# Santorini

What is left of a volcano that collapsed in the Bronze Age: white villages on the edge of a 300-metre cliff, black-sand beaches on the other side and a Minoan city buried in ash. With three nights you see the essentials; sleeping outside the caldera, you pay half.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/greece/south-aegean/santorini · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## Ferry or plane, and how do you book?

From Spain the quickest way is to fly. Vueling has a direct flight from Barcelona in season, of about 3 hours 15 minutes; from Madrid and elsewhere, the usual way is to fly to Athens and connect with a 45-minute flight or by ferry. The airport is next to Kamari, 10 minutes from Fira on the KTEL bus.

The ferry leaves from Piraeus and arrives at the port of Athinios, beneath the cliff. Fast boats take about 5 hours; conventional ones, between 7 and 10, depending on the stops. Buy your ticket on the ferry company's website or on a ferry search engine, weeks ahead in July and August, and keep your boarding pass on your phone. From Athinios there is a KTEL bus to Fira (€2.70) and to Perissa, Kamari and Pyrgos; taxis are few and there is a queue.

## Do you need a car or quad bike?

Not if you sleep in Fira or nearby: the KTEL bus leaves from Fira station for Oia, Kamari, Perissa, Akrotiri, the airport and the port, and costs between €2.20 and €2.80. All the lines go through Fira, so a trip from Oia to Perissa means changing there. A small car gives you freedom for the wineries, Pyrgos and the southern beaches, but in Oia and Fira parking in summer is almost impossible. The quad bike is popular and is the most exposed option on a narrow road with a lot of traffic.

## How do you avoid the caldera crowds?

Oia at sunset and Fira in mid-morning, when the cruise ships disembark, are packed. Sleep in Kamari, Perissa or Pyrgos and go up to the caldera early, or walk the Fira to Oia path in the morning and leave sunset for Pyrgos, Imerovigli or a boat. The views are almost the same and there are half as many people.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Cyclades
- Cerca: Naxos (a 76.4 km), Milos (a 94.3 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Caldera trail from Fira to Oia** (4 h · 10 km · With closed shoes and water · Free): The route
It is the walk along the rim of the caldera, from Fira to Oia, with the volcano's flooded crater always on your left. It is about 10 km one way, between 3 and 5 hours depending on pace and stops, with about 300 m of ascent spread over several climbs. It is free and can be done all year. The difficulty is moderate: easy in the first half, more demanding in the second.
Do it in this direction, from Fira to Oia. In the morning you have the sun behind you and the arrival at Oia is flat or downhill. You come back by bus.
Step by step

Fira – Firostefani – Imerovigli (about 2.6 km, 30–45 min). You leave the centre of Fira, next to the Orthodox cathedral, and follow the caldera promenade north. It is a cobbled or paved path between hotels and terraces. Firostefani is the last convenient place to buy water and food.
Detour to Skaros rock (optional, about 3 km there and back, 45 min each way). From Imerovigli go down to the Skaros promontory, where the medieval castle stood. It is steep and loose stone. The path on the right, among the ruins, is closed for safety.
Imerovigli – church of the Prophet Elias (about 2 km, 30–45 min). Imerovigli is the highest point of the caldera rim on the route. The path widens, descends and climbs again. Next to the church there are pines, the only real shade on the whole route.
Prophet Elias – Oia (about 5.6 km, 1 h 30–2 h). The paving ends and loose earth and volcanic stone begin, with steep ups and downs. There is a stretch of about 400 m along the shoulder of the main road: walk facing the traffic. The end, in Oia itself, is flat.

Waymarking
There are few signs, especially on leaving Imerovigli, where several paths cross. Satnavs sometimes send you inland. Download an offline map with the route beforehand and keep your phone charged: there is nowhere to charge on the way.
Water, shade and season
In the second half there is no shade or springs, and the stalls that may be near the road open when they like and charge in cash. Buy water in Fira or Firostefani: at least 2 litres per person in summer. Bring a hat, sun cream and something to eat.
The best times are from late April to early June and from mid-September to October. In July and August it can be done, but leave Fira before 7:00: by 10:00 the path is already in the sun and full of people. You can also set out in the late afternoon to reach Oia at sunset; in spring and autumn, check what time it gets dark.
Footwear, children and dog
Wear mountain or trail shoes with a good sole; with sandals or worn trainers you will suffer on the loose stone. It is not for pushchairs or very small children. With children who walk well, you can do just the cobbled stretch from Fira to Imerovigli and go there and back. With a dog, allow for the heat of the ground and the lack of water.
If the weather changes
With a strong meltemi, the wind blows hard on the rim and on the detour to Skaros: keep away from the drops. If the heat catches you out or you get tired, Imerovigli is the last easy point to get back to Fira by bus or taxi.
Back to Fira
The KTEL bus from Oia to Fira costs €2.20 (€2.80 at night) and takes about half an hour; in high season it runs frequently, but after sunset it fills up. Pay in cash. A taxi costs around €25 and is scarce in summer. Timetables at Fira KTEL station.
In Oia you can go down to Ammoudi for lunch, at the Ammoudi Fish Tavern, or have a souvlaki on returning to Fira at Lucky's Souvlakis.
- **Akrotiri site, the city beneath the ash** (1 h 30 · From age 6 · under cover · Desde 20 € adult): What it is
Akrotiri is a Bronze Age city that the eruption of the Santorini volcano buried under ash, probably in the late 17th century BC. It was inhabited from about 4500 BC and became one of the great centres of the prehistoric Aegean, with sea trade and copper workshops. An earthquake shook it shortly before the eruption, and its inhabitants seem to have left in time: hardly any gold objects have been found and no unburied body.
The ash preserved it like few others. It has been excavated since 1967, first by Spyridon Marinatos and then by Christos Doumas. Today you see paved streets and drainage, squares and more than 30 multi-storey buildings.
What you will see
The whole site is under a large bioclimatic roof, so you visit in the shade. You walk along walkways following a fixed route, with stops to look from above and from street level. Look out for:

