SANTORINI
UNIQUE BEAUTIFUL GREEK ISLAND
The island of Santorini or Thira belongs to the complex of Cyclades islands, in the southern Aegean Sea and is annually considered to be a top holiday destination for visitors from all over the globe. The island is famous not only for its volcano but also is as it is one of the most graphic Greek islands that offers just about everything to the traveler. Santorini is famous for its volcanoes, which are the most recent ones in Greece and are considered the most active in the whole of Europe. Apart from that, Santorini belongs to the Aegean volcanic arc and is characterized as an active volcano.
The Minoan eruption on the island in 1613 BC, resulted in the creation of the Caldera of Santorini and the destruction of the prehistoric culture of the island and gave the island -which had a round form in its first shape- a different form. Today the island is attracting annually a huge number of travelers seeking to see its famous sunset, intriguing volcanoes but also wish to relax at the numerous beaches of the island. This is an island that has everything you can think of: from nightclubs to romantic and traditional cafes and restaurants and with no question this is the island that you have to visit in your life!
The climate is humid and really healthy and the soil is ideal for farming which perfectly explains the rich local products that you have to try during your stay. Santorini’s tomatoes and fava will make you ask for more once you try them at the numerous restaurants of the island. The local delicacies like melitinia and croquettes of tomatoes will become your favorite ones while you will enjoy your swim at the famous beaches of the island and life will be really nice on you!
Also the island’s top beaches are so exquisite from the red beach with its black and red pebbles, Kamari beach on the southern part of the island, the popular Perissa beach that in the heart of the summer attracts annually a wide variety of tourists form all over the world
HIGHLIGHTS IN SANTORINI
Discover in a glance the best things to see and do in Santorini island Source: www.greeka.com
Oia Santorini: Oia, pronounced Ia, is the most famous of all villages of Santorini. It is known throughout the world for its quiet life and fantastic sunset, and is certainly the most beautiful and picturesque village of Santorini. The village is also situated on top of an impressive cliff and offers a spectacular view over the volcano of Palia and Nea Kameni and the island of Thirassia. Oia is situated on the north of the island, 11 km away from Fira. It is a traditional village with charming houses in narrow streets, blue domed churches, and sun-bathed verandas. Its streets have plenty of tourist shops, taverns, cafes, and other shops. Oia is much more quiet that Fira and the busiest area is the main pedestrian that runs along its length. At the entrance of the village is a car park where visitors can leave their vehicle and enjoy long walks in the picturesque paths. The volcano from here is much less imposing but you can still get some gorgeous views. Oia has several cultural attractions like the Maritime Museum which houses a small library, items from the maritime life of the area, and the vestiges of a Venetian fortress. Many artists fell in love with the area and settled there. For that reason, the village of Oia has many art galleries. Oia also has a small port, Ammoudi, which can be reached by a set of 300 steps leading down. There, small boats can take you opposite, to the island of Thirassia. The beach of Armenis is also located there. Taverns in Oia offer visitors tasty meals of fresh fish.
Santorini Volcano: Santorini is gifted with a unique natural beauty and a wild scenery created by the volcanic eruptions. As it is extremely famous for the beautiful caldera, the island is also known for the two small islands of black lava positioned at the center of the basin of Santorini which is, geographically, the youngest islets in the Eastern Mediterranean. Nea Kameni especially is a pole of attraction for tourists for its healing hot springs. The yellow waters there contain a large amount of sulfur and are characterized for their therapeutic purposes. Today, Agios Nikolaos which is the small cove in Nea Kameni islet is a true health source. Santorini villages perched on high cliffs offer a breathtaking view to the caldera and the young islets, especially during the amazingly colored sunset. Tourists can visit the volcano by taking one of the daily cruises advertised in any village. One can walk upon the solid black lava sides of the steaming volcano and explore the whole area which is quite impressive. Nea Kameni is the central one, and once on its shore, after a walk of 20 minutes in the lunar scenery, visitors will discover the volcano's crater and other openings bursting with sulfur steam. The area also offers an incredible view of the beautiful villages hanging on the cliffs. The oldest volcano, Palea Kameni also has hot springs.
