Santorini is an island in Greece, located in the Aegean Sea, 200 km southeast of Athens, 150 km south of Mykonos, and 140 km north of Crete. Flights to Santorini take 4 hours from London, 3.5 hours from Paris, 2 hours from Rome, and 1 hour from Athens.
Santorini has a population of 15,500 and a land area of 76 sq. miles (a little bigger than Manhattan). The length of the island is 16 km and its width varies from 1 to 5 km. It takes 45 minutes to drive from one end of Santorini to the other.
Santorini is connected by ferry to Athens (5 to 7 hours) and the islands of Naxos, Paros, Ios, Milos, Folegandros, Mykonos, and Crete (1 to 3 hours). Flights from Athens to Santorini take less than 1 hour, flights from western Europe take about 3 hours.
The best time to go to Santorini for good weather, boat tours, swimming, sunbathing and nightlife is from June to September. If beach time and hot weather are not a necessity and you’re more interested in sightseeing, history, hiking, and exploring then the months of April, May, October, and early November are also great.
Santorini is what remains from a massive volcanic eruption 3600 years ago. The eruption destroyed all settlements and created the caldera. The caldera is a lagoon of sea water surrounded on 3 sides by the steep cliffs of Santorini and on the 4th side by the island of Thirassia (which was part of Santorini before the eruption). The current volcano (on the island of Nea Kameni) sits in the middle of the caldera. It’s active but presently not at risk of erupting.
The towns of Fira, Oia, Firostefani, Imerovigli, and Akrotiri cling to the 300m cliffs and have magical views of the caldera and volcano to the west. The beach towns of Kamari, Perissa, Perivolos, and Agios Georgios are on the east and south sides of the island (not the caldera).
The best places to stay in Santorini are the villages of Fira, Oia, Imerovigli, and Firostefani. These towns are located on the Santorini caldera and have incredible views of the volcano, sea, and sunset. All of these towns are on the west side of Santorini.
The best things to do on Santorini include hiking the incredible caldera footpath, touring wineries, doing a boat tour of the caldera (with volcano hike/hot spring swimming/sunset), and visiting the island’s small charming villages. There is a vibrant nightlife with everything from wine bars to dance clubs but it’s never rowdy and the club scene is easily avoided if you’re not interested.
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