Xeste 3, the best-studied public building, linked to rites of passage, with its stone staircase to the first floor.
The West House, a three-storey dwelling next to the Triangular Square, from which frescoes came from two rooms on the second floor.
The jars and vessels still in place, and the stairs and stone door jambs, which give an idea of the height of the houses.
The furniture casts: archaeologists filled with plaster the hollows that the wood left in the ash.

The frescoes aren't here. Those displayed on the island are in the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, in Fira: it opens from 8:30 to 15:30, closes on Tuesdays and costs €10 (€5 reduced). The Spring Fresco is in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Seeing the museum before or after gives the visit meaning.
Opening hours
According to the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, for 2026:

From 1 November to 31 March: from 8:30 to 15:30; closed on Tuesdays.
From April to October: Mondays and Thursdays, from 8:30 to 15:30; the other days, from 8:00 to 18:00. In September and October closing time on those days gets later: until 19:30 in the first half of September, 19:00 in the second, 18:30 in the first half of October and 18:00 in the second.

The last entry is 20 minutes before closing. It is closed all day on 1 January, 25 March, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 and 26 December.
Tickets
General admission costs €20 and reduced €10. It is bought at the ticket office or online on the Greek Ministry of Culture's ticketing website, linked from the Ephorate's page. In July and August, having it bought in advance saves you the ticket-office queue.
There are no official guided tours included in the ticket. The Ephorate's page offers a downloadable guide in English and Greek. If you want a guide, hire one separately through an agency or an official guide.
How to get there and how long it takes
The site is on the south-west coast, next to the village of Akrotiri. The KTEL bus leaves from Fira station and costs €2.20 (€2.80 at night, from 0:30 to 5:00). By hire car or quad you get there quickly from Fira along the southern road.
Allow an hour and a half for an unhurried visit. If you add the Fira museum, reserve half a day.
With children and accessibility
Being covered and with walkways, it is a comfortable visit in the heat and suitable for children from about 6, who understand well the idea of a city covered by a volcano. The official page doesn't detail accessibility; the walkways have sloping stretches, so with a wheelchair or pushchair ask at the ticket office on arrival.
How to combine it
About 300 m below the site is Akrotiri beach, the starting point for the sea kayak along the south coast, and Red Beach is nearby. In the afternoon you can go up to Pyrgos for the sunset.
- **Five-hour cruise around the caldera, with a swim in the hot springs** (5 h · All ages · Desde 79 € per person): What it involves
The Santorini caldera is the sunken crater of the volcano, now flooded by the sea, with the cliffs of Fira and Oia on one side and the volcanic islets in the centre. Seeing it from the water is different from seeing it from above. On a five-hour cruise you skirt the cliffs, swim in the hot springs next to the islets and stop at two beaches in the south that are best reached by boat: White Beach and Red Beach.
It is run, among other companies, by Sunset Oia Sailing Santorini, based in the port of Ammoudi, below Oia. It has two formats: a small catamaran for up to 20 people or a large, open catamaran for up to 55.
The route
On both boats the stops are the same, in a different order depending on the hour:

Hot springs, next to the volcanic islets: you jump into the water and swim towards the area where the water comes out warm and stained with rust. Don't expect a hot pool: it is a slightly less cold sea.
Red Beach, below the reddish cliffs of Akrotiri, with swimming and snorkelling.
White Beach, with pale pumice cliffs, swimming and a barbecue on board.

On the way you pass Aspronisi, the Akrotiri lighthouse and the India rock. The afternoon departure ends by sailing below Oia as the sun sets.
The two departures
Santorini Gems (small catamaran, up to 20 people)

Morning: boarding at Ammoudi between 9:30 and 10:00 and disembarking at Vlychada around 14:30–15:00.
Sunset: boarding at Vlychada around 15:00 and return to Ammoudi after sunset.
Price per person: €110 from 15 March to 15 May and from 1 October to 15 November; from 16 May to 30 September, €125 in the morning and €140 at sunset.
Includes a barbecue (meat, seafood and vegetarian option), soft drinks, local white wine, beer and water, snorkelling equipment, towels and blankets, and in the morning a short cooking lesson.

