Santorini

Santorini is between Ios and Anafi islands in the southern Cyclades. On a clear day, you may be able to see Crete, about 100 km to the south. The name is a contraction of Saint Irene, after an old church in Perissa.

The Santorini archipelago used to be a single island, until a volcanic eruption around 1600 BCE tore it apart. The eruption was among the most massive in human history. There is a local legend that Santorini was once home to the Lost City of Atlantis, destroyed by the eruption. Most historians dispute this claim, but the myth's parallels to Santorini's explosive past are tantalizing. Eruptions still occur; the central Nea Kameni has grown substantially in modern times, as recently as 1950.

The eruption left behind today's caldera, an expansive crater rimmed by three fragments that survived the eruption, filled in with sea water and the two newer islands. The interior caldera walls are steep, up to 300 m high, and mostly impassable, although a number of villages are built along its ridge. It is one of the most distinctive landscapes in the entire Mediterranean.

Traditional Cycladic architecture — dense clusters of cubic whitewashed stone buildings — fills most of the villages, interspersed with villas and wineries. Much of the island has been restored since a major earthquake in 1956, which spurred this relatively remote outpost to rebuild itself into the iconic tourism destination it is today.

Climate:

The main options are ferries from Pireaus (standard ferryboats and high-speed catamarans) and flights from Athens.

Getting in from Athens by air is faster and you avoid possible sea sickness. However, in season air tickets sell out well before most of the ferries.

By plane:

There are regular flights from Athens by Aegean Airlines, Sky Express, and Volotea, with a flight time of 30-45 minutes. Volotea also has a regular service from Thessaloniki.

From May till October many charter airlines fly directly to Santorini from many European airports. Listed below is commercial air service.

1 Santorini (Thira) National Airport (JTR IATA) (north of Monolithos). The airport is very small, so passengers are allowed to drop off their luggage only two hours before their flight. There is a large number of seats outside of the terminal with a cafeteria, where passengers may wait. In the gate areas, seating is very limited. There is a cafeteria upstairs with outdoor tables for a view of planes.

Getting there:

From the airport there are buses to Fira, €2 (2025), where you can change to buses for other towns.

Taxis are also usually waiting at the airport, but competition for them can be keen, €30-40 to Fira (2025).

Many Santorini hotels offer airport transfers, usually for a fee that's more than a taxi would charge you, but some may find it worth it for the convenience.

As the island is very small it's possible to walk from the airport, if you are fit enough (~5.5 km/90 min to the centre of Fira).

By boat:

There are the standard ferryboats that need about 7–9 hours to reach Santorini from Piraeus and the fast ferries or high speed catamarans that take about 4–5 hours to reach the island. Check what you have bought: just because you have a reservation for a ferry, doesn't mean that you have a place to sit. Seats could be at extra cost.