Santorini, known to locals as Thira, is the most famous of the Greek Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. Voted Best Island in the World year after year by international travel guides, Santorini benefits from uniquely stunning scenery with its Caldera views, blue-domed churches, hotels to suit all budgets and a wide variety of restaurants from modest Greek tavernas to exclusive establishments with Michelin-starred chefs.
Well-served by its recently upgraded international airport, Santorini is easily reached from many airports in Northern Europe, either directly or via Athens. You can also take a ferry from Athens as well as other Greek islands like Crete.
A compact crescent-shaped island that can be traversed in an hour by car, Santorini offers a variety of cultural experiences. The administrative capital of Fira is situated almost midway between north and south on the Caldera side of the island, and has a good Museum of Greek Antiquities and many good restaurants and shops.
Oia in the north-west features a Nautical Museum. With its fine shops, bars and clubs and iconic seafood restaurants in Ammoudi Bay, it attracts visitors looking for a livelier contemporary Santorini experience, and is the most up-market town on the island with restaurants, shops and hotels priced accordingly.
The oldest European civilisation, Greece takes the legend of the Lost City of Atlantis very seriously, and the Lost Atlantis Experience Interactive Museum situated near the ancient village of Megalohori at the south west of the island is a must see. Here you can learn everything known about mythical Atlantis through a convincing virtual reality experience.
Megalochori is ideal for a more relaxing vacation rich in ancient Greek culture, and showcases the indigenous cave houses unique to Santorini’s architectural landscape.
In the heart of the village is the unique Symposion Cultural Centre that hosts ancient Greek cultural exhibitions, concerts for traditional Greek music played with ancient instruments as well as European Classic orchestras. An added attraction is a class that teaches you how to make bagpipes from the skin of a young goat. While most people associate the bagpipes with Scotland, this wind instrument was actually invented by the ancient Greeks, with Scotland being one of the last nations to adopt it.
Good food, especially fresh seafood, is only half the story of a stay in Santorini. The rich volcanic soil aids the production of some very high-quality wine like the crisp white Assyrtiko and the sweet Vinsanto dessert wine. Vineyard tours are available.
For beer lovers, the two local craft beer breweries are Monkey and Donkey, each with their own outlet shops with several distinctive flavours. The Santorini Brewing Company offers factory tours. The Ftelos Brewery is the Monkey outlet near Fira, featuring the MALT restaurant upstairs serving Greek and Mediterranean New Age cuisine. The name takes its inspiration from the blue monkeys on murals painted on the walls of Akrotiri.
The east side of the island, where the airport is situated, has its own charm, and accommodation is generally cheaper as it does not benefit from the stunning Caldera views and sunsets of the west. For easy movement around the island, you can rent a car or quad bike or use the local bus service.
If you are on Santorini for Easter then you are in for a treat. The Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations take place a week later than Easter in the rest of Western Europe. The annual highlight on the island takes place in the village of Pyrgos, where the spectacular night-time celebration features candles placed on all the walls leading up to the hilltop church.
The beaches on Santorini are renowned for their unique volcanic, black, and red sands, dramatic cliff backdrops, and deep blue waters, offering a uniquely different experience from typical white-sandy ones. Key beaches here include the black sand shores of Perissa and Kamari, the scenic and moody Vlychada, and the dramatic, vibrant Red Beach near Akrotiri.
The best sunsets are experienced from the western Caldera-facing side of the island, and are literally some of the most spectacular in the world. If you want to experience an Aegean sunset really up close and personal I recommend taking a catamaran tour in the afternoon. Apart from a freshly cooked seafood lunch on board, you will be able to experience the sunset on the return leg when the catamaran weighs anchor offshore just before nature's orange orb descends below the horizon.
Cave houses, stunning sunsets, shopping, restaurants, vineyards and beaches. There is something for everyone on Santorini, an island paradise where great memories are created.