Santorini is what is left of a volcano's rim. The Bronze Age eruption, dated to around 1630 BC in the municipality's own guide, emptied the magma chamber and the centre of the island collapsed into the sea. That left the caldera: a flooded crater with cliffs more than 300 metres high, Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia strung along the top, and the black islets of Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni in the middle. The Greece page already covers the caldera sunset and the wineries; this page is the rest of the island.
The outer slopes feel like another island. They run down east and south to long black-sand beaches at Kamari and Perissa, flatter and cheaper than the rim. Inland, Pyrgos, Megalochori and Emporio keep their Venetian castles and lived-in lanes, and the southwest holds Akrotiri, the town the eruption buried. Thirasia, across the caldera, is the quiet piece.
The 2025 earthquake swarm still shapes access. A civil protection decision of April 2026, in force until 31 March 2027, keeps marked zones of Fira's old port and the path from Ammoudi to Agios Nikolaos closed, and Red Beach stays off limits.
Walk the streets of Akrotiri, the Bronze Age town buried by ash
Akrotiri archaeological site, southwest Santorini
1 to 2 hoursNo booking needed
Walk past the paved streets, drains and three-storey houses of a rich Aegean town buried by an earthquake and an eruption.
What it is
Akrotiri was a rich Aegean town of paved streets, drains and houses of two and three storeys when an earthquake and then the eruption of the late 17th century BC buried it. A bioclimatic roof now covers the excavation, and walkways lead past Xeste 3 and the West House, whose wall paintings are in the museum in Fira.
How to do it
Tickets cost €20 (€10 reduced) at the gate or on hh.gr, with no time slot. KTEL buses from Fira cost €2.20.
Good to know
Summer hours shorten each fortnight until 31 October (08:00 to 18:00 from 16 October), except Mondays and Thursdays, 08:30 to 15:30; for winter, hh.gr lists 08:30 to 15:30, closed Tuesdays. Red Beach, just down the road, is closed by the municipality because of rockfalls: see it from a boat.
Time needed
1 to 2 hours
Best time
Opening time, on a day other than Monday or Thursday in summer
See Akrotiri's wall paintings at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera
Museum of Prehistoric Thera, Fira
1 to 1.5 hoursNo booking needed
See 28 wall paintings from Akrotiri, among them the Fishermen, the Saffron Gatherers and the Blue Monkeys.
What it is
Most of what came out of Akrotiri is in Fira, at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, two minutes from Theotokopoulou square. One exhibition follows the island from the 5th millennium BC to the eruption: Linear A tablets, plaster casts of beds and tables taken from the hollows they left in the ash, and the gold ibex figurine. The other shows 28 wall paintings from the West House and Xeste 3, among them the Fishermen, the Flotilla Miniature and the Saffron Gatherers, with the Blue Monkeys and the Ladies alongside.
How to do it
The museum opens 08:30 to 15:30, closed on Tuesdays; tickets are €10 (€5 reduced).
Good to know
Do not mix it up with the Archaeological Museum of Thera nearby, which shows finds from Ancient Thera, closes on Mondays and in summer opens until 21:00 on Saturdays.
Climb Mesa Vouno to Ancient Thera between Kamari and Perissa
Ancient Thera, Mesa Vouno (from Kamari or Perissa)
Half a day if you walk upNo booking needed
Climb a steep ridge to a city founded by Dorian settlers from Sparta, with an agora, a theatre and inscriptions cut into the rock.
What it is
Centuries after the eruption, Dorian settlers from Sparta led by Theras founded a city on Mesa Vouno, the steep ridge between Kamari and Perissa, in the 8th century BC. Most of what stands is Hellenistic and Roman: the agora, a theatre, a Roman stoa, the sanctuary of Apollo Karneios with inscriptions cut into the rock, and the early Christian church of Agios Stefanos by the entrance.
