A crescent of island around a drowned volcano: Fira and Oia's white houses and blue domes on cliffs 300 m above the caldera, the Oia sunset, the hike along the rim from Fira to Oia, boat trips to the volcano and hot springs, the Bronze Age town of Akrotiri buried by the eruption, and black and red sand beaches at Kamari and Perissa. Cruise ships land thousands a day in season, so the caldera paths are packed from late morning. Flights from Athens take 45 minutes; ferries from Piraeus 5 to 9 hours. Indian restaurants in Fira. Open all year, but Oia is half shut from November to March.
Highlights
- Sunset in Oia
- Caldera hike from Fira to Oia
- Volcano and hot springs boat trip
- Akrotiri's Bronze Age town
- Wine tasting at a caldera winery
- Black-sand Perissa beach
Things to do
- Caldera hike from Fira to OiaMorning · 4h
- Sunset in OiaEvening · 2h 30m
- Catamaran cruise: volcano, hot springs and the calderaApr–OctAfternoon · 5h
- Akrotiri excavations and Red BeachMorning · 3h
- Winery tour and tastingAfternoon · 3h
- Beach afternoon at Perissa or KamariAfternoon · 3h
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: April – June, September – October
Worth knowing
Meltemi Winds: Ferries Cancelled
The meltemi, a strong north wind, blows for days at a time in July and August (force 6-8). The high-speed boats are cancelled first, and sometimes the port authority stops every sailing. Leave a spare day before your flight home, prefer the big conventional ferries on windy days, and pick the sheltered south-facing beaches.
Worth knowing
Cruise-Ship Crowds
From May to October several cruise ships a day can land thousands of passengers, who fill the caldera paths of Fira and Oia (or Mykonos town and Little Venice) from about 10:00 to 17:00. Walk the paths early, see Oia's sunset from Imerovigli or a boat, and check the port's cruise calendar when choosing days.
Worth knowing
Winter: Fast Boats Stop, Many Hotels Close
From November to March the high-speed ferries stop, island-to-island boats run a few times a week, and most resort hotels, beach bars and boat tours close. The towns stay open with some hotels and tavernas, the conventional ferries and the flights from Athens keep running, and storms can still cancel sailings: keep a spare day before a flight home.
Worth knowing
Mid-August: Greeks on Holiday
The week around 15 August (the Assumption) is the peak of the Greek holidays: ferries from Piraeus and Rafina and island rooms are booked out weeks ahead, and prices are the year's highest. Book every boat and bed early, or come in June or September.
- Orthodox Easter (Pascha) — Greece's biggest festival: candlelit Good Friday processions, the midnight Resurrection service on Saturday with fireworks and church bells, and lamb roasts on Sunday. Corfu's is the most famous, with clay pots thrown from balconies on Holy Saturday morning. Greeks travel home, so ferries, flights and hotels fill, and shops, museums and sites close or shorten hours from Good Friday to Easter Monday. Book well ahead.
- Dekapentavgoustos (the Assumption) — The feast of the Virgin Mary and the peak of the Greek summer holiday: village festivals (panigiria) with music and food the night before, a great pilgrimage to Paros' Church of a Hundred Doors, and every ferry and island room full in the week around it. Athens empties and many of its shops close.
Part of a longer route
Santorini is a stop on a curated circuit through Greece.