Santorini (Thira): Island Guide, Fira, Oia, Beaches & Hotels

The island of Santorini

Santorini is often described as the most spectacular of all the Greek islands, thanks to its landscape. The island is also known as Thira, its older, official name; Santorini dates from the Venetian era and comes from Saint Irene, who died on the island in the third century. The volcano exploded around 1600 BC, burying the Minoan town of Akrotiri and sending ash rains and a tsunami toward Crete that helped end the Minoan civilization - the event that shaped the legend of Atlantis. Most of the island is treeless and dry, and tomatoes and grapes for the famous Santorini wine grow on the volcanic soil. The site of Akrotiri in the south is large and only partly excavated; its people had street drains and indoor toilets, and their houses are brightened with frescoes.

Fira, the capital

Fira sits high on the edge of the caldera rim and is the centre of the island's activity. A stairway of 587 steps leads down the crater wall to the old port of Skala Fira, where the cruise boats moor; you can walk, ride a donkey or take the cable car. The great draw is the view over the caldera and the volcano, with telescopes at some of the viewpoints. Along the rim and in the narrow streets behind it are small bars, tavernas and shops, and the most photographed church is the 18th-century Agios Minas, with its blue dome and white clock tower. Fira also has two archaeological museums and a town museum. Mornings are the best time, before the crowds, and in the evening the bars and clubs come to life.

Oia and its sunsets

Oia hangs on the caldera cliff on the north side of the island and is the most picturesque village on Santorini, famous for the most beautiful sunsets in Greece. It is a little less crowded and a little nicer than Fira. Like most villages here it was heavily damaged in the 1956 earthquake and rebuilt to a high standard. Down at the cliff foot is the tiny port of Amoudi with its fish tavernas, and two small black-pebble beaches, Amoudi and Armeni, are reached by stairs. Early in the morning Oia is quiet, and once the day visitors leave in the late afternoon the peace returns.

The beaches of Santorini

Santorini's beaches are volcanic, so most are small black pebble or black sand rather than golden. The widest and best lie in the south-east at Perissa and Kamari, the two main resort beaches; Perissa suits independent travellers with hostels, pensions and rooms, while Kamari holds the more expensive hotels. Because the sand is black it gets very hot, so beach sandals help. In the south near Akrotiri are the famous Red Beach (Kokkini Ammos), with reddish sand under a red-and-black lava cliff, and the smaller White Beach, reached only by boat. Perivolos and Agios Georgios extend south of Perissa as long organised beaches, Vlihada sits below high white cliffs beside a fishing harbour, and quiet Kouloumbo in the north-east is unorganised, so bring water and shade. Below Oia, Amoudi (214 steps) and Armeni (286 steps) are charming but a climb back up. See the full guide to the beaches of Santorini.

Getting to Santorini

Santorini has an airport and a ferry port, and boats from Piraeus call at Santorini as they cross the Cyclades. The island sits well for island-hopping, with ferry links to Thirassia across the caldera and on to Naxos, Paros and beyond, and a day trip to Thirassia is a rewarding excursion. Renting a car makes a real difference, since it lets you reach the quiet villages, the Akrotiri site and the beaches away from Fira and Oia. Plan the trip a little and, above all, choose a good place to stay. When you are hungry, the Santorini restaurants guide lists tavernas across the island.

Where to stay on Santorini

A caldera view comes at a premium, so a hotel with a pool overlooking the sea at Fira or Oia is generally expensive, while the resorts on the east coast around Kamari and Perissa are much cheaper for the same facilities. Below are a few places where we have stayed; there are many more on the Santorini accommodations page.

Best Western The Museum Spa Wellness Hotel, Oia

The Museum Spa Wellness Hotel stands in the pedestrianised centre of Oia, on the main street, where we stayed a few days in May 2013. We had a two-room apartment with a living room with two sofa beds, a kitchen and a separate master bedroom, plus a terrace looking onto the passing crowd. Behind the hotel is a large pool, and the good breakfast buffet is served either in the breakfast room or at the pool.

William's Houses, Akrotiri

William's Houses lies in Akrotiri in the south of Santorini, away from the crowds of Oia and Fira, where we stayed in May 2013. The studios and apartments have a balcony overlooking the Aegean, the volcano and the caldera, with a seating area, a kitchenette with fridge and hobs, a safe and a flat-screen TV, and some include a washing machine. It sits 2 kilometres from the red sandy beach and about 2 kilometres from the Akrotiri archaeological site, 11 kilometres from Fira, 9 kilometres from Athinios port and 14 kilometres from the airport, with free parking on site. Two restaurants are a short walk away, and a path beside them leads down to two small beaches and a church.

Villa Roula, Perissa

Villa Roula is a family-run hotel a short walk from Perissa Beach, designed in the traditional Santorini style. Each room has an en-suite bathroom and a fully equipped kitchen, and there is a large outdoor pool with a Jacuzzi and weekly Greek theme nights at the pool bar. The 7-kilometre black-sand beach of Perissa is nearby, and a local bus stop 50 metres from the hotel connects with the rest of the island.

Soulis Apartments, Kouloumpos

Soulis Apartments sit near Oia, 100 metres from the beach of Kouloumpos, in a complex of 20 traditional apartments, each with air-conditioning, a fully equipped kitchen with fridge, a TV and a balcony facing the sea and the sunset. Guests get a free shuttle to the port and airport and free transfers to and from Oia. The beach here is large, quiet and sandy, ringed by a high cliff and suitable for naturists, and this side of the island keeps the famous sunsets in peace.