Santorini Greece | tourist travel guide to Santorini holidays

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Archipelagos, Dionysos, Naoussa, Sphinx, Zafora,Volcano

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Dolphin, Franco's

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Fira Santorini

The island capital of THIRA, THERA or FIRA overlooks a magnificent caldera atop some 300m of sheer black, red and brown stratified cliffs. Holiday cruise ships anchor by the dozen in the bay below and most dock at the 'new' port of Athinios, built after the 1956 earthquake. A winding road snakes up the cliff in a series of tight hairpin bends that are taken a hair raising speeds by taxi and bus drivers.

The old port, 'Ormos', lies directly below the town in water so deep that ship anchor chains won't reach the sea bed. Giant mooring buoys have been built for cruise chips to tie to. The old port is little more than a quayside and holiday visitors don't stay for long, though there are now restaurants and some small shops.

Embarking tourists can be pestered with offers of a mule ride up a steep, zigzag staircase while less adventurous opt for the more sedate Austrian-built cable car. It's not advisable to walk the 600 or so steps. The 250m staircase path is heart-stoppingly steep and those not brushed aside by galloping mule teams must pick their way through copious donkey droppings.

It is no more advisable to mount a mule - though the saddles do seem popular with obese Americans. The grim-faced riders bounce along, scraping thighs and legs against the rough stone walls. Mule owners don't rely on customer satisfaction - there is always the next cruise ship. Riding a mule down the steep slope is an even bigger mistake than riding up. The animals career downhill at speeds that suggest they would like nothing better than to catapult their burdens over the low walls and into the sea below.

In Fira itself white cube houses and blue-domed churches spill down the cliff terraces in an appealing mish-mash that was extensively rebuilt by cement mixers after the earthquake in 1956. Staggering views of the caldera are offered from the tables of cafes and bars and watching the nightly sunset is a very popular, if very expensive, holiday pastime.

And there lies Fira's biggest disappointment - nothing is now left of the quiet tavernas, the old kafenia or the tiny grocery shops that once lined the caldera. They have all been supplanted with trendy boutiques, expensive jewellery shops and outrageously pricey bars, many of them belting out cheesy music.

Everything now seems geared to teasing cash from the endless stream of holiday wallets. For example, Santorini island abounds in volcanic pumice, yet scores of shops sell 'rare' pumice to the gullible. Tavernas are also more geared to the appetites of passing cruise ship passengers with fast food in buckets - the ridiculously named McZorbas says it all.

The most expensive shops flank the main road, whilst most nightclubs can be found near the main staircase, offering beautiful caldera views for the heaving crowds as they down fabulously priced drinks.

Fira village winds like an artery along the caldera rim while a cliff path runs from the Mayor's offices to the Nomikos Conference Centre. A Catholic cathedral dominates the scene and a nearby convent sells hand-made rugs and embroidery. The north of the village is less volatile, more peaceful and well worth exploring.

The museum is a bit of a washout as the fabulous frescos found during excavations at Akrotiri in the south have all been carted off to Athens. But the Megaron Gyzi museum is worth a poke around if only for old maps of the Cyclades and photos of Fira before the 1956 earthquake.

The Archaeological and Prehistoric Museum opens 8.30am - 3pm and the Megaro Gizi Museum 10.30am - 1.30pm, 5pm - 8pm and Sunday 10.30am-4.30pm. There is also the Folklore Museum which opens 10am - 2pm.

Fira Santorini holiday reviews

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Firastefani Santorini

Taking the road north out of Fira brings you to THIRASTEFANI or FIRASTEFANI, once a separate village but now pretty well swallowed up by its growing neighbour.

The name means 'crown of Fira' and it is said to have the best sunset views on the island, though the claim is moot since all the villages that sit along the north eastern rim will claim the same. Frankly one sunset view is pretty much as good as any other and, frankly, they are all stunning thanks to the sulphur heavy air above the caldera volcano.

Still, Firastefani is marginally less busy than its noisy neighbours and slightly less expensive. There is hardly a village as such. It is now almost entirely composed of holiday hotels, pools, villas and apartments with a few restaurants and cafes perched precariously along the cliff top.

VISITORS RECOMMEND

Best eating

Yaris

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Jacks

Best clubbing

Colorado

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Imerovigli Santorini

If you prefer your caldera sunset views without huge swarms of trippers then IMEROVIGLI is the place to head for. Though, like Firastefani, it is still little more than an extension of Fira it tends not to fill up with day visitors and is a little too far out of town at 3km for cruise boat passengers on shore leave.

