The Santorini island group

Santorini is a volcanic island in the Cyclades group of the Greek islands. It is located in the most southern part of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea. Did you know that the whole complex of Santorini islands is still an active volcano and probably the only volcano in the world whose crater is in the sea?

Magically curved around the imposing Caldera, Santorini Island is one of the most fascinating, mysterious and awesome destinations in the world.

The wild beauty, the fascinating Caldera, the gold sunset… Make your dream wedding come true in one of the most ideal wedding destinations worldwide!

There is no doubt that you will instantly fall in love with Santorini, whether you are interested by the incredible history and its vestiges, or you want to admire the most romantic sunset in the world with your beloved.

How to get in Santorini

By air

You can reach Santorini by air and arrive at Santorini International Airport, located north of Kamari village, 6 km of Thira town. During the summer season, you can reach Santorini with direct flights from many European countries. Also during the same period Santorini is also connected with flights to and from Mykonos and Herakleion (Crete).

By boat

Santorini Island features two ports; the main port is Athinios, where arrive all the ferry and commercial boats, and there is also the Old Port, mostly used for cruise ships.

The main port to take you to Santorini from Athens is Piraeus, but there are also ferries departures, especially high-speed ferries, from the port of Rafina, which is closest to the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport.

Accommodation

The famous worldwide romantic sunsets of Santorini Island and the spectacular Caldera view one can admire from many hotel accommodation in the villages of Oia or Imerovigli are no legend. Featuring white cubed houses, hotels cascading down the impressing Caldera cliffs, Santorini offers a wide variety of quality hotels, unique hotel apartments and elegant suite hotels. Besides the style and character of authentic island architecture, most of the accommodations on Santorini are well organized with every modern convenience to meet the requirements of today’s travelers. Santorini offers many accommodation proposals that meet any budget.

Beaches

Deep blue waters; white, red and black sand; vertical cliffs; red and black volcanic pebbles and spectacular rock formations…the beaches of Santorini are the strangest, the oddest they have ever seen! Santorini’s coastal treasures have been profoundly influenced by the volcanic nature of the island. Its unique lunar landscape and the exceptional clarity of the Aegean Sea are simply superb.

Starting from the northern part of the island, the beaches on the coastline of Oia will instantly amaze, they have a wild and remote beauty. These beaches were frequented by locals, however recently they have been discovered by few tourists, mainly by families and couples, they can easily be passed by since they cannot be seen from the main road.

Coming from Oia, one will first come upon the beach of Baxedes, then follows the beach of Koloumbos and lastly we come upon Poria small fisherman’s port.

In the south-eastern part of the island one will find the beaches of Monolithos, Avis and Kamari. They are organized beaches, mainly preferred by families with small children. Numerous hotels, restaurants, tavernas and small shops are located along the beaches, especially in Kamari. Water sports are offered at the beach of Avis, which attracts younger people.

We continue to the south to Perissa and Perivolos two of the most famous beaches of Santorini. These two beaches together form the longest black-sanded beach on the island. Here one will find also a variety of tavernas and restaurants as well as hotels.

Finally one reaches the most southern beaches of the island. Vlychada with its beautiful carved mountain, the “moonscape” landscape, sculptured by the wind through the years.

The White beach, which can be reached only by boat, and the unspoilt beach of Mesa Pigadia form the epilogue of an unrevealing landscape, which has been transformed through the ages.

Activities for action lovers

• Best spots for scuba diving: cape of Tripití at Thirassiá, Paliá Kaméni (the shipwreck), Mésa Pigádia, Ammoúdi, Arménis (wall dive), Asproníssi

• Diving centres are located at: Ammoúdi, Kamári, Períssa and Oia

• Windsurfing/jet ski equipment at the following beaches: Kamari, Períssa, Avis

Sightseeing

Volcano

Any stay on Santorini Island should feature a yacht cruise to the three islets which were violently created during the explosion of ancient times, namely Nea Kammeni, Palea Kammeni and Thirassia.

Their location opposite the western part of the island of Santorini gives visitors the opportunity to actually see the volcano and all of its wonders. Here, visitors can explore and trek around these rather barren, but nonetheless beautiful three islets. 

Fascinating in terms of their rock formations and colour, visitors are also able to swim in their hot springs. Some 5 degrees Celsius warmer than the surrounding sea temperature, these natural mud baths also have therapeutic properties due to their high levels of sulphur,  because of the volcano.

Fira

Fira, the capital of Santorini, is perched on the edge of an impressive cliff 260 meters high, offering impressive views of the volcano. Fira town is full of small whitewashed houses of traditional Cycladic architecture, blue domed churches and stepped streets filled with all kinds of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars.

As the busiest touristic area of Santorini Island, Fira offers the largest choice for shopping, restaurants, bars, clubs and features many museums ( Archaeological, Prehistoric and Folklore Museum).

Imerovigli

Imerovigli village is built 300 meters over the sea at the highest point of the Caldera offering privileged views over the Aegean Sea and the volcano. Located north of Fira and south of Oia, Imerovigli is a quiet traditional village, featuring the famous huge rock called Skaros, which was the most important fortified settlement of Santorini.

Perissa

Perissa is famous for its incredible black sand beach which includes many beach bars, but more importantly, it is the place where you cannot miss to visit the remnants of the Byzantine Period, such as the Church of Agia Irini or Santa Irini which gave the actual name Santorini to the Island, the Church of Timiou Stavrou, one of the largest churches on the Island and the Museum of Minerals and Fossils where you will discover splendid minerals and fossils from Thira and the rest of Greece.