Red Cruise (large catamaran, up to 55 people)

Morning: departure at 9:30 from Ammoudi or Athinios and return around 14:30. Sunset: departure at 14:30 and return after sunset.
Price per person: from €79 in the morning and €99 at sunset in the mid and low season; €89 and €109 from 16 May to 30 September.
Includes a Greek meal on board, soft drinks, white wine and water, snorkelling equipment and blankets. Does not include beer or towels.

On both, pick-up and return to the hotel by minibus is included across the island; they confirm it the day before. The afternoon departure lasts about 6 hours in June and about 4 h 30 in October, because it follows the time of sunset.
Season, booking and cancellation
Both departures run from 15 March to 15 November. They are booked on the company's website or by phone. If you cancel or change with 24 hours' notice or more you get a refund; with less, the full amount is charged. If the sea doesn't allow leaving the caldera, the crew changes stops without prior notice.
Morning or sunset
The morning departure is cheaper in summer and less in demand. The afternoon one offers the sunset from the sea, in front of Oia, and is the one that fills up most: book it days ahead in July and August. If you get seasick, choose the morning and take a tablet before boarding.
With children
It is an outing for all ages. The company has life jackets and flotation aids on board; ask the crew for them. Children must be able to cope with five hours on the boat and the jumps into the water at the hot springs are in open sea, with no bottom nearby: they shouldn't swim alone. The website doesn't publish a child price; ask when you book.
What to bring
Swimwear on already, sun cream, hat, sunglasses, a layer for the return and, on the Red Cruise, a towel. An old swimsuit for the hot springs: the iron-rich water can stain light clothes. When you get off at Ammoudi you have the Ammoudi Fish Tavern nearby for dinner.
- **Sea kayaking along the volcanic south coast, from Akrotiri** (3 h · Families from age 6 · adult departure from age 14 · Desde 115 € per person): What it involves
It is a guided sea kayak trip along Santorini's south coast, the one with the coloured cliffs: red, black and white, depending on the layer of lava or pumice that shows. You paddle below the cliffs, stop to swim and snorkel in very clear water, and have a light picnic before heading back. You pass three beaches: Red, Kambia and White. Some of those coves can only be properly reached by sea.
It is run by Santorini Sea Kayak, based at Akrotiri beach, about 300 m below the prehistoric site. The guides speak English and hold BCU qualifications, those of the British canoeing federation. All participants go in double kayaks.
The two departures
South Discovery (adults and young people from age 14)

About 3 hours in all, with about 2 h 30 of paddling. You cover between 2.5 and 4 nautical miles, depending on the sea.
Departure between 9:00 and 12:00, depending on availability and sea conditions.
Semi-private: €115 per person, or €145 with pick-up and return to the hotel.
Private: €195 per person, or €225 with pick-up.
Groups of up to 16 people.

Family Sea Kayak Tour (families with children aged 6 to 14)

About 2 h 30, around 2 nautical miles, with stops to swim and snorkel.
Pick-up around 9:00 and return around 12:30, if you choose the transfer.
Semi-private: €125 per person, or €155 with transfer. Private: €210 or €240.
Groups of 6 to 12 people. If 6 isn't reached, the company may cancel or offer the private departure.
It is beginner level: being able to swim and basic fitness are enough.

Both include guide, kayak and snorkelling equipment, dry bag, cap, picnic with fruit, taxes and activity insurance. Photos cost €3 extra. On the family departure drinks are not included.
Requirements
You must be able to swim and be in good shape; for the South Discovery the company marks it as compulsory. The family departure is beginner level. For the South Discovery, if you have never paddled, mention it when you book.
Wind and cancellation
The sea rules. With the meltemi, the July and August north wind, the company may move the departure time or change the route. If it cancels because of the weather or sea conditions, it refunds the full amount.
For the family departure, the booking is not confirmed until you pay the deposit. If you cancel yourself more than 5 days ahead, they charge €10 per person; 2 to 4 days before, half; with less than 48 hours or if you don't turn up, the total.
How to get there
If you don't book the transfer, go to Akrotiri beach. The KTEL bus from Fira station stops in the village and at Akrotiri beach, for €2.20; check the first-thing timetable, because the departure is in the morning. By hire car or quad, leave the vehicle near the beach.
What to bring
The company asks for swimwear, hat, towel, a litre of water, sun cream, water shoes and, if you can, a long-sleeved T-shirt. Bring cash too for payments on site. Your phone goes in the dry bag they give you.
How to combine it
After paddling you can visit the Akrotiri site, which is right above: it is covered and opens until mid-afternoon. In the afternoon, go up to Pyrgos or to the SantoWines tasting for sunset.
- **Assyrtiko and vinsanto tasting at the inland wineries** (1 h · Adults · Desde 25 € adult): The wine of a volcano
On Santorini the vine is like no other. The vines grow at ground level, coiled into the shape of a basket, the kouloura, to protect themselves from the wind and the sun. They live in a soil of volcanic ash, dry and poor, where the roots go deep to look for moisture. Phylloxera, the pest that devastated Europe's vineyards, did not reach here, and many old vines are still on their own roots, ungrafted.
The star grape is assyrtiko, which gives a dry, mineral white with high acidity. The island's other wine is vinsanto, sweet and dark. A tasting at an inland winery explains all this with a glass in your hand, and it is one of the few activities on the island that works all year round.
Estate Argyros, in Episkopi Gonia
Estate Argyros is a family winery in Episkopi Gonia, in the centre of the island, founded in 1903 and now in its fourth generation. It is the largest private vineyard owner on Santorini, with more than 120 hectares; the average age of its vines exceeds 70 years and some plots are over 200. Visits are by appointment and are led by a wine educator:

