Destinations Greece The Cyclades Santorini
The Cyclades · Santorini

Santorini.

15 restaurants
12 hotels
12 things to do
6 villages

A 16th-century-BC volcanic eruption left a 12-kilometre caldera, a cliff-edge village (Oia) that has been photographed so many times the air around it has changed, and an island that quietly does much more than the postcard. Stay in Imerovigli or Pyrgos, not Oia. Skip every restaurant on the caldera (the food is on the back side of the island). Boat to Akrotiri before the cruise ships dock. Drive the wine villages. Three nights, four if you're doing a boat day.

A note from Hala

Santorini is two islands. There is the caldera Santorini — Oia, Fira, Imerovigli, the cliff-edge hotels, the photograph everyone takes. And there is the inland Santorini — Pyrgos and Megalochori (the wine villages), Akrotiri (the Pompeii of Greece, buried under volcanic ash since 1600 BC), the black-sand beaches at Perissa and Kamari, the back-of-the-island restaurants where the food actually is. Most travellers do only the first one. The trip people quote back at you does both.

Three nights. Imerovigli base. Akrotiri before the ships dock.
Quick take

Cruise-ship days (3–5 ships dock most summer days, each carrying 3,000+ passengers) turn Oia and Fira unwalkable between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The schedule is published a year ahead at santorinicruises.gr. Do Akrotiri and the wine villages on cruise days; do the cliff walks on the other days. May, June, late September, and October are the windows; August is the heat and the volume.

Know before you go

The villages.

Six villages worth knowing on a 76-square-kilometre island. Pick one cliff base, do dinners and walks in the others.

A hand-drawn Santorini kouloura — a basket-trained vine with grapes nested inside
01

Oia

The famous one · unreachable at sunset · stay only if you can swing the rate

The photographed sunset, the blue domes, the 6 p.m. queue past the Maritime Museum. Beautiful, expensive, almost unwalkable in season — by 5 p.m. the bus stop and the Fira road clog. Stay only if the cliffside-pool premium is the trip; otherwise base elsewhere and come for one early morning. Eat at 1500 BC (Skala) or Roka before the cruise crowds.

Cliffside cliché · earnedSkip the sunset queueOne early morning
02

Imerovigli

The quiet upper-cliff · half the Oia price · Skaros Rock walk

The highest village on the rim, between Fira and Oia — the same view as Oia for noticeably less, and the one Santorini village with a real walk (Skaros Rock, the abandoned Venetian fortress, 20 minutes downhill). The default Hala base. Stay at Aenaon Villas or Astra Suites. Dinner at Anógi, lunch at Avocado.

Stay hereSkaros Rock walkSame view, half the price
03

Fira

The capital · transit hub · base only if you need everything close

The capital — every bus connects here, the cable car from the old port lands here, the museums and banks are here. Loud, central, more useful than charming. Don’t stay (Imerovigli is 15 minutes’ walk and far calmer), but come for the Museum of Prehistoric Thera (the Akrotiri frescoes the site itself doesn’t show) and the cable-car ride down for fish at Niko’s.

Transit hubMuseum of Prehistoric TheraDon't stay
04

Pyrgos Kallistis

The inland wine village · highest point on the island · the food side

A medieval hilltop village in the island’s centre, built around a Venetian castle. The inland stay — no caldera view, but the food and wine are the draw: Botargo up in the Kasteli fortress, the wineries (Hatzidakis, Santo Wines on the cliff), with Selene (Fira) and Metaxi Mas (Exo Gonia) a short drive off. The base for the second-time-to-Santorini traveller.

Inland baseBotargo · the wineriesWine-village stays
05

Megalochori

The other wine village · 17th-century mansions · Vinsanto territory

Smaller and quieter than Pyrgos, in the southern vineyards — a traditional wine village of 17th- and 18th-century mansions and three of the island’s older wineries (Gavalas, Boutari, the historic Antoniou cave). The Pyrgos → Megalochori → Akrotiri drive is the inland half-day most travellers skip.

Gavalas · Boutari cellars17th-c mansionsInland wine drive
06

Akrotiri

Southern tip · the Bronze Age site · Red Beach · before the ships dock

The southern cape — anchored by the Akrotiri archaeological site (a Minoan city under volcanic ash since 1600 BC, frescoed walls still standing) and the Red Beach below it (red sand, red cliffs, a little rockfall-prone — admire from the viewpoint, swim with caution). A morning loop: site at 9 a.m. opening, Red Beach viewpoint, lunch at The Cave of Nikolas on the harbour.

Site at 9 a.m. openingRed Beach viewpointThe Cave of Nikolas lunch
Where We Eat

The table.

Fifteen restaurants and bars, almost none on the caldera — Santorini's serious food is on the back of the island (the wine villages, Akrotiri, Exo Gonia), while the cliff-side rooms are for the photograph, not the plate. Eat at Selene, 1500 BC, Lauda, or in the inland villages.

Casual & Daytime

The honest lunches and the harbour fish — most of them out of central Fira and Oia, where the food is cheaper and better.

Aktaion

Aktaion

€€
Must ordertomatokeftedes + fava + grilled octopus

The Roussos family has run this Firostefani taverna since 1922 — the kind of place where the menu hasn't changed because it didn't need to. Order the volcanic-tomato fritters, the warm fava, the grilled octopus; drink the house Assyrtiko from a carafe. Lunch is the move (the room is small and the dinner queue isn't worth it).