It is the highest spot along the caldera rime and the awe inspiring views peak at the cliff top site of SKAROS, an imposing but ruined citadel fortress which the Venetians once made the island capital.

The village is now classed a 'Traditional Settlement' to protect it against over development even though much of the village was destroyed in the 1956 earthquake. The buildings that survived have been tastefully restored, particularly the traditional 'cave' homes that were carved into the hillside.

The Church of the Panagia Malteza has an impressive iconostasis and icons depicting scenes from the Old Testament. A small white chapel nearby occupies the site of the Rocca - a once impregnable fortress that resisted all that an attackers could throw at it but was destroyed by the 1956 earthquake and a cliffside footpath runs from here back to Fira to offer some of the best views over the caldera.

Imerovigli Santorini holiday reviews

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Oia Santorini

If Fira is trendy, the phonetically challenged OIA (pronounced Eea) is upmarket trendy. The position is much the same as its noisier neighbour - splendid views over the caldera rim, yachts bobbing in the bay below and a winding staircase down to a small quay.

Once a major fishing port, quite a number of houses survived the 1956 earthquake and many have been tastefully restored. Some are bright, rich colours but most are painted brilliant white, clinging to the red and grey cliffs so closely that one family's roof can be another's courtyard.

Shops tend to sell more authentic - if expensive - goods, food is more traditional Greek and the annoying thump of disco music is usually absent. This is the place to go for designer jewellery, arty art galleries and card crunching boutiques.

Many people gather in the main square, overlooking the sea, to glimpse the gaudy sunsets. The square gets crowded in the afternoon as buses bring in the tourists. By early evening it is packed with sunset watchers who will sometime offer an implausible and slightly daft round of applause as the sun sinks over the horizon.

Worth a visit is the Maritime Museum, with its models of ships and other sea-going paraphernalia which opens 10am - 2pm and 5pm - 8pm. The village also has several art galleries and a cultural centre among the inevitable souvenir and gift shops.

A warning for visitors in cars - stick the official car parks. Illegal parking can bring a swift and heavy fine. Unlike Fira, Oia has access to the sea at AMOUDI and at ARMENI, where there are small quaysides with waterfront tavernas. They are both at the bottom of very steep stone staircases of 200 to 300 steps, though you can take a mule ride if you prefer.

Oia Santorini holiday reviews

Cape Koulombo Santorini

The far northern coastline is virtually inaccessible until you reach BAXEDES through an area of low rolling hills. The beach as Baxedes, also called PARADISOS, is long and pebbly but, notable for Santorini, the waters are fairly shallow. There is a beach cantina in the summer and some sun beds for hire.

Another gritty black beach is found a little further south at CAPE KOULOMBO. This is a long but thin narrow strip of coarse sand backed by looming cliffs that wouldn't look out of place in a bleak sci-fi movie. The wind has carved the cliffs into weird and interesting shapes. There are no facilities and few holiday visitors make it to this exposed part of the coast. The beach is quite a walk from the car park. About 4km offshore is an underwater crater - the remains of a volcanic eruption that devastated Santorini island in 1650.

Further south still is a small beach at PORI, set in a tranquil bay beneath hillside vineyards and with a small fishing quay and a couple of tavernas. It is well worth a diversion for those looking to escape the crowds. Swimmers should take care here though as the currents are notoriously strong.

Vourvoulos Santorini

VOURVOULOS village is an inland continuation of Firastefani but a lot quieter with extensive views to both sides of the island. There are a number of small beaches along this stretch of coast. The most northerly is XIROPIGADO, a narrow strip of pebble down a dirt track off the main east coast road and not particularly notable.

Just south is Vourvoulos beach itself, down another dirt track and not particularly attractive either. It is the same thin strip of gravel, though black sand is more in evidence here and there. There is a small harbour with fishing boats, a coastal path is lined with beech trees and there is a taverna. A long cement wall doesn't add to the charm of the place and, being open and exposed, the beach tends to attract a lot of debris. If the wind gets up the waves can be seriously strong.

Further south still is KANARAKI beach, named after a local factory owner, where dark greyish red bluffs of volcanic rock loom over a narrow beach of black pebbles. There are no facilities here or at nearby EXO GIALOS beach where caves have been hollowed out into the rock, although a small beach cantina sometimes opens in the summer months.

The best beach along this part of the coast is at KATERADOS where there is a long stretch of black sand and a couple of decent fish tavernas. A dirt track runs parallel to the beach all the way down to Monolithos.