Estate Argyros Welcome: 45 minutes, four wines from native varieties, including its vinsanto, with a board of local cheeses, cured meats and bites. €25 per adult.
Taste the Real Santorini: 1 h 15, with a walk through the vineyard and the winemaking area and a tasting of six wines with a pairing of Greek cheeses and cured meats. €40 per adult.

Book on its website or by phone (+30 2286 031489). Arrive ten minutes early and let them know a day in advance if you have allergies or dietary restrictions. Children can come, always accompanied.
SantoWines, above the caldera next to Pyrgos
SantoWines is the winery of the Santorini winegrowers' cooperative, on the edge of the caldera, next to Pyrgos. Its wine-tourism centre is open all year. The terrace looks onto the volcano and is the sunset tasting: the atmosphere is busier and less intimate than at a family winery.
You can try any of its wines or choose a flight guided by the staff, and in the wine shop rare vintages are tasted. They also offer a winery tour, a tasting of the island's olive oil and a restaurant. Prices and flights are in its tasting brochure and its online booking system; for sunset, book days ahead in summer.
How to get there
Episkopi Gonia and Pyrgos are inland, a few kilometres from Fira. The KTEL bus to Pyrgos costs €2.20 from Fira station; for Estate Argyros, a taxi or car is the most practical. If you drive, don't drink: share the driver's role or go by taxi.
How long it lasts and who it suits
A tasting lasts between 45 minutes and an hour and a half. It is a plan for adults, for a quiet morning or the end of the afternoon. You can do two on the same day: a visit with the vineyard at Argyros in the morning and the SantoWines terrace at sunset. If you stay for dinner inland, Metaxy Mas is in Exo Gonia, very close.
Other wineries
The island has more wineries that receive visitors, such as Domaine Sigalas, on the Oia plain, which asks for advance booking for any visit, or Venetsanos Winery, which boasts of being the island's first industrial winery and offers tasting with a light meal. Check their websites for hours and prices before going.
- **Ancient Thera, on Mesa Vouno mountain** (2 h · With footwear and water · no shade · General admission €10 · reduced €5): What it is
Ancient Thera was the island's capital for more than a thousand years. It occupies the ridge of Mesa Vouno, the limestone mountain of the south-east cape that separates the beaches of Kamari and Perissa. According to Herodotus, it was founded by Dorian settlers led by Theras, who gave his name to the island, then called Kallisti. The city was founded in the 8th century BC and was inhabited at least until the 9th century AD. From here in 631 BC went out Thera's only colony, Cyrene, in North Africa.
Its great era came between 288 and 145 BC, when the island depended on Ptolemaic Egypt and its fleet was based here. Afterwards it was Roman. It was thoroughly excavated by the German Friedrich Hiller von Gaertringen between 1896 and 1902.
What you will see
The visit follows the ancient main street along the ridge, from north-west to south-east. On the way:

The agora, the centre of the city, with the Stoa Basilike, a long building with Doric columns from the early 3rd century BC.
The theatre, partly of the 2nd century BC, which also served as a council chamber; the stage building is Roman.
The sanctuaries: of Aphrodite and Hera next to the entrance, of the Egyptian gods, and that of Apollo Karneios at the end of the ridge.
Districts of Hellenistic and Roman houses, public baths and underground cisterns for rainwater.
Inscriptions carved in the rock, at the south-east end, in Thera's archaic alphabet.

From above you see Kamari on one side and on the other the beaches of Perissa and Perivolos.
Opening hours and tickets
The hours are short and change by month. According to the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, for 2026:

From April to October: from 8:30 to 15:30; closed on Wednesdays.
November: only Friday to Sunday, from 8:30 to 15:30.
From December to February: closed; opens only by appointment with the Ephorate.
March: Monday and Thursday to Sunday, from 8:30 to 15:30.

