10 books about 10 cities

Get inspired by 10 different travel books offering you a journey around the world!

Since travelling and books are two passions you just can't skip, we decided to select and present you a top 10 list of recommended books to read before you travel to some of the most popular cities around the world.

We chose some classic and some old texts, since we want to encourage you to be curious and books that will get you right away to pack and explore the city where the story of the book is based on. In that case you may check the end of each destination chapter where we have suggested you the top 10 cool and cheap hostels and B&B's where to rest your head low cost. Enjoy your reading experience!

1 - MADRID

Let's start from the Spanish capital where Javier Marías bases his The Man of Feeling trilogy, three novels about love and all the various forms of it. The story takes place in Madrid and with its major presence, it is indeed a destination full of passion and has become the author's trademark!

WHERE TO STAY: in Madrid we recommend the Mad4You Hostel, a great and cosy hostel with a book exchange point.

2 - BEIJING

Letters from Beijing by Suzanne Bernard describes the author's autobiographical story which is located to China for the work but also for the love purposes. Her return to Beijing doesn't go easily and Bernard describes us how quickly this metropol is changing without a chance to go back to the past.

WHERE TO STAY: Try Beijing City Central Youth Hostel with their beautiful reading corner with a book exchange.

3 - ISTANBUL

With her Italian novel La mia Istanbul, Francesca Pacini leads you to the discovery of Turkey, as seen through the eyes of a woman: Istanbul has always been the gateway between the East and the West, two different worlds and somehow balancing between the conflicts and the harmony between the two continents. La mia Istanbul is a travel diary of a woman, full of beautiful photos of the author and interesting insights.

WHERE TO STAY: in Istanbul we recommend the Colony Hostel where all the rooms have comfortable beds with LED reading lights.

4 - PARIS

Adam Gopnik is the correspondent in Paris of the "New Yorker" and his novel 'From Paris to the Moon' describes his experience in the City of Lights. Five years during which he could eat, sleep and breath the French capital, dicovering its most hidden treasures and capturing the unique cultural mix of France, halfway between grandeur and the class assigned to you. The author takes us by the hand to discover the many wonders of Paris with irony and conquering wit.

WHERE TO STAY: make sure not to miss the hostel Arty Paris, a stone throw away from the Tour Montparnasse, economic and characterized by a fine refurbishment. Also this hostel features a book swap point.

5 - BERLIN

'Divided Heaven' by Christa Wolf takes us to the Berlin of the early sixties, where even the Romeo and Juliet kind of love could still exist. Politics is a suffocating stone and literally becomes insurmountable with the arrival of the wall that separates the city in two, lovers and families.

WHERE TO STAY: if you want to feel and sense the atmosphere of the East Berlin cited in the book you'll want to book Das DDR Hostel with a theme dedicated to the concept of nostalgia.

6 - BARCELONA

In his book 'Southern Seas', Manuel Vazquez Montalban takes his detective Pepe Carvalho to investigate a mysterious case taken place in Barcelona. The year is 1979 and there is a murder investigation of an industrialist who is unconvincing and where innocence seems impossible to find a virtue. A must for anyone who loves crime books.

WHERE TO STAY: Many events of this book are taking place in the Raval district. If you wish to stay in this area, feel free try the Hostel Be Mar.

7 - LONDON

As you may know, London is like a modern cultural melting pot with around 300 languages​ spoken. What destination could be more symbolic of this cosmopolitan context if not the legendary Tube? Alex Roggero with his book 'Treno per Babylon' (in Italian) takes us to a journey around the world, via the London underground, describing all areas of the multi-ethnic city.

WHERE TO STAY: in London we recommend the London Eye Hostel: as you may already guess, the name of the hostel refers to its terrific location in a walking distance from London Eye, the famous ferris wheel. And what you may not know is that nearby there's the most famous book market of the City, the Southbank Centre Book Market (under the bridge of the stop of Waterloo).

8 - MILAN

'It's A Hard Life' was the most successful book of Luciano Bianciardi, intellectual vanguard of the war. The text is mostly autobiographical and discusses the author's decision to leave the province (and the family) to live in Milan. There the main character lives a life based on alienation where economic boom is in contrast with the pessimistic consequences of the society of the 60's. A book that has more than fifty years old, but is still discussing very current matters.

WHERE TO STAY: in Milan there's a place which doesn't only accommodate backpackers from around the world - but rather has become a cultural landmark for the city, with a wide range of events not to be missed. We are talking about Gogol Hostel and Literary Café, more than an accommodation experience!

9 - NEW YORK CITY

The New York Trilogy is a collection of three novels set in the Big Apple more than ever surreal and hallucinatory. The style of the crime novel resembles a hard boiled novel, but as Paul Auster usually does in his books, what appears behind the story is a collection of mysterious and vertiginous facts. Absolutely recommended.

WHERE TO STAY: in New York City we recommend the NY Moore Hostel, primarily because it's a great hostel and it's just a few steps from the beautiful library Mellow Pages!

10 - AMSTERDAM

The Fault in Our Stars is a story of two young people, Hazel and Augustus, sharing the fate of Hazel suffering from a serious disease of tumor. They however realise they can deal with the obstacles of their conditions given and find a strong willinh of life, leading them to take a trip to Amsterdam. But fate is unpredictable and doesn't ask for anyone's permissions. The novel by John Green has become a real cult among teenagers around the world.

WHERE TO STAY: Since this book is much loved by girls, we offer a girls-only hostel, the HostElle. There's everything you have ever wished for, even a fantastic library of books, magazines and games!

If you love reading and travelling, we hope you enjoyed this top 10 and will refer to the gallery options that we have dedicated to travel books.