The Island
Santorini, (official called "Thira" in Greece) is a Greek cycladic island, if you come the first time to Santorini by ship, you`ll be overwhelmed, the sight in the morning dawn or evening dawn takes your breath away!!!
Santorini lies at the south end of the Cyclade Population: 10.700 people (census 2001)It's 89 square km big and consists of 5 islands: Thira Thirassia Aspronisi Nea Kameni Palea Kameni The main island Santorini(Thira) is 16.7 km long and between 1.3 and 6 km broad. The landscape is truly fascinating: the flat east coast is delicate green and dominated by terraced vineyards, while the west coast is steep and rough - the colourful face drops steeply 200 to 300 m into the basin.
How to get here Santorini can be reached by plain from Athens with two flights per day or by boat from Piraues with frequent departures through the year, from Piraues it's about 10hrs by boat and 5hrs by superspeed boat. During the summer period there are additional flights and ferry's between Santorini and other islands, and charter flights from abroad. Things to do
Volcano trip
This is a boat trip to the volcano, the boat leaves from the picturesque
little harbour of Mesa Yialos, which lies about 300 meters beneath Fira.
You can reach it by cable car (€ 3,00) from Thira.
Or you can take the famous stairs.
There are normally two trips a day, one in the morning and one in the mid-afternoon.
You can buy your tickets in Thira at ferry offices.
You can choose from about 5 different trips.
From only visiting the volcano to all included where you also visit Thirassia.
We recommend the volcano and hot springs trip.
It only takes 4 hours.
Stout shoes and socks are essential to permit comfortable walking on the volcano.
It is also a good idea to have a snack and a bottle of water (essential) with you, also
don't forget your bathing suit if you take a combined trip with a stop at
the hot springs..
If you are back in the little harbour it is possible to go back by cable car,
but is a great experience to take a donkey ride!
It's the same price as the cable car (€3) and a lot of fun!
Akrotiri
About 3.000 B.C the island was inhabited by the Minoan people who called it Strongyle (that
means "round"). The volcano erupted for a second time, equally destructively, at 1450
B.C wiping out all the life on the island and sanking the greater part of Strongyle
beneath the waves. All that was left above the surface of the sea were segments of its
perimeterwhich today are called Santorini , Thirasia , and Aspronisi.
In order to get a concrete picture of the life of the Minoans,
you really have to go visit Akrotiri village, where a complete town, dating
from this period, has been discovered under the ash. The visitor of the archaelogical
site has the opportunity to see the remains of this Minoan city, with two and three-storey
houses decorated with wall-paintings and to come close to
the roots of the Aegean civilization, the civilization of Europe.
Make sure you don't plan your trip to akrotiri on a sunday or monday because
they are closed at those days.
Thirassia
Across from Santorini you'll find Thirassia, it is the largest of a chain of islets formed by
volcanic activity and the only one inhabited. Its sole village, Horio, is a pretty lace with
whitewashed houses. Reached by a flight of 250 steps from the landing-place.
In the winter, there are caiques from Ia to Thirassia, while in the summer
months the travel agencies of Santorini run trips to the small islands.
Museum
In Thira you'll find a most important Museum, with prehistoric finds (mostly pottery),
a large collection of vases dating from the 7th and 6th centuries BC (including the pieces
known as 'Thera ware'), a few Archaic and Classical pieces, and some Hellenistic and
Roman sculptures and portraits.
Thira Fira is Santorini it's capital. It's very attractive, with winding narrow streets, arcades and a quarter where the Catholic nobility once dwelt. There is a superb view out from Fira to the volcano and Thirassia.And Santorini is famous for it's sunsets. Enjoy a drink at the caldera of Thira and enjoy this sunset, you'll be amased.
Monastry On the highest peak of Santorini is a monastery of the Prophet Elijah (Profitis Ilias),where there is a picturesque religious feast on 20 July each year. Unfortunatly the monastry is closed for the public a few years ago. But the spot gives you a great view over whole Santorini.
Ia or Oia The old village of Ia, 11 km. to the north of Fira, was once distroyed by an earthquake. Now a few years later it has been rebuild and it is again a place of incomparable beauty. The unique appeal of Ia lies in its little houses hewn out of the soft rock (some of them whitewashed, others painted blue or ochre), its neo-classical mansions with their courtyards, its narrow paved alleys. There is a superb view out to sea. In the highseason you'd better avoid the crowds of tourists (sometimes over 20 tourbuses) by going before 11am. Beaches Among the best bathing beaches (some of them with black sand and others with pebbles) are Kamari or Armeni, Amoudi, Baxedes Perissa, Monolithos and Kokini Paralia.