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A floating bookshop has just dropped anchor in one of Paris’ most iconic spots – right at the foot of the historic Notre-Dame Cathedral – and its founders are calling it “the biggest book box in Paris.”
The barge called Nanna, located on the Quai de Montebello, opened this month and will remain at the site for the next ten years.
Visitors can browse a self-service collection of more than 5,000 works – organised by category, with a particular emphasis on women authors alongside French classics, world literature, poetry and drama – and borrow any book they choose, with no obligation to return it.
Co-founder Nicolas Laugero Lasserre described the concept as something that naturally belongs on the water: “The Seine has always been a great source of inspiration for artists and poets. That is why it made perfect sense to place this literary barge on the water.”
In the evenings, the barge transforms into a social venue with DJ sets, literary speed dating, author events and a bar. “Here, you can enjoy a drink, browse the books, and indulge your passion for literature,” Lasserre added.
Hugo Buton, the barge’s literary curator says “People come here to borrow books, and that’s it – they do not have to bring them back. They can also drop off books of their own.”
Aurore Chevalier, a visual artist who visited on opening week, said: “It gives me hope, in the sense that it can encourage more people to engage with books and literature.”
The opening comes at a difficult moment for French bookselling more broadly. According to the Centre national du Livre, 2025 marked the first year in recent memory in which more bookshops closed than opened in France, with 85 closures against 83 new openings.