Greece › Santorini › Atlantis Books
By Santorini Dave
Santorini’s beloved Atlantis Books, at its new location in Firostefani.
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Atlantis Books is a wonderful independent bookstore in Santorini, previously located in Oia and recently moved to the cliffside village of Firostefani. Renowned worldwide for its charm, carefully curated selection, and stunning location, it has been listed by National Geographic as one of the Top 10 Bookstores in the World. And as far as we’re concerned, no trip to Santorini seems complete without a stop and a purchase here.
The bookstore was founded in 2004 by a group of young travelers from the US and UK who had visited Santorini and were surprised by the noticeable lack of proper bookstores on the island. Enchanted with the stunning setting and inspired by their love for literature, they decided to create their own.
Atlantis Books’ originial Oia location.
The original bookstore was set up in a traditional whitewashed cave house in Oia, with steep steps leading down into a cave-like warren of rooms. Over the years, it became famous for its selection of books in multiple languages (English, Greek, French, Italian, Spanish, and German), along with a collection of rare editions. It had a cozy, literary, bohemian atmosphere, with hand-painted walls, books stacked in every available space, and always a cat or two lounging around.
Over the years, Atlantis Bookstore functioned not just as a bookstore but also as a cultural hub, hosting literary festivals, readings, film screenings, and artistic gatherings.
Despite its success, Atlantis Books faced challenges, including high rent and changing tourism patterns, that prompted a 2024 relocation to the site of the Nomikos Cultural and Conference Center in Firostefani. Although the location has changed, the vibe, views, and great selection of books remains the same, and and it survives as a beloved destination for book lovers and travelers seeking a literary escape amid Santorini’s breathtaking scenery.
Inside Atlantis Books’ new Firostefani location in 2024
Atlantis Books Hours & Information
- Season: Open year-round, with limited hours in the winter.
- Hours: Somewhat sporadic; generally open from noon until sunset in the winter months, and until late in the evening during the summer.
- Website: atlantisbooks.org
- Location: Petros Nomikos Conference Center, Firostefani – just above Volkan on the Rocks Cafe and Volkan Cinema.
- Telephone: +30 22860 72346
- Email: hello@atlantisbooks.org
- Bus: The closest bus stop is in Firostefani’s central square, a 7-minute walk (450m) away.
- Parking: A small parking lot is located a 4-minute walk (270m) away.
Atlantis Books in Firostefani, Santorini
This is the entrance to the original Atlantis Books in Oia, Santorini.
From the main pedestrian path in Oia, steep steps led down to a series of cave-style rooms.
Inside, books, maps, artwork, literary quotations, and bric-a-brac lined the walls up from the floor to the domed, cave ceiling.
A hand-painted timeline snaked through the rooms, telling the story of the bookstore’s development and significant occasions in the lives of its owners and staff.
This sign near the original Oia site directs customers to the shop’s new location in Firostefani.
This is the entrance to the bookstore’s new location within the Petros Nomikos Cultural and Conference Center.
It is located on the main cliffside path through Firostefani, just above/across from Volkan On The Rocks Cafe and Volkan Cinema.
It’s pretty easy to find, but keep an eye out for these iron gates and this sign.
At the time of our visit in September of 2023, the reopening was just getting into full swing.
The shop continues to carry an excellently-curated selection of new and used books in many languages.
As in the original location, the collection is housed in a series of cozy rooms, accented with plenty of literary miscellanea.
View from the cozy cashier’s station.
If you ask nicely after making a purchase, the bookseller might stamp your book’s title page with their iconic logo as a souvenir of your visit.
This wall leads into a room that houses a photo display of the bookstore’s founding, and tells the story of the shop. It reads, in part, “For a while, the bookshop felt like home. We laughed about how our children would run it someday. Then came a series of misfortunes and mistakes. Twenty years after we began – in the winter of 2024 – we found ourselves homeless, penniless, and presumably finished. Only the good grace of Mister Peter Nomikos and his team have kept us from falling off the cliffside. Somehow we are not dead yet. So here we are in these new, big empty rooms, with a few hammers and saws and a few boxes of books and blankets. We are older and yes, we are tired. But we often said we would do it again. So here we are, doing it again. Watch us being reborn, and remember with us. We are so lucky that we still don’t know how it ends, but we’re sure it’s a journey worth remembering.”
The photo display room.
In autumn of 2024, in the Firostefani Atlantis Books location, the new timeline was just beginning to be drawn.
About Santorini Dave