Since 1922FirostefaniLunch only is the move
InsiderReserve, or walk in late — tables open up after the 8 p.m. sunset seatings clear. Ask for the day’s special; the tomato dip with the bread is the tell.
Metaxi Mas

Metaxi Mas

€€€
Must ordergrilled lamb chops + saganaki

A Cretan-Santorinian taverna in Exo Gonia next to Agios Charalampos church, in a 19th-century building with a stone terrace facing east toward Anafi. Booked-out month-ahead in season — the food is honest, the room is warm, the wine list goes deep into local Assyrtiko and the rare Mavrotragano. The long taverna lunch most travellers wish they'd booked earlier.

Book a month aheadExo GoniaLong lunch
InsiderBook a month out for summer — this is the one reservation people regret missing. Ask for a terrace table facing Anafi, and let them steer the Cretan cheeses.
The Cave of Nikolas

The Cave of Nikolas

€€
Must orderwhole grilled fish + horiatiki

A third-generation family fish taverna on Akrotiri beach, founded 1967 and hand-carved by “Uncle Nikolas” to feed the Akrotiri excavation crews — the boats moor a few metres from the tables, the catch is whatever came in that morning, the room is shaded with bamboo. Pair with the Akrotiri site visit (a 5-minute drive). Cash and card both fine; lunch is when the room is alive.

Akrotiri harbour3rd-gen familyPair with the site
InsiderCarved by Uncle Nikolas in the ’60s to feed the Akrotiri dig crews — go for lunch after the site, pick your fish at the kitchen, and time it so the catamarans sail into Vlychada around 8.
Pitogyros

Pitogyros

Must orderpork gyros pita with the lot

A walk-up grill house on the Oia main strip — charcoal-grilled pork on the spit, hand-cut pita, the cheapest legitimate meal in Oia by a long way. €4–6 a pita. Eat standing on the corner; do not look for the cliffside seat. The lunch when you've burned through the budget at brunch.

Oia€4–6 pitaWalk-up only
InsiderTalk to the cashier for the waiting-list or take-away — small seating area, fast turnover. Pork gyro pita with the lot is the order; eat it on the walk down toward the castle.

Dinner & Splurge

Eight rooms across the island — almost none of them on the caldera. Book a week ahead; longer for Selene and Lauda.

Selene

Selene

€€€€€
Must orderthe tasting menu with wine pairings

The most-considered modern Greek kitchen on Santorini — founded 1985 by George Hatzigiannakis (who's since departed); now in Fira under Michelin-starred chef Ettore Botrini (formerly of his eponymous Etrusco on Corfu). Tasting-menu only, deeply rooted in the Santorinian pantry: fava in three textures, sun-dried tomatoes from Mesa Gonia, capers from Akrotiri. The wine list takes Assyrtiko more seriously than anywhere on earth. Book a month ahead in season.

Chef Ettore Botrini since 2021FiraBook a month ahead
InsiderDo the full tasting with the Assyrtiko pairings — the wine list is the real event. Book a month ahead in summer, come early for the room in good light.
Lauda

Lauda

€€€€€
Must orderthe seven-course tasting on the cliff terrace

The dining room at Andronis Boutique Hotel in Oia — the island’s first restaurant, opened 1971, now consulted by three-Michelin-star chef Emmanuel Renaut (Flocons de Sel in the French Alps). Cliff-edge terrace facing west into the caldera; the tasting menu pairs Renaut's alpine precision with Santorinian ingredients. Book three weeks ahead; the sunset booking is the move.

Chef Renaut consultingOia · cliff terraceSunset booking
InsiderBook the sunset seating three weeks out, west over the caldera — Renaut’s alpine precision on Santorinian produce; the seven-course on the terrace is the move.
1500 BC

1500 BC

€€€€
Must orderthe seafood platter + Mavrotragano

A cliff-edge seafood room in Fira above Town Hall square — named for the Akrotiri Bronze Age date, the kitchen leans hard on what came in at Vlychada that morning. Whole grilled fish, raw seafood platters, an excellent Santorinian wine list. The kitchen’s better than a cliff-view address usually is. Reserve the terrace.

Fira · cliffsideSeafood-ledReserve terrace
InsiderReserve a caldera-side table for the sunset hour — the room steps down the cliff in levels, so ask for one on the rail. It runs on the day’s catch from the Santorini boats; start with the fava and the grilled octopus.
Roka

Roka

€€€
Must orderslow-cooked lamb shoulder + fava

A modern-Greek room in an old Oia building — food-led, no cliff view, smaller and more deliberate than the caldera spots. Book a week ahead in season.

OiaModern GreekFood-led
InsiderTucked off a quiet pedestrian lane, away from the Oia crush — book ahead (Resy or e-table) and ask for the back patio, which faces west for the sunset. Lunch 12:30–3, dinner from 6:30.
Argo

Argo

€€€
Must ordergrilled octopus + fennel salad

The old cliff-side Argo relocated in recent years to a large garden venue in Kontochori, ~5 minutes from Fira — gave up the cliff view in exchange for room to breathe. Modern Greek-Mediterranean in a calmer setting. The right pick when you want the food without the cruise-deck volume.

Kontochori (inland)Garden venueQuieter alternative
InsiderBook a dinner table (from 7:30) — it’s a big garden venue, so where you sit makes the night. Order the octopus risotto with mastic; come early and the underground cellar does wine tastings. Open April–October.
Pelekanos

Pelekanos

€€€
Must ordersea-urchin spaghetti + chilled rosé

On the Oia caldera edge — restaurant and bar, the rare cliff-side address where the food still respects itself. Mediterranean, seafood-led, an outdoor terrace cantilevered over the rim. Less touristy than Ambrosia next door; book the sunset table.

