Santorini

Why Santorini works

Santorini is the visible rim of a volcanic caldera that collapsed in a massive eruption around 1600 BC, an event some scholars link to the Atlantis myth and to the destruction of the Minoan settlement at Akrotiri, whose remarkably preserved frescoes and streets — buried in ash like a Greek Pompeii — can be toured today. The island's famous villages, Oia and Fira, cling to the caldera's edge, their whitewashed cave houses and blue-domed churches stacked in tiers above a 300-metre drop to the sea, connected by cliffside paths and, in Fira's case, a cable car (or mule ride) down to the old port. Oia's sunset, framed by the caldera and windmills, draws crowds nightly to the castle ruins and surrounding terraces — arriving an hour early secures a decent vantage point. Beyond the postcard villages, Santorini's volcanic soil produces distinctive wines, particularly Assyrtiko, grown in low, basket-shaped vines that protect grapes from wind; several wineries near Pyrgos and Megalochori offer tastings with caldera views. The island's beaches are volcanic rather than classically Greek — Red Beach's rust-coloured cliffs, Perissa and Kamari's black sand — while a boat trip to the still-active volcanic islet of Nea Kameni allows a short hike to steaming craters, followed by a swim in nearby hot springs.

Trip Snapshot

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