The last entry is at 15:10. Admission costs €10 (€5 reduced), according to the Ephorate's notice; it is bought at the ticket office or on the Ministry of Culture's ticketing website, linked from its page.
How to get there
The entrance is at the Sellada, the saddle between Mesa Vouno and Mount Profitis Ilias. You go up from two sides:

By car, from Kamari: a narrow road with hairpin bends climbs to near the entrance. Up top the space to leave the car is limited: go early. By quad or scooter, take care on the bends.
On foot, from Perissa or Kamari: there are paths that climb the slope, steep and without shade. Bring plenty of water and set out early.

The KTEL bus from Fira goes to Kamari and Perissa: €2.20 to Kamari and €2.70 to Perissa.
How long it takes and who it suits
The visit to the site lasts about an hour and a half. With the climb and descent on foot, allow half a morning. Up top there is no shade or facilities: bring water, a hat and closed shoes, because the ground is uneven stone. It is a visit for teenagers and adults who enjoy the landscape as much as the ruins. With small children it is short if you arrive by car, but watch the edges: there are unprotected drops. It is not wheelchair accessible.
In the wind
Mesa Vouno is very exposed. With a strong meltemi, in July and August, it blows violently up top: hold on to hats and phones and don't go near the drops.
- **Try dive on the Perissa reef** (2 h · No previous certification): A lesson on the shore and a first dive from the beach to a volcanic-rock reef, at 6 or 7 metres. Ask about the minimum age when you book.
- **Black-sand beaches of Perissa and Perivolos** (4 h · All ages · Free · paid sun loungers): What it is
On Santorini's south-east coast, at the foot of Mesa Vouno, begins a beach of black volcanic sand that runs south for kilometres. The first stretch is Perissa, next to the village of the same name; the next, with no break, is Perivolos. Sources give different measurements, but between the two they add up to around 7 km of continuous shoreline. It is the island's long beach, far from the caldera cliffs.
The sand is dark and fine, of volcanic origin, and the water shelves gradually. Behind there is an almost continuous line of beach bars, fish tavernas, bars and shops.
Perissa or Perivolos

Perissa is the part closest to the village and the mountain. It has more tavernas, shops and street life, and is the most convenient if you arrive by bus. From Perissa the path to Ancient Thera starts.
Perivolos continues to the south. The sand is the same and the row of beach bars with loungers continues too; it is the stretch for spending the whole day on the beach.

If you want to walk, go along the shore from one stretch to the other: the bus stops at both.
Facilities
There are sun loungers and parasols along almost the whole front, paid. There are also water sports and stretches where you can put down your own towel. The village dive centre is at the start of the Perissa promenade.
How to get there
The KTEL bus on the Fira – Perissa – Perivolos line leaves from Fira station and costs €2.70 (€3.40 at night, from 0:30 to 5:00). It is the most practical option in summer, when parking by the beach is a struggle. By hire car or quad, look for space in the streets behind the promenade.
When to go
For swimming, from June to September. In July and August the beach fills up, especially in the stretches with beach bars. First thing and at the end of the afternoon there is more room and the sand doesn't burn. Out of season many businesses close, but the promenade is quiet and pleasant.
With children and precautions
The gradual entry into the water makes it good for families. But the black sand gets very hot at midday in summer: bring flip-flops or water shoes for everyone, especially the children, and look for shade between 13:00 and 16:00. The water is open sea: in wind there can be swell; respect the flags if there are any.
How to combine it
In the morning climb to Ancient Thera, at the top of the mountain, and come down afterwards for a swim at Perissa. If you fancy diving, ask at the dive centre on the promenade about its try dive. For the afternoon, the village of Pyrgos is inland, a few kilometres away, for the sunset.
- **Pyrgos and sunset from the top of the village** (1 h 30 · All ages · steps · Free): What it is
Pyrgos Kallistis is Santorini's highest village, in the centre of the island, a few kilometres south-east of Fira. It is built as an amphitheatre around a hill, and at the top are the remains of the Kasteli, the medieval fortified enclosure around which it grew. From above you see the island in almost every direction: the caldera and the volcano on one side, the plain of vineyards and the open sea on the other.
Between 1835 and 1914 it was the seat of the old municipality of Kallisti. Today it has around a thousand inhabitants and is one of the island's villages that has changed least with tourism: narrow lanes that climb in zigzags, vaulted passageways, walls that were defences and houses dug into the earth, like caves.
What to see

The Kasteli: it had a single entrance, the Kasteloporta, and underground passages that served as refuge for the villagers. Climb through the lanes without a map: they all end at the top.
The church of the Theotokaki, the Dormition of the Virgin, inside the Kasteli, believed to date from the 10th century although its present form is later.
The church of the Presentation of the Virgin, the highest point of the Kasteli.
The Collection of Icons and Ecclesiastical Objects, in the restored church of Agia Triada, under the Ministry of Culture since 1997. It opens on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 to 15:30 and on Thursdays from 11:00 to 15:30; closed on Tuesdays. Admission €5 (€3 reduced). In November 2026 the Ephorate announced it closed exceptionally until Sunday 15: check before going.