How to do it
A switchback road climbs from Kamari to the Sellada saddle, ten minutes by car; the cobbled footpath takes about 70 minutes and is hard work in the north wind. Another path drops to Perissa, so you can cross the ridge and take the bus back from there.
Good to know
Summer hours are 08:30 to 15:30, closed Wednesdays, €10; in winter it opens only Friday to Sunday.
Walk Nea Kameni's craters and swim in the Palea Kameni hot springs
Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni, from Athinios or Fira's old port
Book ahead
Climb past volcanic bombs and active sulphur vents to the craters of 1940, then swim to a hot spring in a small bay.
What it is
The two black islets in the middle of the caldera are the volcano today. Nea Kameni is built of lava from eruptions in 1570, 1940 and 1950: boats land at the cove of Erinia, about ten minutes from Fira's old port, and a gravel trail of about 1 km climbs past volcanic bombs up to two metres long and active sulphur vents to the 127-metre summit and the two craters of 1940. Then the boat moves on to Palea Kameni, where you swim to the hot spring of Agios Nikolaos in a small bay, a few degrees warmer than the open sea.
How to do it
Daily trips leave Fira's old port, and landing on Nea Kameni carries its own entrance fee, so check if the boat price covers it.
Good to know
There is no shade, water or toilet on the island: bring water and proper hiking shoes.
Sail the south coast and the caldera on a catamaran from Vlychada
Vlychada marina, south coast
About 5 hoursBook ahead
Sail past Red Beach and White Beach, swim in the Palea Kameni hot springs and eat a barbecue meal on board.
What it is
Many catamaran cruises leave the marina at Vlychada on the south coast, with hotel pickup on offer, and last about five hours, in a morning or a sunset version. A typical route stops off Red Beach and White Beach, which can only be reached by sea, swims at Mesa Pigadia, passes the Akrotiri lighthouse, then crosses the caldera to swim at the Palea Kameni hot springs and snorkel in a cove of Nea Kameni, with a barbecue meal and drinks on board.
How to do it
The decision that matters: these cruises skip the crater walk on Nea Kameni, so to climb it, take a volcano boat instead. Shared, semi-private and private trips are offered; a shared morning cruise started at €120 in 2026, so book ahead in summer.
Good to know
The sea is now the way to see Red Beach: after landslides, the municipality has posted signs banning entry on land.
Swim off the black sand at Kamari, Perissa and Perivolos
Kamari, Perissa and Perivolos, east and south coast
Half a dayFree
Long, easy beaches of black volcanic sand and pebbles, with tavernas below Ancient Thera and one beach about 3 km long.
What it is
The east and south coasts are where Santorini has long, easy beaches of black volcanic sand and pebbles. Kamari, 7 km from Fira by KTEL bus (€2.20), has a seafront of tavernas and bars below Ancient Thera. On the far side of the Mesa Vouno rock, Perissa, Perivolos and Agios Georgios form one beach about 3 km long, with sunbeds, beach bars and water sports; the bus there costs €2.70.
How to do it
The dark sand gets very hot in July and August, so bring sandals and pay for a sunbed with shade. Snorkellers head for the rocks at the Perissa end.
Good to know
For something wilder, Vlychada, further west, has pale, wind-carved cliffs and a fishing harbour (€2.80 by bus). Hotels on this coast usually have larger rooms and pools than those on the caldera.
Time needed
Half a day
Best time
June or September, in the morning before the sand heats up
Climb through Pyrgos to its Kasteli and up to Profitis Ilias
Pyrgos Kallistis
2 hours, 3 with Profitis IliasFree
Climb in rings around a hill topped by a Venetian castle, past some of 56 churches, to a view over most of the island.
What it is
Pyrgos, 7 km from Fira, rises in rings around a hill topped by the ruins of its Venetian castle, the Kasteli; it was once the island's administrative centre and has been a protected settlement since 1995.