Oia calderaCliff-edge, food-ledSunset terrace
InsiderBook the sunset table on the cantilevered terrace — the calmer caldera-edge seat next to the Ambrosia crowds.
Krinaki

Krinaki

€€
Must orderslow-cooked rabbit + the family Assyrtiko

A traditional family taverna in Finikia, the small village a kilometre east of Oia — Cycladic-mainland menu, charcoal-grilled meat, fava, the local Assyrtiko in carafes. The dinner most travellers don't think to drive to. Five-minute cab from Oia.

Finikia villageFamily taverna5-min cab from Oia
InsiderThe dinner most people don’t leave Oia for — five-minute cab to Finikia. Slow-cooked rabbit, family Assyrtiko in a carafe, a quieter night than the cliff.
Botargo

Botargo

€€€€
Must orderthe seasonal tasting menu

Mediterranean-Greek fine dining inside the medieval Kasteli fortress of Pyrgos — tasting menus, a terrace looking across the entire caldera. Modern technique on Cycladic ingredients. The Pyrgos splurge dinner, paired easily with a daytime wine tasting nearby.

Pyrgos KasteliCaldera terracePair with a wine day
InsiderInside the Kasteli fortress at the top of Pyrgos — book the terrace for sunset, when the island views open up unobstructed. Jazz in the background, a serious wine list, and cocktails worth lingering over after the meal.

Bars & Late Night

Santorini's bar scene is small and concentrated in Fira — the cliff-edge cocktail rooms, one molecular-mixology cave, and the bar that's been doing it since 1976.

Franco's Bar

Franco's Bar

€€€
Must orderthe Maria Callas + the opera at sunset

A cliff-edge cocktail bar in Fira opened in 1979 by Franco Colombo — an Italian from Turin and a devoted classical-music aficionado. Open-air terrace facing the caldera, classical and opera on the speakers, jacketed bartenders, no concessions to the cruise crowd. The Maria Callas, the champagne cocktail Franco created here, is the order; the sunset hour fills the terrace. Now serves small plates too.

Since 1979Fira cliffClassical-music room
InsiderFranco Colombo started the sunset-with-opera ritual here — order the Maria Callas, the champagne cocktail he invented, and grab a terrace table before the sunset hour fills it.
PK Cocktail Bar

PK Cocktail Bar

€€
Must orderwhatever the bartender pours

Santorini's first cocktail bar — opened 1976 in Fira, dug into the cliff overlooking the volcano, and still run by the founding Chrysos family. Small, dim, locally-loved; the Athens cocktail crowd's pilgrimage stop when they visit. The right second stop after Franco's.

Since 1976FiraLocal crowd
InsiderSantorini’s original cocktail bar, dug into the cliff in 1976 and still run by the founding family — the dim, local second stop after Franco’s.
MoMix Bar

MoMix Bar

€€€
Must ordera molecular signature

An Athens import (not a Santorini original), a molecular-mixology bar inside a cave on Marinatou Street in Fira — smoked drinks, edible-foam toppings, drinks served in lab beakers and on slate slabs. Cliff-cave interior with caldera view through the windows. More theatre than the other Fira bars; worth one stop if you've already done the classics.

Fira caveMolecular mixologyTheatre over substance
InsiderAn Athens import, more spectacle than the cliff classics — go for the lab-beaker theatre, one round, after you’ve done Franco’s and PK.
Where We Sleep

The stay.

Twelve hotels across four tiers. The honest read: Imerovigli is the default base — the Oia view at half the rate, walkable to Fira and the Skaros Rock walk; Oia is the once-or-twice splurge; Pyrgos the second-trip choice.

€150–250/night · the small boutiques in Imerovigli
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Six cave-cut villas on the Skaros-facing edge of Imerovigli — the same caldera view as Oia at noticeably less rate, with a small infinity pool looking straight across to Skaros Rock. Each villa is named and styled individually, carved into the volcanic rock in the old Cycladic way, and the whole place feels more lived-in than the famous-name Oia properties next door. Family-run and quiet. Open April through October; the early-evening light on the pool deck is the moment.

What it's known for
Family-run
Direct caldera view
Skaros Rock walk from the door
Apr–Oct only
AddressImerovigli, 84700 Santorini
Rate range€180–360/night
Best forCouples · returning travellers · quieter caldera stays
Walk toSkaros Rock 3 min · Imerovigli centre 5 · Oia 90 (path)
Good to know
Open April through October only
Book 4–6 weeks ahead in summer
Infinity pool
InsiderSkaros-facing villas have the most direct line on the Skaros Rock sunset; specify the category at booking. Book 4–6 weeks ahead in summer.
Reserve direct ↗
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A seven-suite boutique on the highest cliff-point of Imerovigli, set just past the Agios Nikolaos monastery that separates it from the village — the panoramic caldera view from the suites is one of the more dramatic on the island, and the small scale means it feels nothing like the larger Oia properties. Each suite is named and individually styled, carved in the cave-house way, four of the seven with private plunge pools. The building was once a private home filled with art, and it still reads that way — design-forward without being precious, with a custom library and a pool that catches the morning light. Book a sunset-side suite.

