Is Atlantis Books in Santorini Open? 2024 Update
Atlantis Books in beautiful Santorini, Greece is one of the most famous bookstores in the world. You’ll find it on countless lists of the world’s most beautiful bookstores and bookstores to add to your bucket list. Atlantis Books is arguably one of the most frequently recommended Greece bookshops (although I’ve tracked down a ton of worthwhile bookstores you should visit in Athens).
Like many other book lovers, on my recent trip to Greece, I made my pilgrimage to the famous underground bookstore in Santorini’s Oia village. I’d seen so many beautiful pictures and videos of Atlantis Books, and since I’m all about literary travel and hunting down the world’s best independent bookstores, it was high on my priority list of Santorini sites.
I’d researched this indie bookshop ahead of time, too, but wasn’t sure what to expect. Google Maps told me that Atlantis Books was temporarily closed down, but when I perused all the Google reviews, I found conflicting information. Reviewers as recently as 2022 had said that it was sometimes open at the owner’s whim, while other reviewers said it seemed to be closed permanently. The website, on the other hand, still claims they are open daily, but doesn’t appear to have been updated in some time.
So when I hunted down Atlantis Books in Santorini, I did so with only the slightest hope of finding it open. Still, open or closed, I was determined to get down to the bottom of it: Is Atlantis Books in Santorini open or closed, and if the latter, is it temporary or permanent?
Let’s dive into the latest information about Atlantis Books in Santorini and establish once and for all: is Atlantis Books closed for good?
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Whenever possible, I recommend buying books at local bookshops or through Bookshop.org, because shopping there puts the profits right into the hands of indie bookstores all over the country.
Related: Have you been looking for new books like The Song of Achilles to scratch your itch for modern Greek mythology retellings? I’ve read and listed the best of the best, along with other great books set in Greece you should read.
So… is Atlantis Books in Santorini open or closed? 2024 Update
The short answer to the question of whether Atlantis Books in Santorini is open or closed is this:
- In 2023, the store was mostly closed, but seemed to have random open hours.
- In 2024, the store plans to reopen, in a new location.
Keep reading to find out more details.
My 2023 Visit to Santorini’s Atlantis Books
When I finally tracked down the underground bookstore below a main shopping street in Santorini’s Oia in June, 2023, I was disappointed if unsurprised to find it closed.
A sign hung in the doorway of Atlantis Books that read, “Sorry, we are closed for changes. Pardon our progress.”
Two phone numbers were also listed below the sign. I called and texted both numbers more than once to try to get hold of the Atlantis Books owner for more information, but I never got any answer or return call. This was also unsurprising, as I’d seen Google reviews and Reddit posts noting others had also been unsuccessful.
So, it appeared that as of June 2023, Santorini’s Atlantis Books was closed for the time being.
As a keen literary traveler and observer, I noted that the building above the bookshop appeared to be undergoing some renovation. When I looked more closely, I spied the beginnings of a mural on the ceiling that seemed to have a literary theme. So I went in search of more answers.
Related: If you’re visiting Santorini, Greece, make sure you take a 30-minute ferry to less-crowded Ios and visit this epic literary location.
In talking to some of the local shop owners about the bookstore, it seems that Atlantis Books has had a bit of a rough time recently. In the winter, which is the off-season of travel in the Greek islands, the bookstore was robbed, and some highly valuable, rare books were stolen. Another shop owner confirmed unofficially that the bookstore was moving into the space above the current shop this year, though whether it was a move or an expansion was unclear.
It was hard to get any more information from the local shop owners, who maybe know more than they would say, though I can hardly fault them for being tight-lipped to an outsider.
Still, it seems safe to guess that Atlantis Books in Santorini will likely be closed for the 2023 travel season, with the possibility of reopening with an expansion in a future year.
Related: If you like discovering the most beautiful bookstores in the world, check out the Livreria Lello in Porto, Portugal, and the Boekhandel Dominicanen in Maastricht, Netherlands.
