Santorini Art Glass Margaret & Alexia

Santorini Art Glass, listed on Google as Santorini Art Glass Margaret & Alexia, is a small artist-run gallery in Fira. It sells handmade fused glass and sand-cast bronze sculpture, from paperweights and lucky charms to LED-lit fish and large hanging pieces. You’ll find it on the pedestrian lane that leads to the Fira cable car. The gallery says it has been open since 1989 and ships purchases abroad free of charge.

It works best as a 30- to 60-minute stop if you’re already walking between central Fira and the cable car. You don’t need to buy anything to look around. If you do buy, this guide covers pricing, shipping and tax-free paperwork.

Santorini Art Glass quick facts

What Santorini Art Glass makes

Most of the work mixes glass and metal. The gallery says its standard bronze pieces are made with sand casting, an old technique where molten metal is poured into a mold packed from sand. Its special designs are shaped by hand over a flame, with no casting and no molds, so no two are identical. Many pieces also include quartz and sea glass the artists pick out themselves.

The themes are mostly about the sea: fish, seahorses, sailing ships and Aegean myths. One visitor described the shop as full of fused art glass inspired by Greece and the sea, with pieces that range from playful to classical to mythical.

Here’s what shows up again and again in listings and visitor reviews:

• Small pieces: glass paperweights, lucky charms and jewelry that fit in hand luggage
• Sea-life sculpture: seahorses, sailfish and fish skeletons in bronze or gold-finish metal with glass details
• Lit pieces: LED fish lamps made from glass and bronze
• Large work: sailing ships, hanging artworks and chandeliers
• Other media: paintings and mixed glass-and-metal pieces

The artists and the Margaret & Alexia name

On Google Maps the gallery appears as Santorini Art Glass Margaret & Alexia, and its Instagram handle is @margaretalexia. Visitor reviews from 2023 and 2024, however, name the people behind the counter as Margaret and Jordan. One reviewer described Margaret as the glass artist and Jordan as the brass and metal artist, both on site and happy to explain their process.

Public listings don’t explain where the Alexia part of the name comes from, so we haven’t guessed. What matters for visitors is that the Google listing, the website and the Tripadvisor page for Santorini Art Glass in Fira are all the same business.

How to find Santorini Art Glass in Fira

The gallery sits on the lane that runs from central Fira to the upper cable car station. The address is simply “way to the cable car,” and the landmark is a large bougainvillea tree near the door. Streets here are pedestrian-only, so you’ll walk the last few minutes whatever way you arrive.

• From the Fira bus station: walk toward the caldera edge, then follow signs for the cable car (Teleferik). Signs start near the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral.
• From the Old Port: ride the cable car up. It climbs about 220 meters in 3–5 minutes, and a one-way ticket costs €10 for adults and €5 for children. The gallery is on your walk from the top station into town.
• By car or ATV: park in one of the public lots on the edge of Fira and walk in. Parking in the center is very limited.

Arriving on a cruise ship? Our Santorini cruise port guide covers cable car queues and how early to head back down for your tender.

Opening hours and the best time to go

Hours vary by season and source. Our listing shows daily 10:00–21:00 in season. Other directories show the shop open from 09:00 until after midnight. Tripadvisor has shown a “temporarily closed” flag, even though reviewers reported the shop open in May and October 2024. If the visit matters to you, especially outside summer, call +30 698 582 4519 first.

For timing, avoid the hours when cruise passengers pack the cable car lane. Mid-morning, before the ships unload, or evening, after the last tenders leave, gives you room to look at fragile pieces and talk with the artists.

Buying, shipping and tax-free tips

Buyers’ experiences follow a clear pattern. These steps help you avoid surprises:

1. Ask for the price and what it includes. One critical review said prices weren’t displayed. Happier buyers said the artists explained exactly what the price covered, shipping included.
2. Let the gallery ship it. The gallery says shipping is free. One buyer said their pieces shipped within a few days and arrived well packed. Another said the owners stayed in touch throughout a shipment to Canada.
3. Get tax-free paperwork if you live outside the EU. A Canadian buyer said the owners walked them through claiming the tax refund at Athens airport, their last EU stop. Ask for the forms when you pay, not afterward.
4. Ask about custom orders. The gallery takes custom commissions through the chat on its website, which helps if you want a specific size, color or theme.

Other glass and bronze galleries in Fira

If you want to compare before buying, several other Fira shops sell glass or bronze art:

For a broader overview of where to shop on the island, see our Santorini shopping guide.

Is Santorini Art Glass worth visiting?

For most visitors who like handmade art, yes. Reviews are mostly glowing: our listing data shows 4.6 stars from about 312 Google reviews, and 11 of 14 Tripadvisor reviewers rated it excellent. Buyers often mention one-of-a-kind pieces, artists who take time to explain their work, and no pressure to buy. One visitor said it’s worth going just to see the collection.

Not every review is positive. A 2023 reviewer found the owner brusque, disliked that prices weren’t shown, and pointed out there’s no glass furnace workshop to watch. Don’t expect a glassblowing demonstration. This is a gallery and shop, not a live studio tour.

• Go if: you want an original piece of Greek art rather than a mass-produced souvenir, or you’re walking to the cable car anyway
• Skip if: you want to watch glass being blown, prefer shops with price tags on everything, or are short on time on a cruise stop

What to see nearby

The gallery is a few minutes’ walk from several of Fira’s main sights, so it fits easily into a half day in town:

• Museum of Prehistoric Thera: frescoes and finds from Akrotiri, about 0.2 miles away. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
• Archaeological Museum of Thera and the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral, both within a short walk on the way to the cable car
• MATI Fira and other small galleries along the caldera lanes
• Xani, a shopping arcade in Fira for fashion and everyday purchases
• Art Space in Exo Gonia, a contemporary gallery inside an old cave winery, if you want more art beyond Fira

Still deciding where to base yourself? Our Pyrgos vs Megalochori vs Fira comparison explains what each village is like, and our list of the best things to do in Santorini can help fill the rest of your day.

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