Santorini.
White houses, blue domes and the caldera view – Santorini feels like a postcard that came to life.
White houses, blue domes and the caldera view – Santorini feels like a postcard that came to life.
Evenings in Oia, when the sun sinks into the sea, stay with you. By day: vineyards, small bays and the story of a volcanic island.
Background
History.
In the Late Bronze Age a Minoan-influenced town stood on Thera (Akrotiri); the huge eruption in the second half of the 2nd millennium BCE buried the settlement under pumice and ash and shaped today’s caldera.
In antiquity the island was called Thera; in the Middle Ages Venetians settled here and left fortified sites such as Pyrgos. From 1566 to 1821 the Cycladic island belonged to the Ottoman Empire.
In 1830 Thera became part of independent Greece; mass tourism arrived in the 20th century, with ongoing debates on carrying capacity, water and heritage protection.
Must-sees
Top 10.
1. Akrotiri: Minoan town buried after the Bronze Age eruption (excavation, fixed opening hours).
2. Caldera view from Fira or Imerovigli, especially as the light fades.
3. Oia in the evening: plan sunset from the Agios Nikolaos castle ruins.
4. Archaeological Museum of Fira: frescoes and finds from Akrotiri at a glance.
5. Museum of Prehistoric Thera: geology and settlement context.
6. Wine tasting in Pyrgos or Megalochori (Assyrtiko, Aidani).
7. Volcanic islet Nea Kameni: organised boat trip with a short crater walk.
8. Amoudi Bay below Oia: steep descent, fish tavernas by the water.
9. Prophet Elias monastery (highest point): views across the Cyclades.
10. Ancient Thera on Mesa Vouno: Classical–Roman ruins above the sea.
Gallery
Impressions.
Stay
Hotels in Santorini.
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