The Future of Atlantis Books in Santorini (2024 and beyond)
The owners of Atlantis Books broke their extended silence with a Facebook update on January 5, 2024, and it’s good news! Atlantis Books is not gone for good, but will be entering into a new, third phase of the bookstore (the famous current location is their second).
Here’s what the Atlantis Books owners had to say:
We know. It’s been a while.
Today, on our 20th birthday, we would like you all to know that we are not dead. You may have read that somewhere, or even passed by the shop and assumed it was empty. But, we assure you, we are not dead. In fact, we are preparing to launch a new chapter – a new life – in a new building, same island but in a new town. In the coming months we will rebuild the bookshop and will welcome customers once again this spring. We are sad to bid farewell to the village of Oia, the only home we’ve ever known. We wish we could have stayed with you longer. We are grateful to all the beautiful people who came into that shop there and made it brim with so much life. Now we look forward to sharing the pangs and triumphs as our new home sprouts up. Watch this space. We look forward to seeing you all again. It’ll be a different space, but the same ol’ bookshop; as always, there will be a few good books and a glass of raki waiting for you. To another 20 years!
So, Atlantis Books will be moving out of the insanely popular Oia neighborhood (where real estate has certainly become a premium!) and into a new building on another part of the island. Work is in progress, and they hope to reopen to the public in spring, 2024.
My take: The word “hope” is important here, as these things often end up taking longer than expected. So if you are planning a trip to Santorini and definitely want to see the new Atlantis Books location, I would give yourself a buffer of a couple of months from that target date and plan your trip for later in 2024.
While no other details have been confirmed, I’ve seen credible rumors on the interspaces that the new building will be significantly larger than the previous one but still retain the same charm and character that have led people to fall in love with the iconic bookstore over the last twenty years.
Related: Atlantis Books is one of those bookstores that has gained huge fame thanks to social media. Another is the Acqua Alta bookstore in Venice, Italy.
Finding the former Atlantis Books in Santorini
The famous Atlantis Books location in Oia is now closed, but if you want to see the iconic entrance, here’s how to find it, at least for the time being. You’ll need to travel to the northern part of Santorini. Getting to Santorini is easy: either fly into the Santorini airport from your home airport or get to Santorini from Athens by ferry or flight.
Oia is the picture you think of when you picture Santorini, with the famous whitewashed walls and blue-domed churches. It’s the busiest part of Santorini, but it’s also incredibly beautiful.
This independent bookstore is easy to find if you know where to look. My number one tip? Do not put Atlantis Books into Google Maps to get directions here; it will take you on a wild goose chase through some admittedly beautiful side streets, but it will not get you to the main entrance.
Instead, put IslandPhotos into Google Maps. This should take you right next door to the former Atlantis Books, which is below street level. Or, simply wander down the primary shopping street in Oia and keep a sharp eye out as you browse.
Greece travel tip: If you’re spending any time in Athens on your Greece trip, make sure you make a half-day trip to the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion for one of the most beautiful sunset spots in Greece.
What to know about Atlantis Books
Atlantis Books is an international bookstore, selling titles in English, Italian, Greek, and many more languages. It was opened in 2004 by friends Craig and Oliver, who fell in love with Santorini and noted the lack of a bookstore there. They decided to open their own, “with the hope of bringing great art, literature, and conversation to one of the most beautiful environments in the world.”
Why the name Atlantis Books? While I can’t confirm that Atlantis Books was named for this reason, there’s a popular myth that the island of Santorini (or Thera, more accurately) is actually the lost island city of Atlantis.
This is because in around 1500 BCE, a volcano erupted here and buried the ancient Bronze age settlement of Akrotiri in ash, making it disappear instantly. (For this reason, Akrotiri is often called the Pompeii of Greece, and it’s totally worth a visit while on Santorini).
So, is Santorini really the lost city of Atlantis? Who knows. But it’s a fun legend all the same.
