City Lights Booksellers
City Lights Booksellers
4.5
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
About
Famous bookstore founded and still owned by Beat Generation poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
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Neighbourhood: Chinatown
As the oldest in North America, San Francisco's Chinatown is an exotic experience. A unique neighbourhood decorated with colourful shops, historic streetlights, hanging lanterns, and pagoda roofs awaits behind the stone-carved dragon gates. Feast on dim sum at the tea houses, or meet the locals who gather at historic Portsmouth Square to play chess or practice Tai Chi. Fish markets, produce stands, tourist shops, jewelry stores, fortune tellers, temples and restaurants come together to create a world unto itself in this historic neighbourhood.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,043 reviews
Excellent
751
Very good
220
Average
57
Poor
12
Terrible
3
TStan91
Chapel Hill, NC277 contributions
Aug 2022
I love an independent book store! City lights was tight and hard to navigate with a much smaller selection than I expected. I always have a list of "to get" books in both fiction and non-fiction. I couldn't find a single one. It didn't help the staff seemed indifferent to my searching. I'm glad that I visited and I hope they can survive.
Written 13 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tim S
San Francisco, CA53 contributions
Nov 2019
City Lights is a San Francisco establishment, a throwback to the days of the great local bookstores. Not a huge number of titles, but packed with wonderful surprises. I always find something I was never expecting. And if you are a Beat fan, there is nowhere else.
Written 9 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LeAnn H
Northville, MI42 contributions
Sept 2022
I'm a book lover and when I travel I must visit local/indie bookstores. City Lights is a well known so of course I had to visit. There are 3 floors, each with it's own theme. It's in an older building, which I love because it adds so much character to the space.
Written 14 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
emily13anne
Lincoln, NE85 contributions
Jul 2021
Honestly, we didn't get the hype. It's a nice bookstore in an interesting area of the city, but nothing amazing. Too crowded and kinda snotty staff. The different levels are unique and they did have some sections that a typical bookstore wouldn't have, but wouldn't go out of the way to stop here.
Written 4 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kayakatnip
Bridgend, UK28 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
Having watched ‘You’ on Netflix I didn’t think book shops like that really existed. Only corporate ones and online booksellers. I was pleasantly surprised to find City Lights had all the charm of the shop in You. The staff really know their art and quickly knew the author of what I thought was an obscure book that I was looking for. They didn’t have it and they didn’t have another I asked for but it’s a small shop so you can’t expect everything! They appear to shy away from mass fiction authors too. Still I enjoyed the experience of the quaint surroundings and purchased a random book!
Written 24 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RHS1946
Monroe, MI131 contributions
Jan 2020
You wind your way around the many rooms in this bookstore. Titles are quite different than in the "Chain" bookstores and there are treasures to find if you like Beat Poetry, politics, culture studies, fiction. I found a book with Poe stories that I think a granddaughter will love. Definitely worth checking out and they were even open on New Year's Day!
Written 14 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Denise
5 contributions
Nov 2022
Full of nooks and crannies and great books. A magical place to visit and buy books! A great span of subjects in a unique setting. My only gripe - I love mysteries and that section was not robust. But the rest of the inventory was amazing.
Written 16 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas V
Oakland, CA17,543 contributions
Sept 2021
This bookstore is indeed historic and worth a visit, especially if you love books. And make a purchase to keep it going. Famous for the Beatnik and Beats era, but also just a community institution. Part of North Beach, close to downtown and Chinatown.
Written 14 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sheri K
Aurora, CO21 contributions
Oct 2022
It's a great shop! If you're an avid reader or know one, but sure to stop in. They have a huge selection and the staff is really wonderful. They'll take good care of you.
Written 15 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JKL V
Fair Lawn, NJ116 contributions
May 2021
Multiple storey, cozy bookstore with tons of books to meet everyone’s interests. It is not modern, but homey.
The deco has a historic appeal. Furnishing look antique and blends well with the ambience.
A must stop if you want to step back in time.
The deco has a historic appeal. Furnishing look antique and blends well with the ambience.
A must stop if you want to step back in time.
Written 13 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Do they only carry new books? Do they have any used books as well? I love browsing used books!
Written 9 May 2018
I don’t think so, but just call to confirm.
Written 12 May 2018
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