Kamari

Kamari is situated on the southeast side of Santorini and is mostly appreciated and preferred for its beautiful and famous long beach with crystal clear waters and its natural green environment. In Kamari, you should absolutely visit the church of Panaghia Episkopi, built in 1100 and the church Panagia Myrtidiotissa.

Ancient Thira

The archaeological site of Ancient Thira is located on top of a cliff above Kamari, offering, beside unique historical vestiges Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods, incredible views over the eastern coast of Santorini. Make sure to visit the Sanctuary of Artemidoros, the Agora, the Theatre, the Temple of Dionysos, the Sanctuary of Appolo Karneios and the Necropolis of ancient Thira.

Oia

No wonder why Oia village is one of the most photographed places in the world; its beauty is beyond imagination, with picturesque architecture with cave houses carved in the Cliffside called Iposkafa, medieval Venetian houses called the Captain houses, thousands of blue domed churches and color splashes of ochre, early red, oyster pink, green and fuchsia. Oia is also famous for its magical sunsets, famous as the world’s best, attracting hordes of visitors every day.

Akrotiri

When the volcano erupted 3.600 years ago, the ancient town of Akrotiri was buried. Today, Akrotiri, one of the five fortified settlements of the Island, is presenting a great interest to travelers, since the excavations have also revealed beautiful frescoes, tools and everyday life objects and the village itself features very good fish taverns, beautiful natural environment and the must-visit Akrotiri Castle and Akrotiri Excavations that brought to the light the remains of the Minoan town.

Weddings

If you imagine a dreamy wedding ceremony that you will remember for the rest of your life, then Santorini is the right destination. You can choose the location depending on the type of ceremony you prefer. You will find quite a few wedding organizers on the island who can take care of every detail concerning the wedding of your dreams.

Civil weddings

The ceremony can be held in almost any location of your choice, such as one of the famous restaurants, wineries, old factories, private museums, sailboats, chapel yards, beaches, and old mansions.

Orthodox weddings

The Orthodox ceremony in Santorini can be held at the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral, located in the center of Fira (the island’s capital) overlooking the volcano and the sea, or in another one of the Orthodox churches located in one of the various picturesque traditional villages around the island.

Catholic weddings

The Catholic ceremony in Santorini is held at the Catholic Cathedral, a baroque church with an elegant bell tower. The Cathedral is dedicated to St John the Baptist and is part of the Catholic Quarter in the center of Fira.

What to eat

Combined with a surreal view on the impressive Caldera, Santorini gastronomy is quite exceptional since Santorini Island is blessed with rich volcanic soils that produce distinguished flavored local products and wines, making dining in Santorini a true culinary ceremony. Santorini gastronomy is slightly different than the classic Greek cuisine, since it offers local products specialties such as the famous fava dip, tomato ball called tomatokeftedes made from the local cherry tomatoes, or white aubergines’ dip.

Entertainment

In one of the most beautiful spots on the planet, with twinkling lights over the Caldera, get prepared to live a vivid nightlife, since you will find a multitude of clubs, bars and bar restaurants in Santorini for all tastes.

The center of nightlife in Santorini is the main town Fira, with the larger choice of clubs, bars and cafés with guest DJ appearances during summer, but you will also find through our selective guide, many magical places to drink refreshing cocktails and renowned local wines in Oia, Perissa or Kamari, while admiring the sunset views to the Aegean Sea.

Local products

The unique volcanic land of Santorini and its perfect climate lead to the production of high quality products. However, the island is famous for its vineyards with a great history lost in the depths of time. The volcanic activity has made soil very fertile and as a result the agriculture of Santorini developed rapidly and became well-know all over the world.

The island specialized in wine.  Their branches are put in a way that makes them look like a basket. This way protects the wine trees from the high winds of the Cyclades.

Other agricultural products on which Santorini, Greece is specialized in are: the fava, a vegetable that looks smaller than a pea, a type of cherry tomato that only grows on Santorini which is the result of the lack of water and, finally, the kapari, a vegetable of the size of a pea which is used in the famous Greek Salad. The island of Santorini also produces a cheese made from goat's milk which is called chloro. Due to the volcanic past of the island, Santorini also sales products related to the lava such as the pumice stone.

Cultural events

 During the summer season, Santorini counts on major cultural events.

 The most important festivals are:

Megaron Gyzi Festival

 The Festival of Megaron Gyzi takes place the first three weeks of August in Gyzi Cultural Centre in Fira. It includes various events, mostly musical concerts of jazz and classical music and art exhibitions.

Santorini Jazz Festival

The Santorini Jazz Festival takes place in July, in the heart of the summer and attracts the lovers of Jazz music. Famous performers from the Greek or international scene will entertain you with their jazz rythms.

Ifestia Festival

 The Ifestia Festival (meaning the Greek Volcano festival) is organized annually in Santorini, every August. It involves a representation of the eruption of the island's volcano with fireworks and a series of interesting events, concerts and dance performances.

International Music Festival

The International Music Festival welcomes artists from the international music scene to perform for two weeks in Fira, during September.

Religious feasts

There is an old saying: Santorini has more churches than houses and more wine than water... Regarding the religious feasts of Santorini, locals tend to organize them with great love for tradition and faith. Usually for these festivities preparations start some days before the feast day including cooking and decoration of the church. Every village has its own patron saint which is celebrated with passion with various ceremonies and church services.