Travel tip: My favorite travel rewards credit card for European travel has been the Chase Sapphire Rewards card. Visa is accepted just about everywhere in Europe, and there are no foreign transaction fees on the card. Some of the travel benefits I love on the Chase Sapphire include free TSA pre-check or Global Entry (worth it every time), an annual $200 travel credit, an annual $200 hotel benefit, built-in rental car, and trip insurance, and points are worth 50% more when used to book travel. I travel around Europe a LOT, and I end up with many free flights and hotel stays from using my points on my Chase Sapphire.
Finding Accommodations in Santorini
You have several options of where to stay in Santorini if you are staying for more than a day trip (most people recommend at least two days in Santorini). You can stay in the crowded but iconic Oia, or, like me, in the quieter Fira, which is an easy bus ride from Oia but has fewer crowds and lower prices.
As you look for somewhere to stay, I recommend checking for lodging on Hotels.com. I almost always book my accommodations through Hotels.com, because you can earn rewards for every night you stay without having to choose only one hotel chain to be loyal to. You can even book locally owned apart hotels and bed and breakfasts.
If you’re looking for privately owned vacation rentals, I recommend checking VRBO. I’ve personally had much better experiences with their owners and rentals than I have with their primary competitor.
Travel Resources At-A-Glance
All of the following are links to sites and services I actually use to book and plan my travel or to purchase books or travel gear.
For flights: Skyscanner is my number one go-to resource for booking flights. I love using the “explore” function to find the cheapest places I can fly during a given time or using the fare calendar to identify the cheapest days to fly.
For hotels and lodgings: For hotels, hotels.com, and for vacation rentals, VRBO.com. I’ve had much better experiences with private rentals through this website than through other popular private vacation rental websites.
For car rentals: Kayak allows comparisons across a wide range of booking agencies and lists reviews of companies as well. I’ve found this to be the most user-friendly and efficient way to compare car rental prices.
For tours & excursions: Viator and Get Your Guide are my top choices for booking excursions and tour experiences in a new destination.
For travel gear: Amazon.com and REI for more outdoorsy items. Check out my travel gear recs here.
For booking trains & buses: I find the Omio app and website to be the most easily navigable for comparing options for public transportation, especially in Europe,
Best travel credit card: My favorite travel rewards credit card for European travel has been the Chase Sapphire Rewards card. Visa is accepted just about everywhere in Europe, and there are no foreign transaction fees on the card. Some of the travel benefits I love on the Chase Sapphire include free TSA pre-check or Global Entry (worth it every time), an annual $200 travel credit, an annual $200 hotel benefit, built-in rental car, and trip insurance, and points are worth 50% more when used to book travel. I travel around Europe a LOT, and I end up with many free flights and hotel stays from using my points on my Chase Sapphire.
For books: Bookshop.org often has prices as good as Amazon or sometimes better, but profits go to indie bookstores all over the country. Whenever possible, consider buying your books from this online indie bookshop resource.
Although the beautiful indie bookshop Atlantis Books seems to be closed until further notice, Santorini is still a gorgeous place to visit. It’s popular for a reason! I hope to return one day and hopefully catch Atlantis Books whenever it’s able to open its doors once more to book lovers.
Until then! Pin this post so you can return and see any updates on this great bookshop.
Hi Constance! I don’t know if you’ve seen on the bookstore’s social media, it is sadly closing for good in Oia, but they’re opening a store in a new town!
I was intrigued as to the reasons though, and even more after reading your post. I went back to the Vanity Fair article on Atlantis (which is a wonderful write-up of the bookstore’s whole history), and in it they mention that the owners of the property got permits to expand and build on top of the bookstore to increase the value of the property. They gave the option to Atlantis’ owners to either buy the property for a ridiculous amount of money and stay, or to close the store and leave. The landlords still had some permits to get at that time, so the bookstore continued to operate, until construction probably began this last year as you mentioned. My guess is that some luxury development will take the place of the bookstore, and the Atlantis owners have been dealing with figuring out what to do next.
The good news though is that they did find a new spot, the whereabouts are still unconfirmed but they say it will be open by spring, so it’s definitely going on my must-visit list 🙂
Hi Lea, you are so fast! Haha yes I saw the Facebook announcement and am very excited about it. Updated the post to reflect it today! Hope we can both make it there some day.