Top 15 · updated 2026
Best Bookshops in Colombo
The top 15 bookshops & stationery in Colombo, ranked by real reviewer feedback.
- 15
- Bookshops & Stationery listed
- 4.8★
- Average rating
- 43
- Reviews aggregated
- Samudra Book
- Top-rated
Colombo's bookshops span the big names — Sarasavi, Vijitha Yapa, Makeen, M.D. Gunasena — with branches across the city, alongside specialist religious and academic bookshops and the secondhand stalls around Maradana and Pettah. The list below ranks them on range (English and Sinhala/Tamil titles, school texts, stationery), pricing, and how helpful staff are at sourcing out-of-stock titles. Most stock the full school syllabus and offer stationery and gift items too; several deliver within Colombo. For school season (December–January), go early — the popular branches run out of prescribed texts fast.
- 1
Samudra Book Shop - Colombo
4.8(5 reviews)Restaurants 1141 Maradana Rd, Colombo 00800
- 2
Jeya Book Centre
4.8(5 reviews)Restaurants Peoples Park Complexc, Bodhiraja Rd, Colombo 01100
- 3
Sarasavi Bookshop (Pvt) Ltd
5.0(3 reviews)Restaurants 44/9 Y.M.B.A. Building
- 4
Maradana Secondhand Bookshops
5.0(3 reviews)Restaurants 9, 11 McCallum Rd, Colombo 00010
- 5
Booxworm - Book Shop
5.0(3 reviews)Restaurants 149, 2 Kolonnawa Rd, Colombo 00900
- 6
Windsor Book Shop
4.6(5 reviews)Restaurants 372 Galle Rd, Colombo
- 7
Godage Book Shop
5.0(2 reviews)Restaurants No:661 P De S Kularatne Mawatha, Colombo 01000
- 8
Rohan’s Book Store
5.0(2 reviews)Restaurants Liberty Plaza, Colombo
- 9
Missaka Bookshop
5.0(2 reviews)Restaurants Thimbirigasyaya Rd, Colombo 00500
- 10
Vijitha Yapa Bookshop
4.7(3 reviews)Restaurants 105 5th Ln, Colombo 03
- 11
Peters Bookshop
4.7(3 reviews)Restaurants No1/2, McCallum Rd, Colombo
- 12
DANIEL’S BOOKSHOP (PVT) LTD
4.5(2 reviews)Restaurants 287 Galle Rd, Colombo 00600
- 13
Back to the Bible Bookshop
4.5(2 reviews)Restaurants 120A Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 00700
- 14
Thunmansala Bookstore | Thunmansala.lk
4.5(2 reviews)Restaurants NHDA Building, No.20/1 Norris Canal Rd, Colombo 01000
- 15
Second-hand book shops of Colombo
5.0(1 review)Restaurants WVG6+WH6, McCallum Rd, Colombo 01000
Frequently asked
- What's the highest-rated bookshop in Colombo?
- Samudra Book Shop - Colombo is currently the highest-rated bookshop in Colombo on Review Guru, with an average of 4.8 out of 5 stars from 5 reviews.
- Which bookshop in Colombo has the most reviews?
- Samudra Book Shop - Colombo is the most-reviewed bookshop in Colombo with 5 customer reviews. A higher review count typically means a more reliable signal — a 4.5★ rating from 50 reviewers is stronger than a 5★ rating from 3.
- How many bookshop are listed in Colombo?
- Review Guru has 15 bookshop listed in Colombo, aggregating 43 customer reviews across them. We only include a business on a "best of" page once it has at least 3 reviews so the ranking is meaningful.
- How are these bookshop ranked?
- We use a Bayesian-weighted average score that combines the business's own star rating with the volume of reviews it has received. This prevents a single 5-star review from outranking 30 consistent 4-star reviews. Read more on our methodology page.
- Are the reviews verified?
- Reviews on Review Guru come from two sources: native submissions written directly on our platform, and imported reviews from Google Maps that we rewrite for clarity while preserving the original rating, sentiment, and named entities. Source is tagged on each review for transparency.
- Which Colombo bookshop has the best range of English books?
- The flagship branches of the major chains (Sarasavi, Vijitha Yapa, Makeen) carry the widest English-language range, including imports. Reviewer feedback on the listed shops helps pinpoint which branch is best-stocked for what you need.
- Where can I buy school textbooks and stationery in Colombo?
- Most of the listed bookshops stock the full Sri Lankan school syllabus plus stationery. During the December–January school season, prescribed texts sell out quickly at the busier branches, so go early or call ahead.