What it's known for
Imerovigli's highest cliff point
7 suites only
Design Hotels-adjacent sensibility
Apr–Oct only
AddressImerovigli, 84700 Santorini
Rate range€220–450/night
Best forCouples · design travellers
Walk toAgios Nikolaos monastery 1 min · Skaros 5 · Imerovigli centre 7
Good to know
Private plunge pools
Agios Nikolaos monastery 1 min · Skaros 5
InsiderTheir best room is the 'Sun-Set Suite' — yes, hyphenated — with the unobstructed western caldera view and a private plunge pool. It's a seven-suite design boutique in Imerovigli, so it's intimate and books out early in summer.
Reserve direct ↗
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The Santorini sibling of the more-famous Paros property — opened on the Oia outskirts, renovated 2020–21. 25 cliff-edge rooms, a freshwater pool with direct caldera views and the Oia sunset alignment, the design language consistent with the Paros original (minimalist white-on-white). Now a Premium All-Inclusive: a champagne welcome, in-room breakfast, and a sunset glass of champagne. Most-considered low-€€ Oia stay; book six weeks ahead.

What it's known for
Premium All-Inclusive (champagne)
Direct Oia sunset alignment
Sibling to the Paros property
Apr–Oct only
AddressOia outskirts, 84702 Santorini
Rate range€250–520/night
Best forCouples · honeymooners · the all-inclusive Oia stay on the lower-luxe end
Walk toOia centre 8 min · Maritime Museum 10 · Amoudi Bay 18 (downhill)
Good to know
Freshwater pool
Premium All-Inclusive · champagne
Oia centre 8 min · Maritime Museum 10
InsiderIt sits on the Oia outskirts rather than in the village crush — a caldera-cliff position with the minimalist white-on-white of the Mr & Mrs White design, and a sibling in Paros. Being just outside the centre means the Oia sunset scene is a short walk, minus the worst of the crowds.
Reserve direct ↗
€€ €350–700/night · the mid-tier design and the wine-village set
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The Karagiannis family opened Astra Suites in the early 1990s — one of Imerovigli’s original design hotels, predating most of the cliffside boutique scene. 21 cave-cut suites and villas across the cliff face, a heated pool, the caldera-facing Five Senses restaurant. Less photographed than the Oia headliners but consistently on best-of lists for 30+ years. Sunset booking on the restaurant terrace is essential.

What it's known for
21 cave-cut suites and villas
Since the early 1990s — an original Imerovigli boutique
Five Senses restaurant on the cliff
Apr–Oct
AddressImerovigli, 84700 Santorini
Rate range€420–950/night
Best forCouples · returning travellers · the classical Imerovigli stay
Walk toSkaros Rock 5 min · Fira 15 (path) · Oia 90 (caldera trail)
Good to know
Skaros Rock 5 min · Fira 15 (path)
21 suites
InsiderOne of Imerovigli's original design hotels — the upper-cliff rooms catch the morning sun and the full panoramic caldera frame, the lower ones less so, which is worth knowing when you choose. Imerovigli sits at the caldera's highest point, so the views run wide.
Reserve direct ↗
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Marriott Luxury Collection's Santorini property — rooms and villas across multiple restored stone buildings inside a 400-year-old Megalochori village footprint. An underground 17th-century wine cave converted into the bar; a kitchen that takes Cycladic ingredients seriously; a quieter, more residential alternative to the caldera headliners. The Santorini stay for travellers who came for the food and the wine villages, not the cliff.

What it's known for
Converted 400-yr-old village
17th-c wine cave bar
Marriott Luxury Collection
Inland · quieter than caldera
AddressMegalochori, 84700 Santorini
Rate range€450–950/night
Best forReturning travellers · food and wine focus · families with older kids
Walk toMegalochori square 2 min · Gavalas winery 4 · Pyrgos 12 (drive)
Good to know
Megalochori square 2 min · Gavalas winery 4
Rooms and villas across restored stone buildings
Free shuttle to its private beach (~3 km)
InsiderPair with a wine day — Hatzidakis, Gai'a, and Sigalas are all under 25 minutes' drive. The hotel arranges drivers for the standard rate.
Reserve direct ↗
€€€ €700–1,500/night · upper-mid luxury, design hotels, the rebrand era
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Auberge Resorts' Santorini property — 21 rooms and suites plus a private villa cut into the Imerovigli cliff, an infinity pool framed directly on the caldera and Skaros Rock, and Varoulko Santorini (chef Lefteris Lazarou's Greek-Aegean seafood room — Lazarou was the first chef in Greece to earn a Michelin star). The Auberge service standard with a Santorinian setting. Smaller than the Andronis properties; quieter than the Oia headliners.

What it's known for
21 rooms and a villa
Varoulko Santorini by Lazarou
Auberge Resorts service standard
Direct Skaros + caldera view
AddressImerovigli, 84700 Santorini
Rate range€750–1,800/night
Best forCouples · honeymoons · service-led travellers · food focus
Walk toSkaros Rock 4 min · Imerovigli centre 6 · Fira 20 (path)
Good to know
The caldera’s largest infinity pool (22 m)
363 Bar — named Best Hotel Bar in Europe
Skaros Rock 4 min · Imerovigli centre 6
InsiderThe on-site restaurant is Varoulko Santorini — the Cycladic outpost of the famous Athens seafood institution; reserve it separately, even non-guests do. The Pool Suites split inland- and caldera-facing, so confirm the orientation when you book.
Reserve direct ↗
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Andronis Group's original Oia property — home to Lauda, Oia's first restaurant, opened 1971 — 25 suites carved into the upper Oia cliff, Lauda restaurant on the same terrace, an infinity pool that's been on every other Greek-hotels listicle for a decade. One of Oia’s iconic caldera pools. Honeymoon-defining; absurd in the best way.

