Powell's City of Books

"Powell's City of Books is completely overwhelming in the best way possible. I grabbed a map at the entrance and still managed to get happily lost for three hours. The fact that they mix used and new books on the same shelf is genius—I found an affordable copy of a book I’ve wanted for years. The atmosphere is buzzing but respectful, like a giant library where you can actually talk. Definitely visit the Rare Book Room on the top floor just to see the history. It is a book lover’s paradise!

I could live in this place and just read for days. I visited from Arizona and spent more than 4 hours in here looking at everything, this place is an amazing stop for any book lover. There is soooooo many books in the most interesting sections, it's like the librarian made a bookstore for everything ever written. The rare book floor and coffee shop was wonderful.

Talk about a wonderful experience! This place is a must visit, im not a reader so I have been avoiding coming here but I recently visited twice and had a great time. There is something here for everyone. Books, gifts, treats, clothes, candles, so much more. Finding things is a little tricky so give yourself lots of time to explore, there is just so much here. Staff are really helpful with finding things too. There is a cafe as well! They do cool events and have lots of people of color books.

They layout is interesting. You can easily get lost in the sea of books. Everything seems well organized. Some prices are quite surprising. Books from the 60-70s costing more than 20 bucks. Overall, it's worth visiting. But I didn't walk away with what I expected to find. But there are interesting books.

Very big, very friendly, good prices for new books. The rare book room is cool; make sure to check out. Coffee shop with food onsite but didn't visit. Felt calm and smelled good though.

I got lost among thousands of books and found one of my favorite places in Portland: Powell's City of Books. The largest bookstore in the world (a full block) reminded me that there will always be stories waiting for us; you just have to dare to look for them among books and coffee. Since I was a teenager, I loved going to bookstores and spent hours there (literally); I would walk aisle after aisle and write down what I found interesting on my to-read list. In the end, I would leave with just one book, or sometimes with a bookmark, but always with great reflections and thoughts, and I never failed to feel the tinge of anxiety that my life wouldn't allow me to read everything I wanted to read. Visiting this bookstore was like giving that Carlitos an unforgettable experience and reminding him how fleeting life is, so I confirm what I understood at a very young age: I will only read what I am truly passionate about, and I'm not just talking about books. Only if I could change something it would be the cashier's attention.

Love love love this amazing book store. It’s actually so much more than a book store, it’s more of an emporium for almost whatever you can imagine. I love to take my time when visiting PDX, to stroll the many book lined aisles of Powell’s. It’s a very calming environment. I especially enjoy the coffee room, and avocado toast they serve. Make sure to put Powell’s on your Portland checklist. ❤️ 📚