Opposite the village, on the slope of Profitis Ilias, is the church of Agios Georgios, called Katafyo ("refuge"), where the villagers hid during raids. At the top of that mountain is the monastery of Profitis Ilias.
Sunset
Pyrgos is a quiet alternative to Oia for watching the sunset. From the top of the village the sun goes down over the caldera and you won't run into the crush of Oia. Go up half an hour before sunset to find a place.
If you prefer to watch it with a glass in hand, on the outskirts is the terrace of the SantoWines winery, above the caldera.
Holy Week
On the night of Orthodox Good Friday, Pyrgos holds an epitaphios procession through the streets, with fires lit in tins all over the village, which draw its silhouette in the darkness. It is the village's best-known festival; if it coincides with your trip, book accommodation and arrive in good time, because people come from all over the island.
How to get there and park
The KTEL bus leaves from Fira station and costs €2.20 (€2.80 at night, from 0:30 to 5:00). By car, the lanes of the old village are not for cars: park at the entrance to the village and walk up. In summer, at sunset, go with room to spare to find a space.
How long it takes and who it suits
Between one and two hours unhurried: going up, getting lost in the Kasteli, the icon collection and a coffee at the top. It is a walk for all ages, but with many steps and slopes: with a pushchair, better a baby carrier; in a wheelchair, the Kasteli is not practicable.
How to combine it
Pyrgos fits at the end of a day in the south: in the morning the Akrotiri site or the sea kayak along the south coast, and at sunset Pyrgos. For dinner inland you have Metaxy Mas, in Exo Gonia.

## Dónde comer
- **Metaxy Mas** (Restaurant, Exo Gonia, €€). Qué pedir: fava, baked white aubergine and the fillet with vinsanto sauce.
- **Ammoudi Fish Tavern** (Restaurant, Oia, €€€). Qué pedir: the fresh fish of the day.
- **SantoWines** (Winery, Pyrgos, €€€). Qué pedir: an assyrtiko tasting flight with plates to share.
- **Petra, at Canaves Oia Suites** (Restaurant, Oia, €€€€). Qué pedir: the “O Topos Mas” tasting menu, or the three-course one if you prefer something shorter.
- **Lucky's Souvlakis** (Takeaway, Fira, €). Qué pedir: pork or chicken gyros pita, with tzatziki.

## Car-free: A base in Fira and the bus to everything
Santorini works well without a car: all the KTEL lines leave from Fira, the ticket costs between €2.20 and €2.80 and the caldera path can be walked. What you lose are the inland wineries and the bus changes in Fira.
Presupuesto orientativo: 90–160 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Katikies Santorini** (Small hotel): Two houses hanging from the Oia cliff, with pools over the caldera and a private transfer to the port or airport. It only admits children over 13; with little ones, the group sends them to its hotel in Fira.
- **Kamari Beach Hotel** (Hotel): 106 rooms on Kamari's black-sand beach, with loungers for guests and a supervised pool. Close to the airport and with a bus to Fira (€2.20); with a car, parking here is far easier than on the caldera.
- **Santorini Camping Hostel & Rooms** (Hostel, desde 12.5 € / bed): 350 metres from the centre of Fira and 300 from the bus station, with bunks from €12.50 (€30 in high summer), private rooms, pitched tents and a plot for your own tent from €10 per person. Open from 1 March to 30 November.
### Servicios
- **Athinios ferry port**: Ferries to Piraeus and the Cyclades · KTEL bus from Fira €2.70
- **Ferry tickets: fast and conventional**: Piraeus–Santorini, about 5 h on a fast boat and 7 to 10 h on a conventional ferry, depending on the stops · buy from the ferry company or a search engine
- **KTEL bus station in Fira**: Lines to Oia, Kamari, Perissa, Akrotiri, the port and the airport · €2.20–2.80 · 25% more from 00:30 to 05:00
- **From the airport to Fira**: KTEL Fira – Kamari – airport bus, €2.20 · taxi or hotel transfer

## Luxury: The caldera from your own pool
Here are a good part of the Cyclades' luxury hotels, almost all on the cliff at Oia, Imerovigli and Firostefani. What is expensive is the view; for sleeping peacefully, Pyrgos.
Presupuesto orientativo: From €500 por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir in style
- **Katikies Santorini** (Small hotel): Two houses hanging from the Oia cliff, with pools over the caldera and a private transfer to the port or airport. It only admits children over 13; with little ones, the group sends them to its hotel in Fira.
- **Canaves Oia Suites** (Small hotel): Suites cut into the Oia cliff, with a spa in a 17th-century cave and a pool over the Aegean. The group has its own sailing boat and catamaran at Ammoudi.
- **Zannos Melathron** (Small hotel): A suite hotel five minutes' walk from Pyrgos square, with cave suites and suites with a jacuzzi. Luxury without the Oia crowds, and in the centre of the island, near the wineries and the southern beaches.
### Servicios
- **Athinios ferry port**: Ferries to Piraeus and the Cyclades · KTEL bus from Fira €2.70
- **From the airport to Fira**: KTEL Fira – Kamari – airport bus, €2.20 · taxi or hotel transfer
- **Private transfer from the port or airport**: Offered by the caldera hotels · book it if you arrive at night

