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Santorini is an island in the Aegean Sea that belongs to Cyclades. It is centrally located, south of the Cyclades south of it Ίου. It is a very tourist island for its natural features and its traditional architecture. In 2011 it was voted the best island in the world.
Generally
Areas
- Thira (& Firostefani, Karterados, Imerovigli) - The main settlement, picturesque, with wonderful views, in the summer attracts many tourists.
- Pride (& Orchards) - with a beach with black pebbles
- The A (& Finikia, Tholos) - the northern part of the island, magnificent kingdoms, one of the most charming places on the island.
- Perissa (& Agios Georgios, Emporio, Exomytis, Vlychada) - the southeastern part of the island, well organized beach with good fish taverns
- Megalochori - a traditional settlement with many white Cycladic churches
- Cape - visit the archeological site of Akrotiri
- Βόθωνας (& Messaria, Pyrgos Kallistis, Exo Gonia, Episkopi Gonia) - The center of the island. Vothonas is one of the strangest villages of the island, Kallistis Tower is the highest point of the island, with picturesque streets.
- Monolith (& Out Gialos Karteradou) - Nice beach with some good taverns. Good for children, as the water is shallow.
Nearby islands
How to get there
Santorini has regular air transport as well as regular ferry services from Piraeus. Thinner itineraries are made from other islands. From Athens there are at least two flights a day, but also a very significant number of chartered flights (charters) during the tourist season.
How to move
The island has public buses with costs ranging from € 1.60 to € 2.20. The frequency of the itineraries is every 30 minutes with one hour and their opening hours are available on the website of KTEL [1].
Buses have air conditioning, but during high season they may be very crowded. If you prefer, you can travel by private transfer from the airport or port to your destination. You can even book private tours on the island with specialized companies such as Santorini VIP Services [2]
In addition, you can rent a vehicle such as a car, motorbike or ATV. At Santorini Car Hire by Damigos Rent a Car [3] you can find a great variety at the best prices. Keep in mind that the roads in Santorini require attention as in the summer many tourists drive, often within the law. Other car rental companies are Hertz, Avis, Europecar, Santorini Rent a Car, and Santorini EasyRent
Beaches of Santorini
Santorini has many beaches, most of which are located on the outside of the island. Most are organized and one can rent an umbrella and sunbed, with small gaps between the exploited areas.
- Armenian.
- Sandy beach. (west orientation)
- Boxes.
- Columbus. (north orientation)
- Pori. (north northeast orientation)
- Wells.
- Vourvoulos.
- Out Gialos, Out Gialos.
- Monolith, Monolith. (northeast orientation)
- Perissa, Perissa. large sandy beach - east-southeast orientation.
- Pride. (east orientation)
- Precinct. (continuation of Perissa) (east orientation)
- Βλυχάδα, Βλυχάδα. (south orientation)
- Red Sand. (south orientation) - 10-20 minute walk access or boats that pass often during the day
- White sand. (south orientation) - access only by boats that pass frequently during the day
- Inside Wells.
Sights
- the country
- the Oia
- the caldera of the volcano
- the prehistoric archeological site in Akrotiri
- Ancient Thira (enough uphill walking. Not accessible by people who do not have full mobility. Not suitable for people very young or old. Excellent view)
Volcano
The caldera of the volcano, with a diameter of about 11 km is one of the most important attractions of Santorini. Created by a series of powerful eruptions over the last 200,000 years, the most recent took place in the late 17th century BC. and is known as the Minoan eruption. In the center of the caldera are two islands, Palea and Nea Kameni, which are the newest islands in the Eastern Mediterranean, less than 2000 years old. Nea Kameni is accessible daily by tourist boats, which moor on the shores of the island. After 20 minutes of walking on the solidified lava, we reach the craters at the top of the island. The smell of sulfur is strong. There are hot springs on both islands.
Nightlife
Santorini is an ideal place for nightlife with a large number of shops and significant traffic.
Food
Local food:
- Santorini fava (with onion, local capers and oil)
- Local wine (there are several wineries that can be visited)
- Dried tomato
- Santorini tomato (variety of very small tomato, very tasty)
Accommodation
Santorini is divided into two parts, the West and the East. Most people go to Santorini for the western part, there is the caldera, and villages like Thira and Oia, built on the edge of the caldera. On this side hotels often have amazing views of the caldera, the sea and the sunset. There is a downside, of course, is that the majority of these hotels have a lot of stairs, which bothers some tourists who are not in the mood to go up and down stairs. Many of these hotels do not accept children under 13, due to their dangerous location next to the gemo. Some hotels are geared towards couples and newlyweds. Most luxury hotels are located in the western part of the island. It is taken into account that not all hotels on the west side have a view, as some of them are inside the settlements.
The East side is more like the rest of the Cyclades. There are beach hotels, such as in Kamari, which attract many young people and families. These hotels usually offer larger rooms and pools than those on the west side.
As the price is often determined by the view, hotels on the east side are much cheaper than those on the west side.
It would be helpful to book early, as most hotels have few rooms and fill up quickly.
Most hotels close during the winter. They usually open at Easter (April or May) and close in October. As in the other islands, the high season is July, August and September.
Stay safe
Health and precautions
Communications
Small problems
Next destinations
