Holidays to Santorini

Best Places to Visit in Santorini 

Santorini’s layout makes it easy to move between key towns, each offering a different experience. Planning by places to visit in Santorini helps maximise time of Santorini holiday. 

• Fira (the capital): The island's main town sits midway along the caldera rim — a dense run of whitewashed lanes, cliff-edge bars, and the cable car down to the old port. It is the most connected base on the island and the easiest for anyone without a car, which makes it a practical first Santorini holiday for people who want everything walkable. 

• Oia (north): About 11 km from Fira at the island's northern tip, Oia is the postcard: blue-domed churches, restored cave houses, the ruins of a Venetian castle, and the sunset crowds. Quieter by day, it suits couples willing to pay a premium for the view. 

• Imerovigli & Firostefani: These two villages sit on the rim between Fira and Oia, with the same caldera views and a calmer, more residential feel. Imerovigli, on the highest part of the cliff, is the pick for couples who want the scenery without Fira's late-night noise. 

• Kamari (southeast): A long black-sand beach below the Mesa Vouno headland, around 10 km from Fira, with a tidy promenade of tavernas and hotels. The flat, organised seafront and easy airport access make it one of the stronger bases for cheap holidays to Santorini without giving up beach quality. 

• Perissa & Akrotiri (south): Perissa fronts the island's longest beach with a livelier, younger feel and good water sports, while nearby Akrotiri pairs the archaeological site with quiet coves. The south coast is where most affordable package holidays to Santorini are based, away from the caldera price premium. 

Things to Do in Santorini 

Beyond the sun lounger, the island gives history, hiking, volcano boat trips, and some of the best wine touring in Greece — and these are the reasons to visit Santorini that guests say stay with them longest. 

• The Fira–Oia caldera walk: The cliff-top path links the two main towns in around 10 km, roughly two to three hours at an easy pace, passing through Firostefani and Imerovigli with the caldera on one side the whole way. Start early or late to dodge the midday heat. 

• Akrotiri archaeological site: The buried Bronze Age town, about 12 km south of Fira, is covered by a modern roof and walkable on raised walkways past streets, drainage, and multi-storey houses. It is generally open daily except Tuesday; allow an hour. 

• Ancient Thira: A Hellenistic and Roman city strung along the Mesa Vouno ridge between Kamari and Perissa, reached by a switchback road or a stiff one to one-and-a-half hour hike up from either beach. The views over the south coast alone justify the climb. 

• Nea Kameni volcano & hot springs: Boat trips from the old port land on the central volcanic islet for a 30 to 40-minute walk over lava to the crater, then anchor at the warm sulphur springs off Palea Kameni for a swim. Wear shoes you don't mind scuffing. 

• Wine tasting on the Wine Road: Santo Wines, Estate Argyros, and a clutch of smaller estates run tastings of Assyrtiko, the barrel-aged Nykteri, and sweet Vinsanto, usually paired with local cheese and fava. Most are an easy drive from any base.