Santorini
Santorini, officially Thira or Thera, is a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from the mainland.
It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera. It is the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km2 (28 mi2) and a 2021 census population of 15,480. The municipality of Santorini includes the inhabited islands of Santorini and Therasia, and the uninhabited islands of Nea Kameni, Palaia Kameni, Aspronisi, Anydros, and Christiana. The total land area is 90 km2 (35 mi2). Santorini is part of the Thira regional unit.
Getting to Santorini
The main options are ferries from Pireaus (standard ferryboats and high-speed catamarans) and flights from Athens. Getting in from Athens by air is faster and you avoid possible sea sickness. However, in season air tickets sell out well before most of the ferries. There are regular flights from Athens by Aegean Airlines, Sky Express, and Volotea, with a flight time of 30-45 minutes.
- 01Santorini
Worth seeing
For an archipelago its size, Santorini has a wealth of attractions to offer a curious traveller. From fascinating museums to Bronze Age city ruins to black sand beaches, Santorini is a worthwhile visit in every season.
Things to do
Santorini's breathtaking volcanic landscape, with steep cliffs and smouldering craters, is what draws more adventurous travellers to the archipelago. It does not have water parks, theme parks, or zoos, but when strolling through narrow streets in villages such as Pyrgos or Oia gets monotonous, there are ample opportunities for hiking and water activities.
Where to eat
Santorini's volcanic soil, dry climate, and near absence of tree coverage has had its impact on the island's agriculture. It forced the cultivation of carefully selected variants of fruits and vegetables. Since the 1980s, several factors have contributed to the decline of the archipelago's agricultural diversity.
Getting around Santorini the local way
- Get inThe main options are ferries from Pireaus (standard ferryboats and high-speed catamarans) and flights from Athens.
- Get inHowever, in season air tickets sell out well before most of the ferries.
- Get inFrom May till October many charter airlines fly directly to Santorini from many European airports.
- Get inThere are the standard ferryboats that need about 7–9 hours to reach Santorini from Piraeus and the fast ferries or high speed catamarans that take about 4–5 hours to reach the island.
- Get inCheck what you have bought: just because you have a reservation for a ferry, doesn't mean that you have a place to sit.
- Get inFor safety, especially in winter or raining monsoon, cruise ships may delay or cancel landing shuttles, and ferries their departure times.
- Get inTake the ferry from Piraeus (port of Athens), past Paros and Naxos, to the new port on Thira.
- Get inFerries dock at the , where buses meet each arrival to transport passengers to Fira (trip takes 15 min and costs €2.3); taxis are also available.
From Wikivoyage: Santorini, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-04.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Gleb Simonov (Public domain), Wikimedia Commons.