## Backpacking: Bunk, bus and the caldera on foot
Santorini is expensive, but the best is free: the path from Fira to Oia, the sunset and the black-sand beaches. With a hostel and the bus, the spending goes on food and one boat trip, if you treat yourself.
Presupuesto orientativo: 40–70 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're backpacking
- **Santorini Camping Hostel & Rooms** (Hostel, desde 12.5 € / bed): 350 metres from the centre of Fira and 300 from the bus station, with bunks from €12.50 (€30 in high summer), private rooms, pitched tents and a plot for your own tent from €10 per person. Open from 1 March to 30 November.
- **Caveland** (Hostel): A former winery turned hostel in Karterados, the first village south of Fira, with dormitories and rooms in caves, a garden and a pool. Fira is 25 minutes' walk or five by bus.
- **Youth Hostel Anna** (Hostel): A hostel about 12 minutes' walk from Perissa beach, with dormitories of 4 to 12 beds and a pool. For those who prefer beach to caldera and don't mind taking the bus to Fira.
### Servicios
- **Athinios ferry port**: Ferries to Piraeus and the Cyclades · KTEL bus from Fira €2.70
- **Ferry tickets: fast and conventional**: Piraeus–Santorini, about 5 h on a fast boat and 7 to 10 h on a conventional ferry, depending on the stops · buy from the ferry company or a search engine
- **KTEL bus station in Fira**: Lines to Oia, Kamari, Perissa, Akrotiri, the port and the airport · €2.20–2.80 · 25% more from 00:30 to 05:00
- **From the airport to Fira**: KTEL Fira – Kamari – airport bus, €2.20 · taxi or hotel transfer

## By car: A small car and a base outside the caldera
A car opens up the wineries, Pyrgos, Akrotiri and the southern beaches in one day. The island is about 18 km from end to end, but the roads are narrow and in summer there are traffic jams in Fira and Oia.
Presupuesto orientativo: 100–180 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Zannos Melathron** (Small hotel): A suite hotel five minutes' walk from Pyrgos square, with cave suites and suites with a jacuzzi. Luxury without the Oia crowds, and in the centre of the island, near the wineries and the southern beaches.
- **Kamari Beach Hotel** (Hotel): 106 rooms on Kamari's black-sand beach, with loungers for guests and a supervised pool. Close to the airport and with a bus to Fira (€2.20); with a car, parking here is far easier than on the caldera.
### Servicios
- **Athinios ferry port**: Ferries to Piraeus and the Cyclades · KTEL bus from Fira €2.70
- **Ferry tickets: fast and conventional**: Piraeus–Santorini, about 5 h on a fast boat and 7 to 10 h on a conventional ferry, depending on the stops · buy from the ferry company or a search engine
- **Car, scooter and quad hire**: In Fira, Kamari, Perissa, the port and the airport · bring your driving licence

## By plane: Fly to Santorini or Athens and Connect
Santorini is one of the few islands with a direct flight from Spain: Vueling flies from Barcelona in season, in about three and a quarter hours. From Madrid and elsewhere, you fly to Athens and connect with a flight of about 45 minutes or with the ferry from Piraeus. The airport is next to Kamari, about 10 minutes from Fira, with a KTEL bus, taxi or hotel transfer.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Katikies Santorini** (Small hotel): Two houses hanging from the Oia cliff, with pools over the caldera and a private transfer to the port or airport. It only admits children over 13; with little ones, the group sends them to its hotel in Fira.
- **Canaves Oia Suites** (Small hotel): Suites cut into the Oia cliff, with a spa in a 17th-century cave and a pool over the Aegean. The group has its own sailing boat and catamaran at Ammoudi.
- **Zannos Melathron** (Small hotel): A suite hotel five minutes' walk from Pyrgos square, with cave suites and suites with a jacuzzi. Luxury without the Oia crowds, and in the centre of the island, near the wineries and the southern beaches.
- **Kamari Beach Hotel** (Hotel): 106 rooms on Kamari's black-sand beach, with loungers for guests and a supervised pool. Close to the airport and with a bus to Fira (€2.20); with a car, parking here is far easier than on the caldera.
- **Santorini Camping Hostel & Rooms** (Hostel, desde 12.5 € / bed): 350 metres from the centre of Fira and 300 from the bus station, with bunks from €12.50 (€30 in high summer), private rooms, pitched tents and a plot for your own tent from €10 per person. Open from 1 March to 30 November.
- **Caveland** (Hostel): A former winery turned hostel in Karterados, the first village south of Fira, with dormitories and rooms in caves, a garden and a pool. Fira is 25 minutes' walk or five by bus.
- **Youth Hostel Anna** (Hostel): A hostel about 12 minutes' walk from Perissa beach, with dormitories of 4 to 12 beds and a pool. For those who prefer beach to caldera and don't mind taking the bus to Fira.
### Servicios
- **From the airport to Fira**: KTEL Fira – Kamari – airport bus, €2.20 · taxi or hotel transfer
- **Car, scooter and quad hire**: In Fira, Kamari, Perissa, the port and the airport · bring your driving licence