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Monolithos Santorini

MONOLITHOS is a rather drab seaside village about 8km from Fira that takes its name from an impressive rock outcrop where now sits the church of Agios Ionassis.

The beach is a grey sand and shingle, long and deep and backed by brooding cliffs that hang above a narrow road along the back of the beach. The sand dips very sharply at the sea edge but after that the waters are shallow enough to wade so it's fine for families with children.

There is a beach cafe and shower with some tavernas and pool bars nearby but the place cannot shake off a rather desolate and empty air. A few trees can be found along the beach to offer natural shade but other than that it is a exposed place.

The chimney stacks of a nearby tomato canning factory fails to add much to the views. A rough track runs south from the airport fence nearby and along the shore opening out into uninterrupted, but unremarkable, beaches all the way to Kamari.

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Messaria Santorini

Inland from Monolithos and about 4km southeast of Fira is the heart of Santorini's wine making area and the village of MESSARIA, surrounded by vineyards. The a busy village crossroads, about 4km from Fira, is pretty much the centre of the island.

Over the past few years the village has been targeted by upmarket holiday developers and is now dotted with luxury apartments and holiday villas as well as a large number of speciality shops.

There are two fine churches here at Metamorphosis tou Sotiros and Aghia Irini, both built around 1700. The village retains some charm despite the recent additions and it's pleasant to stroll around the tiny streets. Away from the tourist throngs in Fira, this is a good central base for those wishing to explore the island.

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Pyrgos Santorini

Higher up the mountain is PYRGOS, one of the oldest and most picturesque villages on the island. It sits on the northern slopes of the 566m-high Profitis Ilias about 8km from Fira and is the highest village on Santorini.

It is very popular with holiday excursion tours, thanks to a good road and examples of the best of the island's traditional barrel-roofed houses as well as an attractive Venetian fortress. It is also home to many vineyards that crawl up the side of the mountain.

Near the top of the mountain is a small Monastery of Profitis Ilias, built in 1712, which has scenes from the entrance of heaven and hell, the latter's doors noticeably wider than the former's - oh well.

There is also an interesting, if small, museum. It's unfortunate that the monastery should share the mountain with a rash of ugly TV and radio masts erected alongside the disfiguring communication towers of a military base.

VISITORS RECOMMEND

Best eating

Achillion, Alexandria, Almira, Blue Diamond, Capricci, Marias, Semelis

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Hook, Syrtakis

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Kamari Santorini

A motley collection of more than 300 hotels, and even more bars and tavernas, make up Santorini's main beach resort at KAMARI. Black stones dominate the beach which is about 2km long and generously strewn with sun beds and backed along its length with whitewashed concrete villas and holiday apartments.

If you want a modern, charmless beach resort with all the facilities then this is the place. Completely rebuilt after the 1956 earthquake this is basically a beach with wall-to wall tavernas, bars, cafes and tourist shops.

If it's peace and quiet you are after, think again. The airport noise alone may be enough to put you off and the crowds rival any other resort on Santorini. Kamari is very family oriented with nothing in the way of clubbing nightlife.

Regimented lines of sun beds keep the holiday visitors well organised but the black grit beach can get insufferably hot at the height of summer. Wise visitors will grab a spot near the sea where they can quickly cool off.

The beach however drops sharply into the water and there can be strong currents offshore, so it's not ideal for children. There are also millions of fag ends and visitors report problems with stray dogs that frequent the resort.

That aside it is a very popular resort indeed and features in most Greek island holiday brochures, if only for the novelty of a black sand beach. Of note is the church of Panagia Myrtidiotissa which holds a festival on September 24 when tourists are invited to wine and dine with the locals. On August 15 Panagia Episkopi celebrates the feast of the Virgin Mary. There is also an annual jazz festival and an outdoor cinema opens in the summer on the road to Fira.

Kamari Santorini holiday reviews

VISITORS RECOMMEND

Best eating

Charlinas, Cyclades, Finikas, God's Garden, Hellas, Laterna, Lava, Mermaid , Volcano

Best drinking

Boss Club, Cafe del Mar, Castle, Dorians, Full Moon, Meltemi, News, Yazz

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Perissa Santorini

Looking down from the mountain at Profitis Ilias you can easily make out the long, black sands of PERISSA and the pretty seaside setting has attracted holiday developers in force.

Apartments have sprung up in ramshackle fashion but well back from the beach, which saves the scenery but gives holiday visits a long and tiring trek to the sands which stretch to the south for around 5km.

The black shingle and sand tends to get very hot very quickly> By midday the shade-free resort can feel more barbecue than beach. The mountainous headland to the north also makes the beach well sheltered from the meltemi wind, so it can feel stifling.

