This is a must-see attraction. The bookstore was an old theatre, and you see that the minute you enter the building. The circular sides of the building were once the seating area. The stage area now contains a coffee shop, but the red curtains are still there. In an area of the coffee shop, you can see the original panel that was used to control the lights, etc. when the building was used as a theatre. The highlight is the beautiful ceiling. This place is popular with tourists and locals purchasing books. I would recommend coming here but try to arrive early in the day before it gets too crowded, especially if you want a coffee and pastry. When we were there several tour groups were coming in and the café was very short staffed, so we ended up leaving and finding a nice café down the street to get coffee and pastries.

A truly beautiful bookshop within an old cinema, retaining all its beautiful charm with painted ceiling, original galleries and boxes. A pleasant cafe selling delicious cakes at the rear of the building, on the old 'stage'. Free to enter and we'll worth a visit.

El Ateneo is definitely worth a quick peak. An old theater, it has been repurposed into a Barnes & Noble-like bookstore. While the retail component is completely underwhelming (unless you're in the market for a Spanish language book), the architecture of the original building is spectacular and exceptionally interesting to see how they have repurposed it for today's marketplace. The ceiling and plaster work alone make a quick visit worth the effort.

I am a book blogger and long-time book lover, and you can't miss this bookstore. It's dreamy and gorgeous. I recommend planning to read for a while in the café on the stage. I had an excellent coffee there. The book selection in English is slim but that's not the point of a visit!

Enter a stunning antique theater that has remained almost unchanged since performers have performed there. Imagine the stage being transformed into a café where patrons may have a cup of coffee while sipping books they may or may not want to purchase while looking back at a different type of audience, books on the parterre, and book shelves lining the walls of all the balconies above. There is a wide range of music in the basement. Without a doubt, this is one of the best booksellers in the entire globe. The staff is helpful, energetic, and kind.

This must be the most elegant and unusual book store in the world. Located in a converted theater, the store has three floors with thousands of books. The stage is a coffe shop the the private boxes are available for reading, relaxing, and people watching. Things appear to be well organized but this is an assumption as there were no english titles that I could find. It's worth a quick peek, even if you are not in the market for a book.

We incorporated exercise to see this place, sprint walking from our hotel (Tango de Mayo) which is by Congreso Nacional. I'm not into books or reading per se, but this place is amazing! It is worth it for the view, and pics. This place is #1 on the TA list, which surprises me in some regards (because there are so many fabulous places to see in BA), but at the same time this place is awesome.

Like the majority of the people in El Ateneo Grand Splendid we went there to see the architecture. It truly was beautiful and worth the effort to visit. Take the stairs or elevator to the second balcony level for the best views. There is a cafe at the original theatre stage for those that desire beverages or food.

It’s an amazing experience to walk into this former theatre and see it transformed into a bookstore. The original features of the theatre have been well-maintained and preserved. It’s a beautiful building. (And I wish I was fluent in Spanish so that I could’ve looked through all of the books. We did pick up a dual language cookbook!)

I love to read so knew that this had to be a stop for us during our time in Buenos Aires. My husband is not as much of a book lover, and I didn't tell him what made this bookstore "splendid" but as soon as we exited the stairwells and walked to the overview of the main floor and stage area, he understood. The store is in a former opera house, and took great advantage of the beautiful architecture and decorations. We didn't buy any books, although I looked at a few (but all the ones I saw were in Spanish, which I don't read well enough to need a book in). This is really more of a draw for the views rather than the shopping for most, but it was definitely worth seeing.