## As a family: Black beach, a boat and Akrotiri in the shade

With children, Santorini works if you sleep at the beach and not on the caldera: at Kamari or Perissa there is sand, pools and a bus, and the cliff villages are left for an afternoon. Organise the day around the heat: out in the morning, shade at midday.

### What works best
Akrotiri, under cover, for the hours of most sun; from age 6

The caldera cruise, with a swim in the hot springs

The family kayak from Akrotiri, for ages 6 to 14

The beaches of Perissa and Perivolos, with a gentle entry into the water

### Sleep
Kamari Beach Hotel, on the beach and with a supervised pool

Apartments in Perissa and Kamari

### Eat
Gyros pitas in Fira to get by

Beach tavernas at Kamari and Perissa, at shade time

### Bear in mind
In Oia, Fira and Imerovigli everything is steps: no pushchair, baby carrier yes

Black sand burns at midday: water shoes or sandals for everyone

In July and August the caldera path has no shade: don't do it with small children at midday

Some caldera hotels only admit over-13s

### Qué hacer as a family
- Akrotiri site, the city beneath the ash
- Five-hour cruise around the caldera, with a swim in the hot springs
- Sea kayaking along the volcanic south coast, from Akrotiri
- Black-sand beaches of Perissa and Perivolos
- Pyrgos and sunset from the top of the village

## With teenagers: Paddling, diving and walking along the rim

Santorini has more for a teenager than it seems from the photos of Oia: the whole caldera path, a kayak trip to coves reached only by sea, a try dive and two buried cities like no museum.

### What works best
The Fira to Oia path: 10 km along the cliff edge

Kayaking along the south coast, the adult departure from age 14

Try dive at Perissa, with no previous experience

Akrotiri and Ancient Thera, for anyone who likes history

### Sleep
Santorini Camping Hostel & Rooms, in Fira, with a pool

Beach hotels at Kamari, from where they can get around alone by bus

### Eat
Pitas and gyros in Fira, cheap and quick

Fish at Ammoudi, if they walk down the steps

### Bear in mind
The KTEL bus gives them independence: all the lines go through Fira

The Oia sunset in August is a crowd: it bores them more than you

Quad and scooter are not an option: a licence is required to hire them

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Caldera trail from Fira to Oia
- Akrotiri site, the city beneath the ash
- Five-hour cruise around the caldera, with a swim in the hot springs
- Sea kayaking along the volcanic south coast, from Akrotiri
- Ancient Thera, on Mesa Vouno mountain
- Try dive on the Perissa reef

## Consejos

### Buy Akrotiri with an e-ticket
It costs €20 and is covered, so it is the plan for the hottest hours. It opens at 8:00 in summer: go first thing.

### Check the bus timetable on the KTEL website
It changes with the season. Between 0:30 and 5:00 a night fare applies, 25% more expensive.

### Book the port transfer if you arrive at night
The port is 8 km from Fira along a winding road, and outside hours there is no cheap alternative.

### Walk the caldera path from Fira to Oia
That way you finish in Oia and come back by bus. There is no shade: start before 9:00 in summer.

### Book your sunset dinner days ahead
In Oia and Ammoudi, tables with sunset views fill up before the others.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many days do you need on Santorini?
Three nights: one day for the caldera and the path, another for Akrotiri and the southern beaches, and one for a boat trip or the wineries. With two you see it, in a rush.

### Can you go in winter?
Yes, and it is quiet, but from November to March many hotels, tavernas and boats close, Akrotiri opens from 8:30 to 15:30 and closes on Tuesdays, and Ancient Thera closes from December to February. The bus runs on a reduced timetable.

### Are there sandy beaches?
Black volcanic sand, on the east side: Kamari, Perissa and Perivolos, long and with facilities. They get very hot in the sun: bring water shoes or sandals. Beneath the caldera there is no beach; you reach the hot springs by boat.

### Where is the best place to see the sunset?
In Oia, with thousands of people. At the Pyrgos castle, in Imerovigli or from a boat in the caldera, with far fewer.

### Is Santorini good for going with children?
For children who walk and can cope with the heat, yes: black-sand beaches at Kamari and Perissa, Akrotiri under cover and a boat trip with a swim. With a pushchair, no: the caldera villages are steps.

### How do you get to other islands?
By ferry from Athinios. Naxos, Paros and Ios are on the same line towards Piraeus, and in season there are fast boats to Milos and to Crete. Check the timetables with the ferry company: they change every season and with the meltemi.