What it's known for
Original Andronis property
Lauda restaurant on site
An iconic Oia caldera pool
Apr–Oct only
AddressOia, 84702 Santorini
Rate range€850–2,400/night
Best forHoneymoons · special-occasion travellers · couples · returning visitors
Walk toOia centre 4 min · Maritime Museum 6 · Amoudi Bay 12 (downhill)
Good to know
Adults-only (13+)
Infinity pool
Oia centre 4 min · Maritime Museum 6
InsiderLauda, the restaurant here, is one of Oia's serious dinners — worth booking even if you're staying elsewhere. The 25 suites are cut into the caldera cliff so the view is a given across categories; they go fast in summer, so book early.
Reserve direct ↗
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The Santorini sibling of the famous Mykonos property — 13 suites only, a fraction of the Mykonos flagship’s scale, opened 2021 in Imerovigli, cut into the cliff at the edge of the village. Both Roka by Zuma (Japanese, part of the international Azumi group) and Vezené (Greek modern, named for chef Ari Vezené) — rare for a property of this size to have two serious restaurants. Smaller and more deliberate than the Andronis flagships; the design-led traveller's pick.

What it's known for
Sibling to Cavo Tagoo Mykonos
Only 13 suites
Roka by Zuma + Vezené
Opened 2021
AddressImerovigli, 84700 Santorini
Rate range€950–2,200/night
Best forDesign travellers · couples · multi-night stays
Walk toSkaros Rock 3 min · Imerovigli centre 5
Good to know
Roka by Zuma (Azumi group) on the rooftop
13 suites, all with private pools
Skaros Rock 3 min · Imerovigli centre 5
InsiderRoka takes outside bookings; book it before the hotel does for sunset dinner. The Skaros-facing suites are quieter than the south-facing ones (no path traffic).
Reserve direct ↗
€€€€ €1,500+/night · the headline Oia and Imerovigli luxury
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Marriott Luxury Collection's flagship Santorini property (opened 2007) — 40 suites and villas across seven categories cut into the upper Oia cliff face, Charisma for dinner, the Captain's Lounge for casual all-day dining, and a separate 150-year-old Secret Wine Cave for sunset tastings. The full Marriott service standard with a Santorinian setting. For a private plunge pool, book a Wet Allure Suite; the Secrecy and Mystery Villas have the private infinity pools that make the room people remember.

What it's known for
Marriott Luxury Collection flagship
Charisma restaurant
150-year-old Secret Wine Cave
Apr–Oct only
AddressOia, 84702 Santorini
Rate range€1,400–4,500/night
Best forSpecial-occasion travellers · honeymoons · the full-service Marriott traveller
Walk toOia centre 8 min · Maritime Museum 10
Good to know
40 suites & villas, seven categories
Private plunge & infinity pools
Oia centre 8 min · Maritime Museum 10
InsiderThe Secret Cave wine bar is carved 150 years into the cliff — do a tasting even if you're not a wine person; it's the property's signature. It's cut into the Oia caldera face with no funicular, so expect a lot of steps — pack light shoes.
Reserve direct ↗
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Opened 1996 — one of Oia's original luxury hotels, the cliff-cut cubist style the whole village built after has been measured against. 35 suites cut into the cliff face, three infinity pools (one with the famous overhang), and Botrini's Santorini, the fine-dining room by Michelin chef Ettore Botrini. Leading Hotels of the World member since the beginning. The classical Oia luxury stay.

What it's known for
One of Oia’s original luxury hotels (1996)
Three infinity pools
Leading Hotels of the World
Apr–Oct
AddressOia, 84702 Santorini
Rate range€1,500–4,000/night
Best forHoneymoons · couples · special-occasion travellers
Walk toOia centre 5 min · Maritime Museum 7 · Amoudi Bay 12 (downhill)
Good to know
Three infinity pools — rare on Oia
Book 4–6 months ahead for May/June and September weeks
Oia centre 5 min · Maritime Museum 7
InsiderLeading Hotels of the World since 1996, with three caldera pools and Botrini's for dinner. Book four to six months ahead for the May/June and September weeks — the shoulder months have the best caldera light and the rooms go first.
Reserve direct ↗
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The most-considered headline Santorini property of the post-2020 generation — 28 cliff-cut suites in Imerovigli, the Kallos Spa with cave treatment rooms and a serious treatment menu (Santorini's most serious dedicated wellness resort), the open-air Throubi restaurant. Andronis Group's wellness flagship — quieter than the Boutique Hotel in Oia and the most polished property in Imerovigli.

What it's known for
28 cliff suites
Kallos Spa · cave treatment rooms
Throubi restaurant
Apr–Oct
AddressImerovigli, 84700 Santorini
Rate range€1,400–3,500/night
Best forWellness travellers · couples · returning visitors
Walk toSkaros Rock 4 min · Imerovigli centre 5
Good to know
Family-friendly — all ages (rare on the caldera)
28 suites, private pool each
Skaros Rock 4 min · Imerovigli centre 5
InsiderThe wellness program is the actual point — Kallos Spa runs structured multi-day programs, not one-off treatments, so it suits a reset trip more than a quick caldera stop. 28 cliff suites in Imerovigli, the calmer of the cliff towns.
Reserve direct ↗
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The Chaidemenos family has run Canaves since 1983, when they carved the original Canaves Oia Boutique Hotel — now Canaves Ena (18 suites) — from 17th-century wine caves. The collection is now five hotels: Canaves Ena, Canaves Oia Suites, Canaves Epitome and the 8-suite Canaves Sunday in Oia, plus Canaves Elefas Villas in Imerovigli. Petra, the flagship restaurant, is at Canaves Oia Suites; Epitome has its own (Elements, Omnia). The brand most travellers picture when they search for the Santorini photograph.