How to do it
Walk up its lanes, past some of its 56 churches and neoclassical mansions, to a view over most of the island. Above the village, a trail climbs to the monastery of Profitis Ilias on the island's highest hill; it rarely opens, but the view is reason enough, and paths go on to Kamari, Emporio and Ancient Thera. The KTEL bus from Fira costs €2.20.
Good to know
The village's ecclesiastical collection is temporarily closed. Come on Orthodox Good Friday if you can: hundreds of tin lanterns are set on walls, terraces and around the castle and lit for the evening Epitaph procession.
Time needed
2 hours, 3 with Profitis Ilias
Best time
The evening of Orthodox Good Friday, for the lanterns
Go down to Fira's old port by cable car or the 587 steps
Fira old port (Gialos) and cable car
1 hourNo booking needed
Drop 220 metres from Fira to the old port, down 587 steps or by a three-minute cable car.
What it is
Fira's old port sits on the water 220 metres below the town, and most boats to the volcano leave from it.
How to do it
The cable car takes three minutes, carries 1,200 people an hour and costs €6 one way (€3 reduced, €3 per bag); its income goes to the communities of Santorini and Thirasia. The stepped path has 587 steps, shared with donkeys and mules that carry riders; after welfare complaints, a 2018 ministry circular barred them from carrying riders over 100 kg. In must30's view, walk down and ride the cable car up.
Good to know
Queues build when cruise passengers come ashore, so check the monthly arrivals list of the Municipal Port Fund, which caps cruise visitors at 8,000 a day in 2026. Under the 2026 civil protection decision, the port, cable car and path are open, apart from one restricted zone in the port.
Time needed
1 hour
Best time
When no cruise ships are in (check the Port Fund schedule)
Eat grilled fish on the quay at Ammoudi, below Oia
Ammoudi, below Oia
2 hoursBook ahead
Fish tavernas line a small quay at the foot of the cliff below Oia, where the boats tie up.
What it is
Ammoudi is Oia's old port, at the foot of the cliff below the village, with fish tavernas lined up along a small quay where the boats tie up.
How to do it
In must30's view, come for a late lunch, well before the crowd that fills the bay at sunset; for a sunset table, reserve. Walk down: the stepped path from Oia is open, but the road is closed to traffic from the Oia junction, except for supply vans from 05:00 to 10:00 and up to 15 vehicles rotated by the municipality, under the civil protection decision in force until 31 March 2027.
Good to know
The same decision keeps the coastal path to Agios Nikolaos closed, so the swim off the rocks after lunch is off for now. Thirasia, across the caldera, is about 20 minutes from Oia by boat.
Cross to Thirasia, the quiet island across the caldera
Thirasia (Riva, Korfos and Manolas), by boat from Ammoudi
Half a day or a full dayNo booking needed
Cross to the piece of the old island left across the caldera, where about 250 residents keep villages that look like Santorini before tourism.
What it is
Thirasia is the piece of the old island left on the far side of the caldera: 9.3 square kilometres, about 250 residents and villages that look the way Santorini did before tourism. From Korfos, with its fish tavernas and pebble beach, go up to Manolas, the main village on the caldera rim, with a bakery and the 1874 church of Agios Konstantinos. Further south, Kera faces the Kameni islets from the chapel of Profitis Ilias at 270 metres, and Agrilia has houses cut into the rock.
How to do it
Small boats cross from Ammoudi in about 20 minutes to Riva or Korfos, local ferries sail from Athinios and many caldera cruises stop here; timetables are posted at the ports (island information: +30 22860 29143).
Good to know
Korfos is open under the 2026 civil protection rules and most footpaths have reopened.
Get lost in the Kasteli of Emporio and stop in Megalochori
Emporio and Megalochori, south Santorini
2 to 3 hours for both villagesFree
Lose yourself in Santorini's best-preserved medieval fortified settlement, a knot of stairways, overhead bridges and vaults, then stop in a wine village.
