My husband and I went to Greece in September of 2021. This is the first post in a spring series on the amazing places we visited.
1. Take in the views of the caldera at sunset
Santorini is roughly the shape of a crescent moon, and the steep inner part of the crescent is an ancient volcanic crater taken over by the sea. The sublime, pastel sunsets stretch out for miles over the calm water.
Many people flock to Oia as “the” place on the northwestern most tip of the island to view the sunset. This is an option if you don’t mind navigating crowds.
We stayed in Imerovigli and enjoyed a quiet, beautiful sunset view of the caldera from our hotel balcony. Imerovigli is situated south of Oia and north of the largest town, Fira. It is not quite as jet-set posh as Oia, but is still very sophisticated and romantic with many upscale hotels. Near Astra Square in Imerovigli, the public sidewalk offers a great view of the caldera.
Many other views along the caldera, from north to south, are beautiful. The northern-most towns offer the most dramatic view because the elevation is higher from the water on the north end of the island.
2. Ancient Thera
Ancient Thera sits at 396 meters (1,299 ft) above the ocean on Mesa Vouno, between the towns Perissa and Kamari on the south cost of Santorini. While you walk through the ruins on top, the beautiful blue sea always in view stretching out for miles below. The pathway around ancient Thera takes you past sanctuaries, temples, a theater, civic buildings at the agora, Roman baths, once grand homes, and an early Christian basilica. Thera was inhabited from the 9th century BC to the 8th century AD.
You can hike up to the ancient city from either town below in less than an hour, but from Kamari there is a paved road with 22 switchbacks if you want to rent a four-wheeler or car. There are four-wheeler and moto rentals in Kamari, but make sure you bring your international driver’s license. We paid for a shuttle ride in a 15 passenger van— €10 up and €5 down per person. This was an option we found in Kamari as well. Once you reach the top, the entry fee for Ancient Thera is €6 or €15 for a combo ticket that includes Akrotiri and the Prehistoric Thera Museum. For current prices, hours and closure dates, check the website.
Note to dispel name confusion:
The island of Santorini is officially named Thera, also spelled Thira.
The ruins on top of Mesa Vouno are called Ancient Thera.
The main town on Santorini is Fira.
3. Akrotiri and the Archeological Museum at Fira
Akrotiri was inhabited from about 4,000 BC until around 1600 BC. It was abandoned before being buried in ash after Santorini’s catastrophic volcanic eruption that created the beautiful caldera.
The excavation is covered and preserved inside of a building, with walkways for visitors. Valuable artifacts from Akrotiri have been preserved and are on display at the Archeological Museum at Fira, but replicas are left in situ. The most incredible aspect of visiting Akrotiri is seeing three-story buildings that look 100 years old instead of thousands.
In Fira, the Archeological Museum is a must-see. You can easily see it in an hour, but it really completes the picture of ancient Akrotiri to see the beautiful frescos, furniture, vases and metal objects that these ancient people crafted and used.
Note:
The present-day town of Akrotiri is near the archeological site. If you take the bus to ancient Akrotiri, your stop is the first stop after Red Beach, before you reach the town of Akrotiri.
4. Walk through Oia
The old center of Oia is as charming as it is classy. There are high end accommodations, restaurants and shopping in Oia. Yet many of the boutiques are still approachable and local; they cater to jet setters, honeymooners, and the average tourist to Santorini.
If you take the bus to the last stop at the main square, you can exit the square to the main walkway through the shopping area. Once you are at the square, it is easy to find—you simply follow the crowd. Walk along this path past the Church of Panagia Akathistos Hymn and the central plaza, all the way to the path that descends to picturesque Amoudi Bay. The walk through town is lined with boutiques and shops all along the way.
We walked all the way down to Amoudi Bay. The cobblestone road through town with shops and buildings on either side turns into a wide path zig zagging down to the water. The stones can be a bit slick, and the steps are long and shallow so that donkeys can carry weary tourists up and down. So, watch your step. Amoudi Bay rewards you with the most mesmerizing blue-green water. There are a couple of restaurants at the bottom, if you are hungry.
You could spend more time in Oia, but we enjoyed this walk through town. If you only have an afternoon or morning to spend at Oia, this is what I recommend.
5. Explore the southern beaches
Red Beach
The volcanic soil created this uniquely burnt red beach with tall red cliffs and black and red sand.
The bus stops at the Akrotiri archeological site, and also a few yards away closer to the beach. If you take the bus, you can then walk along the rocky beach past several restaurants until you reach the Greek Orthodox church where a footpath continues on to Red Beach. Walking along the beach from the bus stop takes about 15 minutes.
If you drive, you turn right at the fork past the Akrotiri archeological site, and park in the public parking lot before you reach the church. Take the same footpath past the church over to Red Beach. The walk from the public parking lot is about 5 minutes.
West of Red Beach, you can drive and hike to White Beach or drive and park near Black Beach.
Perissa Beach or Kamari Beach
East, at the town of Perissia, you can access the long, black-sand Perissia Beach. It is an “organized” beach with many different beach bars along the way where you can rent a lounge chair and umbrella. North of Perissia, on the other side of Mesa Vouno mountain, you find the same situation at the town of Kamari and Kamari Beach.
Bonus:
There are many other things to do on Santorini: explore hill towns, take a wine tour, visit Santorini Brewing Company, take a boat excursion to Nea Kameni island in the caldera to enjoy the bubbly volcanic mud, or an off the beaten path ferry to the un-touristy island of Thirassia. This is island is on the opposite side of the caldera. You can see both Nea Kameni and Thirassia from the caldera side of Santorini.
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