It allures you with its title. It makes you pick it up to admire it. As you hold it in your hands, you feel a slight rush like you can’t believe your luck.

It’s the English-titled book.

But then you open it. And all your hopes are dashed when you see the German text. Time and time again you fall for this.

Books by Brian Opyd

Unfortunately, in Switzerland, you literally can’t judge a book by its cover. Because you’ll only end up disappointed.

That’s where this post comes in. Part Two of a two-part series on where to borrow and buy English books in Zurich. Click here to read Part One.

5. Buecher Brocky Bederstrasse 4, 8002 Zürich. This is a huge second-hand bookstore near Bahnhof Enge with over 100,000 books. Most are used, some are antique, and some are brand new. There’s an entire aisle of English books here. Most used books are priced between CHF 1.50-4.50. For those living outside of Zurich, there are also branches of this store in Luzern, Basel, and Aarau.

6. The Pestalozzi Library  Zähringerstrasse 17,
8001 Zürich. This library has 16 branches in Zurich, but the best selection of English titles is found in the branch in the old town, the address of which is listed above. It costs CHF 45 a year to be a full-fledged adult member here (where you can borrow up to 25 items at a time) but there are other options too, like paying by the month, which costs CHF 10, to borrow a maximum of 5 items.

7. The Bürkliplatz Flea Market  Bürkliplatz, 8001 Zürich. While the flea market can be hit or miss, there are always some people selling English books here and when you do find something you’ll be rewarded with low prices—usually an English paperback will cost CHF 1-2. Plus, it’s just fun to see what you can find—even if your book search leads you into bringing home a cute gnome instead.

8. Travel Book Shop  Rindermarkt 20, 8001 Zurich. This delightful little shop in Niederdorf has travel books in English and German. There’s no “English section”, rather the books are organized by category and not language. So explore the store to find everything from Lonely Planet guidebooks to detailed maps of Spain.

For more great places to find English Books in Zurich, go to Part One of this series over on One Big Yodel. Where do you buy or borrow your English books in Switzerland?