Venice, hoping to uncover her mother’s past. A bookshop in Venice and a little mystery sounds like exactly the kind of cozy armchair getaway I’m after.
Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman
A family curse has kept the women in her family from finding lasting love, so she heads to Tuscany to finally break it. Sunny villages, big family secrets, and a little romance make this a fun pick for your Italy daydreams.
Still Life by Sarah Winman
This one starts in Tuscany in 1944, when a British soldier and an art historian cross paths and end up changing each other’s lives, then follows a warm, quirky found family from Florence to London and back.
Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
After her mother’s death, Lina spends the summer in Florence and finds her mother’s old journal, which sends her on a quest around the city. It sounds like a sweet YA romance with plenty of gelato and cobblestone streets.
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Searle
Grieving her mother, Katy takes the trip to Positano that they’d planned together, and there she meets her mother as a thirty-year-old woman. This one is magical and emotional, and it makes you want to book a ticket to the Amalfi Coast right now.
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Two orphaned brothers run away to Venice and fall in with a band of street kids led by the mysterious Thief Lord. My girls love Cornelia Funke and have listened to many of her books, but I won’t let them listen to this one without me. The narration is so good that I’d rather listen together than read aloud. Bart and I listened to it in grad school and he loved it so much, he suggested the name Prosper every time we were naming a baby.
Ireland:
The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon
This historical novel is based on Grace O’Malley, the fierce 16th century Irish pirate who sailed the coast and took on the English crown. It sounds like a sweeping, swashbuckling way to see Ireland.
Nantucket/ New England:
The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
A historic, glamorous hotel on the island gets a fresh start, but a ghost and some staff secrets mean the summer won’t be quiet. If you like this one, many of Elin Hilderbrand’s books are set in Nantucket and New England, so you’ll have plenty more to pick from.
Japan:
Memoirs of Geisha by Arthur Golden
You’ve probably heard of this one, or even watched the movie about a poor fishing village girl who is sold to a geisha house in Kyoto. She eventually becomes one of the most celebrated geisha in the city. I’ve heard it’s purely immersive!
England:
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
You cannot go wrong with a James Herriot book, a country vet in England who spends his days caring for farm animals and house pets after WWI. These books are sweet and funny and just right for snuggling up with (bonus: watch the very excellent PBS Masterpiece series after you’re done).
Paris/ France:
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
The American Library in Paris supported many patrons during the Nazi occupation in WWII including Jews and soldiers. This historical fiction (which follows the very real American Library in Paris)follows the wartime experiences of a young and ambitious librarian, as the library becomes a major target for the Nazis.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
This is the book that shot Kristin Hannah to stardom, and from many of your stories, it got a lot of you back into reading after a long reading slump. In WWII France, two sisters face frightening situations that tests their relationship, strength, and sense of right and wrong. It is a true tale of bravery. I listened to The Nightingale audiobook and it is fantastically done.
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
If you want a true classic, Hemingway’s memoir of his years as a young, hungry writer in 1920s Paris is full of cafes, writer friends, and long walks along the Seine. It’s a classic Paris pick for a reason.
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
I have read three books by Ruth Reichl, but I haven’t yet read this newest book of hers. This one is about Stella, who heads to Paris after her mother’s death and falls headfirst into the city’s food, wine, and art scene. Ruth Reichl is a food writer, so you can expect the descriptions of meals to be delicious!
Canada:
Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune
I absolutely loved Every Summer After, but Meet Me at the Lake AND now this one! Childhood best friends Frankie and George find themselves on Frankie’s honeymoon (without her groom) in Tofino, trying to fix a friendship that’s been on again, off again for decades.
New York:
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
In the early 1950s, Eilis Lacey leaves small-town Ireland for a new life in Brooklyn, where she’s figuring out work, independence, and what home might look like in a completely different place. She slowly builds a life there, including a sweet, steady romance, but a loss back in Ireland forces her to make an impossible choice between the life she’s building and the one she left behind.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
This was one I meant to read for years and didn’t get around to until it was the only audiobook I had when I was doing hours and hours of driving every week down to my elementary school libraries in Boston. And I completely got the hype. (Full review here).
All Over the World
I’ve Never Been Here Before by Ashley Campbell
For anyone who loves a travel memoir, this one follows Ashley Campbell and her family as they spend a year exploring more than 20 countries across six continents on a tight budget. It’s full of stunning photos and honest stories, plus practical tips if you’re dreaming of a trip of your own (or just want to daydream from the couch).
And if you’d like a printable copy of this list that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
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