What it is
Emporio, in the south, keeps Santorini's best-preserved medieval fortified settlement. Pass the square Venetian tower of Goulas at the entrance to the village, then enter the Kasteli, a knot of stairways, houses built against each other, overhead bridges and vaults. Above the village, the eight windmills of Gavrilos look out to sea, and nearby the tiny marble temple of Agios Nikolaos Marmaritis, an ancient building only 4 metres square, still serves as a church. About 3 km north-west, Megalochori is a wine village with ornate bell towers at its centre, cafés on its square and the Symposion cultural centre.
How to do it
KTEL buses from Fira reach both for €2.20, and a route links the two.
Good to know
Megalochori's wineries are on the Greece page; come here for the villages themselves.
Learn the Santorini tomato's story in Vlychada, then cook with it
Tomato Industrial Museum, Vlychada
1.5 hours, 3 to 4 with a cooking classBook ahead
A 1945 cannery that worked each summer until tourism pushed out the fields now tells the story of a protected cherry tomato.
What it is
Santorini's small cherry tomato, shaped by wind and volcanic soil, has a protected designation of origin, and so does the island's fava, a purée of a local legume, Lathyrus clymenum. In 1945 George Nomikos built a cannery at Vlychada, in the island's best tomato country; it worked each summer until tourism pushed out the fields, and the last season was 1981. Since 2014 it has been the Tomato Industrial Museum D. Nomikos, with the original machinery and the story of the crop, open Tuesday to Sunday, April to November, 10:00 to 18:00 (€12, €10 reduced).
How to do it
The bus from Fira costs €2.80. Its cooking classes, run on request, build Santorini and Greek dishes around the tomato, so ask ahead.
Good to know
Then order tomatokeftedes (tomato fritters), fava and chloro, the fresh goat cheese, at a taverna.
Watch the caldera sunset from Imerovigli or the lighthouse
Santorini
1 hour, or 3 hours with the rim walkFree
Santorini's caldera sunset is the island's big moment; skip the crush in Oia and watch it from Imerovigli or the Akrotiri lighthouse.
What it is
Oia is where the famous sunset pictures come from, and it is packed well before dusk; cruise passengers add to the crush, which is why Greece now charges each one landing on Santorini €20 from June to September. You get the same light with fewer elbows elsewhere on the rim.
How to do it
Imerovigli is the highest village on the caldera cliffs, and a stepped path runs down to Skaros rock and the ruins of its fort. The lighthouse at Cape Akrotiri, still run by the Greek Navy, is the quiet option at the island's southwest tip. To end in Oia anyway, walk the caldera path from Fira in the afternoon; it takes under three hours.
Good to know
The caldera path has steep sections and unfenced edges. KTEL buses from Fira cost a few euros, cash only.
Taste Assyrtiko where it grows in Santorini's volcanic vineyards
Santorini
Half a day for two or three wineriesBook ahead
Taste Assyrtiko where it grows, from vines woven into baskets in Santorini's volcanic ash, ideally on a terrace over the caldera at sunset.
What it is
Santorini's vines grow in ash and pumice, so poor and windswept that growers weave them into low baskets, kouloura, with the grapes inside to shelter them from wind and sun. The soil has no phylloxera, so many vines are ungrafted and very old.
How to do it
Three wines to taste: Santorini PDO, at least 75% Assyrtiko, dry and sharp; Nykteri, aged at least three months in oak and named for the old night harvest; and Vinsanto, sweet, made from grapes dried in the sun after harvest. Wineries cluster around Pyrgos and Megalochori, and the island's wine museum is in Vothonas.
Good to know
Santo Wines, the growers' cooperative winery outside Pyrgos, has a terrace over the caldera that fills at sunset, so reserve if you want a table. Do not drive between tastings: KTEL buses from Fira serve the wine villages, or join a wine tour with transport.