What it's known for
Five hotels · Oia + Imerovigli
Petra — flagship restaurant at Canaves Oia Suites
Cliff-cut infinity pools
Apr–Oct only
AddressOia, 84702 Santorini
Rate range€1,500–6,000/night across the collection
Best forSpecial-occasion travellers · honeymoons · returning visitors wanting the new design language
Walk toOia centre 4 min · Amoudi Bay 12 (downhill)
Good to know
Family-run since 1983 (Chaidemenos family)
Private pools
Oia centre 4 min · Amoudi Bay 12 (downhill)
InsiderBook Canaves Oia Sunday for the newest design language, Epitome for the private-villa tier; Canaves Ena is the 1983 original if you want the heritage room.
Reserve direct ↗
What We Do

The moves.

Twelve things worth structuring a half-day around — the Akrotiri Bronze Age site, the two best swim coves, the volcano boat trip, the Skaros walk, the wine villages drive (deep-dive in the wine guide). The Oia sunset is on the list because it has to be; it's also the most-overrated half-hour on the island.

01 Ticketed

Akrotiri Bronze Age site

Santorini

The "Pompeii of Greece" — a Minoan city buried under volcanic ash since 1600 BC, with three-storey buildings, frescoed walls, and a sophisticated drainage system still preserved where the residents left them. Covered by a vast bioclimatic shelter (the new one, opened 2012). 90 minutes to walk through. Go at 9 a.m. opening, before the cruise crowds arrive at 11. Pair with The Cave of Nikolas for lunch at the harbour.

9 a.m. opening · before cruise crowds€12 entry90 min walk-through
02 Ticketed

Museum of Prehistoric Thera

Santorini

In Fira on Mitropoleos Street — the museum that holds the actual frescoes pulled out of Akrotiri (the site itself only displays reproductions). The Spring Fresco (a wall painting of swallows and lilies from the eve of the eruption) is the headline. Two hours. Pair with Akrotiri the same day; the site shows you the building, the museum shows you what was inside.

Fira · Mitropoleos StThe actual frescoes2 hours
03 Ticketed

Ancient Thera (Mesa Vouno)

Mesa Vouno

The second-most-important archaeological site on Santorini and the one most travellers don't bother with — a 9th-century-BC Dorian settlement on the limestone ridge of Mesa Vouno on the south-east coast, with views across to Kamari and Perissa. Driveable to the parking lot; a 20-minute walk up the ridge to the site. Less photogenic than Akrotiri, more atmospheric.

Mesa Vouno ridge9th c. BCDriveable + 20 min walk
01 Free

Red Beach viewpoint (Akrotiri)

Akrotiri

Red volcanic sand against red cliffs at the southern tip of the island, a 5-minute coastal walk from the Akrotiri site parking lot. Note: do not swim under the cliffs. Rockfall has closed the beach itself in recent years; the viewpoint is the legitimate visit. Photogenic, slightly dangerous from the cliff above, never noon. Pair with the Akrotiri site visit.

Viewpoint only — no swim5-min walk from Akrotiri parkingAvoid noon
02 Free

Vlychada beach

Santorini

A long stretch of dark grey sand on the south coast under white tufa-stone cliffs the wind and rain have carved into wave shapes — the most-architectural beach on the island and almost completely overlooked by the cruise crowds. The far end is quietest. Bring shoes — the sand is fine but the rocks are sharp. Pair with the Santorini Arts Factory at the inland Vlychada port (the old tomato canning plant, now a serious contemporary-art space).

Long dark sandTufa-stone cliffsPair with Arts Factory
03 Ticketed

Perissa & Perivolos black-sand beaches

Santorini

The long black-sand beach on the south-east coast, sub-divided into Perissa (the quieter northern end), Perivolos (the developed beach-club middle), and Vlychada (the wild south end). Sunbeds at the beach clubs €25–60 per pair; free swim from the public stretches. Best for a half-day swim-and-lunch when the inland half of the island is too hot. Drive over rather than bus.

Black volcanic sandBeach club sunbedsSouth-east coast
01 Ticketed

Nea Kameni volcano + Palea Kameni hot springs

Santorini

The half-day boat trip from Fira's old port — to Nea Kameni, the still-active volcanic islet in the centre of the caldera (a 30-minute hike up the steaming cone to the crater rim), then to Palea Kameni for a swim in the sulphur-warmed hot-spring cove (the water turns brick-red from the iron oxide). Boats leave roughly every hour from 11 a.m.; €30–45 with a small operator, €60–90 with the big tour boats. Take a small operator.

From Fira old portTake a small boatBring a swim — turns brick-red
02 Book ahead

Sunset catamaran around the caldera

Santorini

The half-day-into-evening catamaran trip — out of Vlychada port (cheaper, quieter) or Ammoudi at the base of Oia (more expensive, scenic). Five-hour route around the caldera, swim stops at the Red Beach cove and White Beach (both unreachable from land), sunset under the Oia cliffs from the water. Most boats include dinner on board. Book the small-group operators (max 16 passengers); skip the 50-person megaboats.

From Vlychada or Ammoudi5-hour tripSmall-group boats only
03 Free

Skaros Rock walk (Imerovigli)

Imerovigli

A 20-minute downhill walk from the Imerovigli main square to the abandoned medieval Venetian fortress on the Skaros sea-stack — the path drops down the cliff face, hugs the sea-stack, and ends at the tiny whitewashed chapel of Theoskepasti perched on the rock. The walk back up is the only argument against. Best at golden hour (5–6 p.m.); the late-evening light on the sea-stack is the photograph that's secretly the best Santorini shot.

