Photo: Meersan · CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Santorini
Cliff-top villages on a drowned volcano, Bronze Age Akrotiri and black beaches.
The southernmost of the Cyclades: a ring of cliffs around a flooded volcanic crater, with white villages along the rim, sunset crowds in Oia, a Bronze Age town buried in ash at Akrotiri and black-sand beaches on the east side. One of the dearest places in Greece to sleep in summer; Fira is the cheapest base and the bus hub.
Places to see
Fira and the caldera edgeWalk · The island's main town strung along the cliff top, with lanes of white houses and blue…Free- The caldera path, Fira to OiaWalk · A path of about 10 km along the crater rim, through Firostefani and Imerovigli, then over…Free
- OiaWalk · A village of white cave houses, blue domes and old windmills spilling down the cliff at…Free
When to go
- Jan14° / 9°Some rainQuiet
- Feb14° / 9°Some rainQuiet
- Mar16° / 10°Some rainQuiet
- Apr19° / 12°Mostly dryBusy
- May23° / 16°Mostly dryBusy
- Jun27° / 20°Mostly dryVery busy
- Jul29° / 22°Mostly dryVery busy
- Aug29° / 22°Mostly dryVery busy
- Sep
Staying and getting around
Good areas to stay
Fira. The main town and bus hub on the caldera edge: museums, steps to the old port, and the cheaper beds a few streets back from the cliff.
Kamari and Perissa. Black-sand beaches on the east coast under Ancient Thera, with the island's cheapest beds and a campsite; 20–30 min by bus from Fira.
Flying in
Santorini (Thira) Airport (JTR): KTEL bus to Fira, about 20 min, ≈ A$4. Buses are timed loosely around flights and fewer in winter; a taxi is about €25–35 (check).
Flewaway's estimate for the usual budget way into Fira; check times and fares before you fly.
By ferry
Santorini is reached by ferry from Port of Piraeus. Conventional and fast ferries from Piraeus to Athinios, about 5–8 h; book ahead in summer, and wind can delay sailings. Flying from Athens is often quicker (check)
Getting around
You'll need buses or trains. A single ticket is ≈ A$4. Fira is the hub: KTEL buses run from there to Oia, Kamari, Perissa, Pyrgos, Akrotiri, the port and the airport, about €2–3 a ride (check). Each village is walkable; the caldera path links Fira and Oia on foot.
Tourist tax
Greece's climate resilience fee is per room a night: on Santorini about €8 for simple rooms in summer, split between you, less in winter. Paid at check-in (check).