Perissa beach shelves steeply into the sea and along the shoreline lie slippery slabs, so it's not a great place for children. However, it is growing in popularity and now has all the usual tourist facilities and a wide selection of watersports.

Perissa has a rough and tumble air that attracts young couples and it sports a huge campsite to house them. There are a couple of good launderettes,an excellent bakery and several minimarkets. Eucalyptus groves provide some shade in the resort centre (if you can say Perissa has one).
Perissa is also a popular day trip target for those based in beachless Fira on the other side of the island. There is a water park nearby but visitors claim it is little more than a pool and a couple of slides.

Perissa Santorini holiday reviews

VISITORS RECOMMEND

Best eating

Yaris

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Jacks

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Colorado

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Perivolos Santorini

The beach resort at PERIVOLOS is mainly used for holiday tourist overspill from Perissa which lies about 20 minutes walk along the pretty coastline on the southern side of the headland. The beach is long and deep and the sand is a little lighter than its more popular neighbour.

The village of Perivolos has little more than a handful of tavernas, a minimarket and a bakery. Like other beaches on this coast the sand drops sharply into the sea, so children must take care. More in its favour is that the sand seems softer underfoot beyond the shoreline than most other Santorini beaches.

There are plenty of bars and tavernas along the back of the sands and popular beach bars belt out club music that helps to attract a lively club scene holiday crowd in the high season. There is little to show where Perissa beach becomes Perivolos except for the sand turning a lighter shade of grey.

Further south the beach becomes AGIOS GEORGIOS, again with no noticeable markings but a headland there shows that you are on the southern tip of the island. It is considerably quieter here with just a few beach bars.

It is quieter still at nearby VLICHADA where there is a small marina and a beach backed by eroded cliffs and strangely sculpted rock and sand formations that look like a landscape from another planet.

Kokkino Paralia - Red Beach Santorini

Just below Akrotiri are a string of small beaches, the best know of which is KOKKINO PARALIA or RED BEACH where sun beds sit on pebbles under the most startling blood-red cliffs of lava that plunge almost vertically to the black sand shore.

The beach, a favourite with nudists, is narrow and shelves rather steeply into the sea. The sheer cliffs behind give a claustrophobic feel. There are meals and snacks served at a nearby hotel and boat trips from here to some less accessible beaches along this stretch of shore.

These include ASPRI PARALIA or WHITE BEACH to the west and found down a narrow dirt track, although it is more usual to arrive by boat; KAMBIA BEACH signposted from the lighthouse down a dirt track which has large pebbles, sun beds and a summer cantina.

Also along this stretch of coastline is the stone and shingle beach of MESA PIGADIA, again off a dirt road near the lighthouse that is notable for its unusual rock formations and caves. There is a summer cantina here. All these beaches along here are served by boats that leave daily from the beach below the entrance to the Akrotiri archaeological site.

Ancient Fira Santorini

Just inland from Kamari on the hill overlooking both this beach resort and Perissa to the south is ANCIENT THIRA, the excavated site of the foremost post-Minoan settlement on the island.

A steep 4km hairpin road leads from Kamari to the site where excavations are spread over a long terraced area. The views alone are worth the trip, quite exhilarating with a dizzying drop to the sea below.

Here are remains of an early Christian basilica, foundations of temples and houses, an impressive amphitheatre, relief rock carvings and even some 3,000-year-old graffiti. The Artemidoros sanctuary was hewn out of the rock face around 400BC and is carved with inscriptions and symbols of the gods, such as an eagle for Zeus and a lion for Apollo.

In the centre of the city is the Agora or market place. The northern part is older with a Doric temple. The southern part was added in the Roman period with a portico, a temple building and the Royal Stoa built about 100BC. A Doric colonnade once supported the roof. Two inscribed slabs in the west wall, record that the portico was repaired in AD 149 by Kleitosthenes.

The road up to ancient Thira is a steep series of tight bends, very narrow but with a few passing places. Parts of the can be seen from the parking area, but to see everything you follow a steep and twisting trail over the hillside with sheer drops in places so you need a head for heights.

Akrotiri Santorini

On the south western arm of the island stands AKROTIRI, a pleasant if unremarkable village with fine views over the caldera. There are the remains of a Venetian fortress which stands above the village, much damaged in the 1956 earthquake and there are beaches nearby on either coast to the north and to the south.

It also has one of the finest and best preserved archaeological finds in the Cyclades, if not the whole of Greece. Totally enclosed by a massive roof structure, the site has been unfortunately closed since 2005 following a roof collapse that killed a visiting tourist. Hopefully it will be open again in 2008.