FreeGolden hour20 min each way
01 Free

Fira to Oia caldera hike

Santorini

The 10-kilometre cliff-edge path from Fira to Oia — through Firostefani, Imerovigli, past Skaros Rock, along the ridge to Oia. Three to four hours depending on stops. Almost entirely paved; some elevation change in the Imerovigli section. Walk early — start by 8 a.m. before the sun and the cruise crowds. Take water and sunscreen you actually believe in. Hotel staff can arrange a transfer back from Oia.

Start by 8 a.m.10 km · 3–4 hoursArrange the return transfer
02 Free

Pyrgos at sunset

Santorini

The medieval inland village at the highest point on Santorini — climb up through the labyrinth to the Venetian castle at the top, with a 360° view across the entire caldera, Akrotiri, Perissa, the open Aegean. Less photographed and less crowded than the Oia sunset, with better light on the white houses. Pair with dinner at Botargo (the 18th-c mansion in the Kasteli) or Selene (if it's been moved back yet — verify).

Inland · 360° viewAlternative to Oia sunsetPair with Botargo dinner
03 Ticketed

A wine-villages day

Santorini

The single-best half-or-full-day a Santorini visitor can do — four wineries across Pyrgos, Megalochori, Episkopi, Exo Gonia, with lunch in a wine village in between. Cross-reference our Santorini wine guide for the full producer list, the one-day tasting itinerary, and the three bottles worth shipping home. Hire a driver; don't drive yourself after four tastings.

See the wine guideHire a driver4 wineries + lunch
Three nights, three days

Santorini, in three days.

Base in Imerovigli. Day 1: arrival, Skaros at sunset, Selene for dinner. Day 2: Akrotiri + wine day. Day 3: caldera boat trip + Oia farewell. Three nights is the floor; four if you want a beach day.

11:30a.m.
ArriveMove

Athens → Santorini

SeaJet from Piraeus (4h30) or Aegean flight (45 min from ATH)

Most travellers fly (€60–180 one way, 45 min Aegean from Athens). Ferry is the romantic option: the 7 a.m. Blue Star from Piraeus arrives at Athinios at 3 p.m.; the SeaJet at noon. Pre-book your hotel transfer from Athinios — the cab queue can run an hour.

Pre-book transferAthinios port
3:00p.m.
Settle inStay

Check into the Imerovigli base

Aenaon Villas / Astra Suites / Grace Hotel

Drop bags, swim, register the view. Lunch at Aktaion in Firostefani (10-minute walk from most Imerovigli hotels) if you haven't eaten on the boat.

Imerovigli
5:00p.m.
Sunset walkWalk

Skaros Rock walk

Imerovigli · 20-min downhill walk

From the Imerovigli main square, walk down to the abandoned Venetian fortress on the Skaros sea-stack. The late-afternoon light on the rock is the secret-best Santorini photograph. Walk back up by 7.30.

FreeTake water
8:30p.m.
First dinnerEat

Selene

Fira · chef Ettore Botrini · tasting menu only

Cab to Fira. The most-considered modern-Greek tasting menu on the island, deeply rooted in the Santorinian pantry. Book a month ahead.

€€€€€Book a month ahead
8:30a.m.
First thingSee

Akrotiri archaeological site

Southern tip · the Bronze Age city

Drive to Akrotiri (25 min from Imerovigli) for the 9 a.m. opening. 90 minutes inside the bioclimatic shelter; before the cruise crowds arrive at 11. Pair with the Red Beach viewpoint (5 min walk from the parking lot) afterward.

€129 a.m. opening
12:30p.m.
LunchEat

The Cave of Nikolas

Akrotiri harbour · whole fish

5-min drive from the site to the harbour. Third-generation family fish taverna; the boats moor metres from the tables. Order whatever's on for the day; pair with a chilled Assyrtiko from the carafe.

€€Harbour-side
3:00p.m.
AfternoonWine

A wine-villages tasting

Hatzidakis (Pyrgos) → Sigalas (Oia hinterland)

Drive to Pyrgos for the Hatzidakis cave tasting (€20–30, biodynamic, smaller-batch); then to Sigalas in the Oia hinterland for the garden tasting (€25–45). See the wine guide for the full day's itinerary if you want four wineries instead of two.

Book aheadSee wine guide
9:00p.m.
DinnerEat

Metaxi Mas

Exo Gonia · long Cretan-Santorinian taverna

10-min drive from Sigalas. Cretan-Santorinian taverna with a stone terrace facing east toward Anafi; book the table at the railing. Three hours, easily.

€€€Book a month ahead
11:00a.m.
MorningBoat

Nea Kameni volcano + Palea Kameni hot springs

From Fira old port · half-day boat

Cable car down from Fira (€6, 5-min ride; the donkey path takes 30 min and is rough on the knees). Small-boat operator out of the old port (€30–45); 30-min hike up Nea Kameni to the crater rim, then a swim in the brick-red sulphur springs at Palea Kameni. Bring an old swim — the iron oxide stains.

€30–454 hours
4:00p.m.
Late lunchEat

Pelekanos (Oia)

Oia caldera edge · seafood-led

Cab to Oia; late lunch on the caldera terrace before the sunset crowd builds. Sea-urchin spaghetti, fennel salad, a chilled rosé. Stay through the sunset hour at the table.

