Santorini

A caldera night, the Nea Kameni crater and Akrotiri

Spend three or four days on Santorini, with at least one night on the caldera rim in Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli or Oia, where the views and sunsets are, and the rest by the cheaper black-sand beaches of Kamari or Perissa. Walk Fira to Oia, climb Nea Kameni's crater and visit Bronze Age Akrotiri.

On the west side the villages of Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia sit along the caldera rim, up to 300 m above the water. Spend at least one night on the rim: the paths empty once the cruise passengers and day visitors leave.

• Rim day: set off early on the Fira to Oia path along the cliff edge: about 10 km with steep climbs and unfenced drops. Rest through the hot afternoon in Oia, then either join the sunset crowd or walk down to Ammoudi Bay.
• Volcano day: take the 20-minute boat from Fira to Nea Kameni and climb to the steaming crater. Later, wander Pyrgos and taste wine in Megalochori.
• South-island day: the Bronze Age town at Akrotiri, buried by the eruption around 1600 BCE, followed by fish in the harbour at Vlychada. Hikers can cross the rock between Perissa and Kamari past Ancient Thira instead.

Caldera hotels fill early for the summer months. In peak season the flights from Athens sell out well before the ferries do; a caldera-view table at sunset needs a reservation too. Summer boats to Crete or Naxos make it easy to fold the island into a longer route.

Ferries from Piraeus take 4 to 9 hours.

Spring flowers, meltemi summers and quiet winters on Santorini

Visit Santorini in April and May, when highs are 20°C to 23°C and wildflowers bloom, or in September and October, when the sea is still warm. July and August reach 30°C with little shade, strong meltemi winds and cruise crowds, and in winter many hotels and restaurants close.

Rain all but stops in spring. These are the best weeks for the cliff walk. The season traditionally opens on April 1, though some businesses wait until later.

Locals retreat indoors between 12:00 and 15:00, when some restaurants close. The meltemi blows strongly in summer; it cools the air but can disrupt boats. Cruise ships add their passengers to the lanes of Fira and Oia, which are at their worst from mid-morning until late afternoon. Note that Greece now charges a cruise-passenger fee and a higher hotel climate fee in the peak months.

The sea is still warm and highs ease from 27°C to 23°C, with barely any rain until November. Many hotels and restaurants shut. Earthquakes are part of life on a volcano: a swarm of small quakes in 2025 closed attractions for a time, so check the news before you travel.

Eating fava, cherry tomato keftedes and Assyrtiko on Santorini

Santorini's volcanic soil shapes its food: order fava, the warm split-pea purée with capers, tomato keftedes made with the island's cherry tomatoes, and white aubergine where you can find it. For seafood, go down to Fisherman's House at Vlychada harbour, and taste Assyrtiko at the wineries of Megalochori and Pyrgos.

Fava is the staple: a warm purée of split peas finished with olive oil and lemon. Chopped onion or the local capers go on top. Tomato keftedes are fritters made with the island's sweet cherry tomatoes, mint and peppers, fried in olive oil. Goat's-milk chlorotyri goes into salads or onto bread. The white aubergine, sweeter than the mainland kind, has become scarce; Krinak in Finikia is one of the few kitchens still serving it as a purée. Traditional meat is limited to apochti: pork loin salted and dried in the summer sun before a rub of pepper with cinnamon.

Skip the generic menus on the rim and go down to the water for seafood. Fisherman's House in the harbour at Vlychada grills the catch while the boats come and go; ask what came in that morning. Traditional bakeries sell kopania, little balls of barley rusk with raisins and sesame.

Wine is the island's pride and carries protected designation of origin. The Assyrtiko grape grows here as a low shrub. Tour wineries in Megalochori and Pyrgos, or start at the wine museum in Vothonas to understand what you are tasting.