15° North are travelling again! This time we are on the island of Santorini in the Cyclades in stunning Greece. There we visit: Oia, Fira and cruise around its caldera..
Jérémy and Ben here again! We love to travel and to satisfy our wanderlust, we are on a worldwide odyssey exploring the best places for a break around the world. We love to escape Britain to experience the best culture, cuisine and attractions that the globe has to offer. If you’re a tourist like us and just need a good itinerary for what to do and how to do it when you’re in Santorini, we will show you the best things to put on your itinerary.
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Santorini is an island in the Cyclades, sitting about halfway between the Greek mainland and Turkey. The most famous of all the Greek islands, it has become one of travel’s essential destinations, with tourists flocking from around the world to see its pristine white towns perched on the rim of the island’s caldera.
There are towns and village scattered across the island, but there are two main ones that everyone comes to see. The first of these is Oia, which is undoubtedly the prettiest on the island.
Sitting on the northern edge of the island, its white streets and blue domes are nothing short of iconic. And they’re every bit as beautiful in person as they are in photos. But it’s also… very busy indeed. Santorini has become one of the most over-touristed places on the planet. The island has a population of about 14,000, but on any given day in the summer, there are approximately 17,000 additional tourists. With multiple cruise ships docking every day, this tiny island is bursting at the seams with holidaymakers flocking to experience this legendary island. However. The island has been popular for a long time, so its infrastructure is actually really good. The roads are great, regular buses serve the whole island and its airport and ferries run like clockwork.
It does mean, however, that the vast majority of what you see on the island is there simply for the tourists. Most buildings are hotels. And an island built around tourism has the pricetag to match. Both this and its neighbour Mykonos are catering for wealthier tourists, so prepare yourself for some quite eye-watering prices at times.
Santorini is quite different from the other Cyclades because the entire island is made up of a vast volcano. The main island is in a crescent shape, making up the eastern rim of its crater. Smaller islands in the bay form the other side of this, but at one stage this was all one complete island known as Thera. 3,600 years ago, Thera was populated by the Minoan people, with a thriving community living on the island. But then the volcano erupted in one of the largest eruptions in recorded history. Half of the mountain was blown apart, leaving behind this vast flooded crater and taking with it most of the city too. And this city today has been mythologised with a much more famous name: Atlantis.
The second main town that everyone visits on Santorini is Fira. The island’s capital, this small town is where most of the hotels and restaurants are situated. At the caldera, this has the same white houses clinging precariously to the edge, while on the other side the town looks a bit more like a resort. We’re used the word “caldera” a few times now – is it time for us to explain what it is? When a large volcano violently erupts, the exterior of its cone can collapse. Subsequently, the caldera is what’s left behind. In this case, it’s the rocky rim that is just poking above the water, forming the islands of the Santorini archipelago. The top of the caldera is where all of Santorini’s iconic buildings are situated and these used to just be accessible by a donkey track around the rim. Nowadays there are no donkeys, but the path remains.
There’s no doubt that Santorini’s status as a premiere tourist destination is there for a reason. It is genuinely stunning. There’s no getting around that. But there’s also no getting around the fact that the island is totally over-touristed. It’s heaving with people and the prices are really high. So if you’re looking for something fabulous to put on your insta-story, this is the place for you. But if you’re looking for a more authentic experience of the Greek islands, then maybe try somewhere else.