Santorini (Thira) airport is 6 km from Fira, about 45 minutes by air from Athens, with direct flights from many European cities in season; KTEL buses link it with Fira for €2.20. From Piraeus, high-speed ferries take 4.5 to 5 hours and conventional ones 7 to 8, and there are links with Rafina, Heraklion, Mykonos, Paros and Naxos. All ferries dock at Athinios, where buses meet arrivals (€2.70 to Fira) and, under the 2026 civil protection decision, parking is banned. Cruise ships anchor off Fira and ferry passengers to the old port.
Getting around
KTEL buses run from the hub in Fira to Oia, Kamari, Perissa, Akrotiri, Vlychada, Pyrgos and the port, at €2.20 to €2.80 a ride in 2026, and more often in high season; to cross from one side of the island to the other you change in Fira. Taxis are few and work on fixed fares, so agree the price first. A small car helps for the villages and the south, but parking in Oia and Fira fills early. Boats are the only way to the Kameni islets and the usual way to Thirasia.
How many days
In must30's view, three or four. One day for Fira, the old port and the caldera path described on the Greece page; one for Akrotiri, the Museum of Prehistoric Thera and a winery; one at sea, on the volcano boat or a catamaran; and one for the east coast beaches, Ancient Thera and Pyrgos. Add a day for Thirasia. Two days are enough if you skip the beaches.
When to go
April to June and September to October are the comfortable months; July and August are hot, crowded and windy. The season starts around 1 April and many businesses close towards the end of October. In 2026 the Municipal Port Fund caps cruise visitors at 8,000 a day. State sites keep summer hours until 31 October; from November Ancient Thera opens only Friday to Sunday, and state sites are free on the first and third Sundays of each month until the end of March.
Where to base yourself
Fira is the bus hub, with caldera views and the widest choice of restaurants. Firostefani and Imerovigli are quieter on the same rim, and Oia is the sunset village, with the biggest evening crowds. Kamari and Perissa, on the east coast, are the beach bases, and their hotels usually have larger rooms and pools than those on the caldera. Pyrgos and Megalochori suit travellers with a car who would rather wake up in a village.
Questions travellers ask
How many days do you need in Santorini?
Three or four in must30's view: one for Fira and the caldera, one for Akrotiri and the museum, one on a boat to the volcano or around the island, and one for the beaches, Ancient Thera and Pyrgos. Two days cover the caldera, Akrotiri and a boat trip if you are short of time.
Do I need a car in Santorini?
Not if you stay in Fira or Kamari: KTEL buses from Fira reach Oia, the beaches, Akrotiri, Pyrgos and the port for €2.20 to €2.80. A car saves time in the southern villages and at Ancient Thera, but parking in Oia and Fira is hard in summer. Do not drive between winery tastings.
Is it safe to visit Santorini after the 2025 earthquakes?
The February 2025 swarm has eased, and in April 2026 the government replaced the emergency rules with a lighter civil protection decision (B' 2332/27-04-2026), in force until 31 March 2027. It keeps marked zones of Fira's old port and the path from Ammoudi to Agios Nikolaos closed and controls traffic at Athinios. The rules can be tightened at once if activity picks up, so check civilprotection.gov.gr before you travel.
Can you swim at Red Beach in Santorini?
Not from land. The Municipality of Thira bans entry because of rockfalls, with signs warning of danger to life, and the February 2025 earthquakes brought more rock down onto the sand. Catamaran trips from Vlychada pass Red Beach and stop to swim offshore.
Is Santorini worth visiting in October?
Yes, if you come for sights and walks rather than nightlife. State sites such as Akrotiri keep summer hours until 31 October and the port counts October as low season for cruise ships. Many seasonal businesses close towards the end of the month, so book boat trips for the first half.
How do you get from Fira's old port up to the town?
By cable car, three minutes and €6 one way; on foot, up 587 steps; or by donkey, which may not carry more than 100 kg. Queues for the cable car get long when cruise passengers come ashore, and the Municipal Port Fund publishes each month's cruise arrivals on its website.
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