€€€Reserve terrace
6:30p.m.
SunsetWalk

Oia main strip walk

Maritime Museum → blue domes → western castle

Walk the Oia main strip — the windmill, the Maritime Museum, the three blue-domed churches everyone photographs, the western castle ruins above Ammoudi Bay. Yes, it's a queue; yes, it's still worth one slow walk. Skip the actual sunset queue at the castle; the better view is from the path.

Crowded but earnedSkip the castle queue
9:00p.m.
Farewell dinnerEat

Lauda (Andronis Boutique Hotel)

Oia cliff terrace · chef Renaut consulting

Three blocks from the main strip. The closing tasting menu on the Andronis cliff terrace. Book three weeks ahead; sunset-side tables go first, specify at booking.

€€€€€Book 3 weeks ahead
If you have a fourth day

The day trips.

Two extensions worth a fourth-day commitment from Santorini — both reached by morning ferry, both back by the late afternoon boat.

01

Folegandros

90-min fast ferry · 3 villages, 1 main road · the quiet next

The smallest of the Cyclades worth a structured visit — three settlements, one main road, a cliff-edge Chora that's been there since the Venetians arrived in 1207. The 90-minute fast ferry from Santorini to Karavostasi is the move. Walk from the Chora to the Aspropounta lighthouse at 5 p.m. Lunch at Eva's Garden in the Chora. Back on the evening ferry. The deceleration the trip needs.

90 min fast ferryEva's Garden lunchAspropounta walk at 5 p.m.
02

Therasia

15-min boat across the caldera · 250 residents · half-day

The forgotten Santorini — the small island on the western side of the caldera (you can see it from Oia), with around 250 year-round residents and almost no tourist infrastructure. 15-minute boat from Ammoudi Bay below Oia. Manolas village at the top of the cliff has two tavernas and the most quiet, residual feeling on the entire caldera. Half a day. The Santorini contrarian's day trip.

15-min from Ammoudi250 residentsManolas village
The signature · Wine

The volcano makes the wine.

Almost no rain. No topsoil — just volcanic pumice and ash. A meltemi that ought to shred any vineyard. And out of that, one of the most distinctive whites on earth. The vines drink the sea fog, not the sky. It shouldn't work. It has, for thousands of years.

01Coiled against the windThe vine is woven into a low basket so the fruit sits inside it, out of the meltemi.
02Grapes nest inside the basketThe bunches grow within the coil, shaded and protected, not hanging on a trellis.
03Drinks the fog, not the rainBarely any rain falls; the vines pull their moisture from the morning sea mist.
04Rootstock older than phylloxeraVolcanic pumice repels the louse, so the vines were never grafted — many are over a century old.
The two to order
The dry one

Assyrtiko

Bone-dry, high-acid, almost saline on the finish — a Chablis with the volume turned up. The volcanic white the rest of the wine world has only just caught up to.

The amber one

Vinsanto

Assyrtiko left to sun-dry for two weeks, pressed, then aged in oak for years. An ancient amber dessert wine — the island was making it centuries before the Tuscan version.

Producers worth the drive
Only on Santorini

The Santorinian table.

Six dishes the island is built on — most of them volcanic-soil-specific (the cherry tomato, the white aubergine, the chickpea), most of them on every taverna menu, almost none of them on the Plaka-of-Santorini cliff tour menus. Order in roughly this order.

Worth knowing

A few things.

The mechanics that separate a Santorini trip from a queue at a bakery in Oia.

On cruise-ship hours

3–5 cruise ships dock most summer days, each unloading 3,000+ passengers between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Oia and Fira become unwalkable during those windows. The annual schedule is published at santorinicruises.gr; cross-reference your trip and do the inland half (Akrotiri, the wine villages, Megalochori) on cruise days. Save the caldera walks for the days without ships.

On where to stay

Imerovigli is the default — same caldera view as Oia at noticeably lower rates, walkable to Fira and the Skaros Rock walk, less than 30 minutes to anywhere on the island by cab. Pyrgos is the second-time-to-Santorini choice (inland, the serious food, the wine villages). Oia is the once-or-twice splurge. Fira is the central capital but not a stay you'd choose.

On the Oia sunset

It is genuinely beautiful and it is genuinely a queue. The viewing platforms at the castle and the Maritime Museum fill by 6.30 p.m. in summer; the path between them clogs by 7. Two alternatives that both work: (1) book a sunset table at Pelekanos or Lauda and stay through the hour at the table; (2) skip Oia entirely and watch the same sunset from Pyrgos summit, with the entire caldera in one frame and almost no one else there.

On renting a car

Yes — almost everything on this page (Akrotiri, the wine villages, Mesa Vouno, Vlychada, Perissa, Megalochori) is unreachable by bus without spending 4 hours on connections. Rent locally on the island (€35–55/day in season); skip the airport-counter chains. Bring an EU/UK/US/CA driver's licence; no international permit needed. Don't drive after wine tastings — hire a driver for those days.

On the ferry from Athens

5 hours on the Blue Star (€45 economy, €70 reserved seat) or 4.5 hours on the SeaJet/HighSpeed (€80–120). Blue Star is reliable in wind; SeaJets get cancelled in meltemi (especially August). Book on Ferryhopper (not the operator sites). Fly the return if you're tight on time — Aegean from Santorini to Athens is 45 minutes and €60–150 one way.

On the meltemi

The dry northerly wind blows down the Aegean from late June through mid-September, peaks in August, reaches force 7 on bad days. Cancels fast ferries (not the Blue Stars), grounds small boats, blows sand across beach umbrellas. Build a buffer day between Santorini and your next destination — don't book a Mykonos-to-Athens-via-Santorini connection in the same morning.

The next island The rest of the Cyclades, in any order.
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