Red Beach Santorini: The red beach is arguably one of the most famous and beautiful beaches of Santorini. It is located only some steps away from the ancient site of Akrotiri. The small size of the beach creates a much crowded atmosphere and there are many days where most of the visitors choose not to make it all the way down to the beach and instead admire this unique landscape of red and black volcanic rocks from the headland. The access is relatively easy. You can leave your car at the parking space and continue all the way down that takes about two minutes. As you gradually get down to the beach you will be impressed by the different colorings of the cliffs. Many sunbeds and umbrellas cover the dark sand and right on the seashore are some nice pebbles you can use for your collection. Snorkeling is highly recommended due to the interesting rocks. You can also access the beach by boat that departs from Akrotiri port.
As Santorini is one of the most cosmopolitan destinations in Greece, it has many luxurious hotels and spa resorts to stay. Most impressive hotels are located at the caldera villages, such as Fira, Oia and Imerovigli.
The site of Akrotiri had been closed for many years but it reopened to visitors in April 2012 The archaeological site of Akrotiri is one of the main attractions of Santorini. Located on the southern side of the island, between the village of Akrotiri and the famous Red beach, this site is visited by thousands of visitors every year. Excavations on Akrotiri has started as early as the 1870s by the French Archaeological School of Athens. A few years later in 1866, the first traces of an ancient settlement had been accidentally revealed, during the works to get volcanic soil from Santorini in order to insulate the Suez Canal Bridge. In the century that followed, many excavations were conducted until the excavations of archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos started in 1967. The works revealed a fully-working and developed settlement. Archaeologists believe that the town was originally constructed around 4,500 B.C. but in the 17th century B.C. it was destroyed by an earthquake. A new town was built on the ruins of the old town until it was also destroyed by the volcanic eruption about one century later. The location of the town was ideal, as it served as a safe port and thus it developed an important commerce activity. The urban planning was dense, the buildings had many stores, the walls were decorated with amazing frescoes, the streets were paved and there were also squares and storehouses. The frescoes depict a rich middle society, where people were dressed luxuriously and elegantly. The enormous volcanic eruption that destroyed the settlement of Akrotiri took place around 1,650 B.C. The entire town was covered with ashes and lava, which preserved Akrotiri almost intact through time. As no human bodies have been found covered by lava, as is the case in Pompeii, archaeologists believe that precursory earthquakes made the residents leave before the volcano erupted. Also, not many valuable items were excavated, which shows that between the earthquakes and the big volcanic eruption, the residents had returned to take their personal belongings. This time interval between the precursory earthquakes and the eruption is estimated at about 10 days. In any case, the time between the first eruptions and the geological formation of the caldera is estimated no more than 2-3 days. The eruption took place probably in spring because flowers of olive trees were found under the lava ashes. This was the most important eruption in the world for the last 10,000 years and the tsunami waves that raised also destroyed the Minoan town of Knossos in Crete. In September 2005, an accident took place in Akrotiri: the wooden shelter of the site collapsed, killing a British tourist. Since then, the site had been closed till April 2012, when the new bioclimatic shelter was finished and Akrotiri opened again to visitors.