Here a Minoan city was buried in volcanic ash around 1500 BC. It remained untouched until evidence of its existence was uncovered in the 1860s as pumice was being excavated to help build the Suez Canal. Subsequent excavations unearthed paved lanes lined with three-storey houses and rooms full of artifacts including large, unbroken vessels and storage jars.

As at Pompeii, the finds were of an extraordinary state of preservation as a result of being buried under tons of ash. Particularly impressive were superlative collections of murals and wall frescos. Unfortunately for island visitors they were removed from the site and now adorn the walls of the Archaeological Museum in Athens.

Visitors to the site on Santorini must be satisfied with a glimpse of a badly illustrated guide book, some poor quality photo-reproductions and a series of dispiriting signs saying exasperating things like 'In this room the famous painting of the Akrotiri boxers was found.'

Archaeologist also found elaborately carved wooden furniture, though no skeleton remains, suggesting the inhabitants had abandoned the place in a big hurry.

Latest news is that the site is unlikely to reopen until late 2009 but check locally. If it is not open there is no point going as the site is not visible from the road. Anyone interested in the island's Minoan history can visit the Museum of Prehistoric Thira in Fira.

Santorini wines

Santorini's volcanic rock is dry and dusty, but rich in minerals and good for vine growing. The predominant grape is Assyrtiko which produces a good dry white wine. The white wines from Santorini are bone-dry with a distinct aroma of citrus and hint of minerals from the volcanic soil. The dessert wines of Santorini are called 'vinsanto', a derivative of the name Santorini. Vinsanto can be naturally sweet and distinguished by an aroma of dried apricots.

The main grapes are Assyrtiko - first cultivated on Santorini - Athiri, a white ancient Greek variety with a thin skin and sweet, fruity fruity juice; Aidani - another ancient Greek white grape mainly found in the Cyclades islands; Mandilaria - a red grape originally cultivated in the Cyclades, Rhodes and Crete and now notably in Paros; Mavrotragano - a recently revived sweet red variety.

What makes Santorini vines special is their age - many are more than 100 years old, having survived deadly diseases that ravaged crops on many other islands. Vines are grown low and are protected from the wind by woven cane fences. Boutari built a new winery in 1988 and helped revive the wine industry which is now very healthy.

The island also produces fava beans and very small tasty tomatoes which are made into tomato paste. It is also noted for its 'chloro' goat's milk cheeses.

Santorini Greece offshore islets

Regular boat excursions head for the charred volcanic islets that sit in the Santorini caldera. The main islets of PALIA KAMENI and NIA KAMENI, also Palea and Nea Kameni sit squarely in the centre of the caldera. The burning core of the old volcano is still active with the latest crater on Nia being formed in 1950.

Expectations of daily boat trippers who toil up the steep ash slopes for a taste of live volcano are rarely met. The well-worn 30min tourist trail is well strewn with rubbish, the air is foul with sulphur fumes and the views of hot, black ash are about as interesting as - well, views of hot, black ash. For a further attraction you can jump off the boat at Palea Kameni (literally) and enjoy the volcanic waters that are warmed by hot springs and sulphur smelling mud.

THIRASSIA is the other islet, and a far more attractive proposition for those less interested in volcanoes. Actually another part of the caldera rim It was the main port for Santorini until an earthquake in 236 BC separated it from the main island. The views from here are every bit as good as those on the main island but without the downside of rampant tourism that runs through Fira and Oia. The fertile inland plateau is great for growing the tiny tomatoes and beans for which the island is noted and the local dishes based on them are delicious.

Most tour boats make for the shingle beach at KORFOS where a path climbs up to MANOLAS, the largest village. There is also an uninhabited rock islet at ASPRONISI that everyone except vulcanologists quite properly ignore.

The cataclysmic eruption of 1640 BC split the island in two and water flooded into the caldera to a depth of around 375m. The tidal wave from this extraordinary event is generally held responsible for the destruction of the Minoan civilisation on the coast of northern Crete. Volcanic ash more than 30m thick in places and quarrying resultant pumice was central to the island's economy before the advent of tourism. This was not the only eruption in Santorini's history there have been many more before and since. A series of 18th century eruptions threw up the island of Nia Kameni at the centre of the caldera and in 1956 severe earthquakes demolished the main town of Thira and reduced many homes in Oia to rubble.

Links to Santorini volcano sites
  Santorini Volcano
  Prehistoric Archaeology of the Aegean
  Volcano World