Greece › Santorini › Atlantis Books
By Santorini Dave
Updated: September 25, 2025
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Atlantis Books is a world-renowned independent bookstore on the cliffs of Santorini. An essential stop for any book lover visiting the island, it was famously recognized by National Geographic as one of the top ten bookstores in the world. After two decades as a beloved institution in Oia, the shop relocated in 2024 and is now beautifully situated in the village of Firostefani.
Inside Atlantis Books’ new Firostefani location in 2024
The New Firostefani Location
The bookstore now occupies a modern, spacious home within the Petros M. Nomikos Conference Centre, located directly on the famous Fira-Oia walking path. While different from its original cave-like setting, the new location offers its own unique magic.
The View: The uninterrupted, panoramic view of the caldera from the entrance of the Firostefani shop is breathtaking, offering a wider perspective than the enclosed alleys of Oia.
The Space: The new shop is brighter and more open, allowing the carefully curated book selection to be displayed beautifully. The spirit of the original – with its hand-written notes, cozy reading nooks, and passionate staff – is still very much alive.
What to Find: The collection remains exceptional, featuring new and classic fiction, poetry, philosophy, and a large selection of books on Greek history and mythology. Titles are available in multiple languages, including English, Greek, French, Spanish, and German.
Atlantis Books’ originial Oia location.
The Legendary History: The Oia Era
Atlantis Books was founded in 2004 by a group of friends from the US and UK who fell in love with Santorini but were dismayed by the lack of a proper bookstore. They opened their dream shop in a traditional whitewashed cave house in Oia. For twenty years, visitors descended steep steps into a magical warren of rooms, filled to the brim with books, hand-painted murals, and the occasional sleeping cat. It became a cultural hub, hosting literary festivals, readings, and gatherings that cemented its legendary status. Facing rising rents, the founders made the difficult decision to move, ensuring the bookstore’s survival for future generations of readers.
Craig, one of the original founders, and I in the new Firostefani location.
Atlantis Books Hours & Information
- Season: Open year-round, with limited hours in the winter.
- Hours: Somewhat sporadic; generally 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in summer and from noon until sunset in the winter months.
- 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
Santorini’s beloved Atlantis Books, at its new location in Firostefani.
It’s pretty easy to find, but keep an eye out for these iron gates and this sign.
A good Greek Interest section.
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.
As of September, 2025, the new timeline is still being drawn.
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