Santorini

Getting There

Fly into Santorini (JTR), either direct from London in summer or via Athens year-round. Ferries from Athens take 4–8 hours depending on the service; the fast ferry from Piraeus is the right choice if you're combining it with a wider Greek islands trip.

The Villages

Oia is the famous one — the blue domes, the sunset crowds, the photographs. Worth visiting but best explored in the morning before the tourist rush. The sunset is overrated from the main viewpoint and magnificent from the caldera path north of the village where the crowds thin.

Fira is the capital: more commercial, better connected, excellent caldera views from the walking path. Pyrgos is the highest village on the island, much quieter than both, with the best view of Oia from a distance. Akrotiri in the south has the Minoan archaeological site — an entire Bronze Age city preserved under volcanic ash, Pompeii-style, 3,600 years old.

The Wine

Santorini's wine is one of the island's genuine surprises. The volcanic soil and the unique basket-weave vine training (to protect against the Aegean wind) produce Assyrtiko white wines of extraordinary intensity. Santo Wines winery above Fira has the most dramatic tasting room in Greek viticulture. The wine is worth the trip in itself.

What to Eat

Fresh seafood from the eastern port of Oia. Fava (yellow split pea purée) — Santorini's is the benchmark version. Tomatokeftedes (tomato fritters), made from the tiny cherry tomatoes grown in the volcanic soil. For the full experience, eat at a caldera-view restaurant in Imerovigli rather than Oia — better food, lower prices, identical views.

When to Go

May to June and September to October. July and August are very hot and the island is at its most crowded; Oia in particular becomes unmanageable at sunset. November to March the island largely closes, but a handful of accommodation and restaurants stay open and the atmosphere is completely different — empty paths, soft light, genuinely empty caldera views.