The Sunset of Santorini, Cyclades: Santorini is one of the best places on earth as far as sunset viewing is concerned. In fact, few places can match the sheer beauty of Santorini's sunset views. A visitor to the island fallen in love with the bewitchingly beautiful sunsets that can be savored from many vantage positions in the island. Most visitors to Santorini agree that sunsets, when viewed from Santorini, makes for a truly surreal experience. The towns and villages of Santorini are dotted with buildings that have been built after the catastrophic earthquake in 1956. Many of the older buildings collapsed in the earthquake, the newer buildings which include hotels and restaurants have been built mostly on the cliffs so as to provide visitors and residents alike with truly mesmerizing views of Santorini's natural beauty and sunsets. For the avid photographer, there is no place like Santorini. It is the Mecca of outdoor photography. Many internationally acclaimed photographers have shot amazing photographs, particularly depicting the ethereal Santorini sunset. There is a huge demand for hotel space particularly in the picturesque village of Oia which offers some of the most inspiring sunset views in the whole of Santorini. Due to the fact that the romantic Santorini sunset is so potent couples prefer to spend the late afternoons in the company of each other and accordingly the hotels and restaurants have made the necessary arrangements exclusively targetted to attract couples who come in droves from all over the world just to view the sunset from Oia's many vantage points. Undoubtedly, Oia is among the most romantic places in the world. A novel way of experiencing the Santorini sunset is by embarking on a sunset cruise on board a traditional Santorini boat. Most of the harbors of the island run regular sunset cruises and it is a sheer delight to be on board and witness the ethereal sunset.
Santorini is an island with long wine-making tradition. The volcanic soil and the special climate of Santorini give a unique taste to the local wine. The wine of Santorini was famous all over the Mediterranean basin in the ancient times and even today it is exported in many countries of the world. Vinsanto, Nychteri and Mezzo are just some of the local varieties that can be found in many restaurants on the island and in various cellars in the world. A very special thing to do on the island is visit some of the many Santorini wineries, spread all over the countryside. Most wineries in Santorini are actually found in the central and the southern part of the island, in the villages of Mesa and Exo Gonia, Megalochori and Messaria. Large vineyards surround the wineries, which can be visited individually or in an organized wine tour. The most famous Santorini wineries are Santo Wines and Volcan Wines. Here are some wineries in Santorini. Each winery is presented with detailed text, photos and point on Google map. If you have visited any of these wineries, feel free to write your review. All request forms go directly to the winery manager so that you can make a reservation in person or ask them any question.
Are you interested to see all the beauty that island has to offer?...
...is at your service
Fira Santorini: Fira is the capital of Santorini, Greece, and the most important of all villages. It is located at the west side of the island and 10 km away from the main port, Athinios. Fira has 1,600 permanent inhabitants. It is perched on the edge of an impressive cliff, at a height of 260 meters offering a great panoramic view over the submerged volcano. In 1956, the island of Santorini was hit by an earthquake that destroyed a large part of the island but luckily, some of the 18th century buildings were saved. The town of Fira is a typical Cycladic village made of charming white houses with blue windows and doors, separated from each other by small paved streets. Many of its beautiful buildings were constructed back in the times of the Venetian invasion, including some blue domed churches and sun-bathed verandas that offer an incredible view of the volcano and the sunset. In our days, Fira is a busy town. During summer and in its high season, the central streets are overcrowded with tourists and filled with all kind of shops, jewelleries, restaurants, cafes, bars and night clubs. The town has a large number of hotels and from a high position you can notice that most have swimming pools and verandas offering their customers a superb view. The caldera is considered the highlight of Santorini but there are some interesting churches that attract attention as well as the sheer beauty of the town's architecture. Despite all the tourist traffic concentrated in town, there are some areas that remain quiet. Thus one will definitely find places to relax and enjoy a great view of the island and the surrounding area. For those in search of a knowing better the culture of the island, an Archaeological Museum hosting many items from several excavations conducted in the ancient Minoan settlement of Akrotiri can be visited in the town of Fira. The town displays also numerous churches and monasteries such as Agios Minas, the cathedral of Ipapanti, the cathedral of Christ, the monastery of Panagia ton Dominikanidon, Panagia tou Rodariou and the Catholic Cathedral. A nice proposal is also the Megaron Gyzi Museum with its fascinating collection of photos of Fira before and after the earthquake of 1956. Fira also has a port that was, for many years, the main port of Santorini. Today, this port is only used for cruise boats. From there, boats can take visitors for a tour to the volcano of Nea and Palia Kameni.
Are you interested to see all the beauty that island has to offer?...