10 Best Things to Do
Santorini rewards a holiday with more than one perspective. From the caldera rim, white villages and hotel terraces look across a vast volcanic seascape. At water level, old harbours and dark beaches give the island a different scale. Inland, vineyards and villages reveal a landscape shaped by agriculture as well as tourism. Choose your base around the experience you want. Oia has the classic cliffside setting and a remarkable concentration of hotels and restaurants; Imerovigli offers another commanding caldera position. Fira adds museums and town life, while the south and the hills around Pyrgos invite a less concentrated itinerary. The distinction between a caldera stay and a beach stay matters more than a hotel's headline description. Our edit brings those contrasts together: carefully designed places to stay, restaurants that range from ambitious tasting menus to accomplished island tavernas, and experiences that explain the landscape. Make time for Akrotiri and the prehistoric museum, taste the wines among their vines, and leave an afternoon free for the sea. Santorini is most rewarding when the schedule allows you to look beyond the sunset.
Akrotiri archaeological site
Akrotiri, Greece
Akrotiri reveals Santorini as a sophisticated Bronze Age settlement rather than simply a spectacular view. Beneath a protective roof, streets and multi-storey buildings show the organisation of the town before the volcanic eruption buried it. Choose a guided visit if you want the architecture and daily life explained in depth, then pair it with the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira. The two visits complement one another, connecting the excavated town with its objects and wall paintings.
Understanding the prehistoric island
Museum of Prehistoric Thera
Fira, Greece
The Museum of Prehistoric Thera gathers objects and wall paintings that illuminate life on Santorini before the great eruption. Its Fira location makes it easy to include alongside a town visit, but the material deserves more than a hurried stop. Choose it before Akrotiri to establish context, or afterwards to reconnect objects with the buildings in which people lived. Check the current galleries and admission arrangements directly when planning your visit.
Seeing the island through its objects
Ancient Thera
Mesa Vouno, Greece
Ancient Thera occupies the ridge of Mesa Vouno above the island's southeastern coast. The remains of temples, public buildings, streets and houses tell the story of the city that developed long after Akrotiri's destruction. Choose it for a visit that brings archaeology and landscape together. Wear shoes suitable for uneven ground, take water and check access conditions before setting out; the exposed position is part of its appeal and an important practical consideration.
History with a hilltop perspective
Fira to Oia caldera walk
Fira to Oia, Greece
The caldera path between Fira and Oia gives Santorini's landscape time to unfold. Villages, chapels and stretches of open terrain interrupt the sequence of sea and cliff views, making the walk more rewarding than a single viewpoint stop. Choose a cooler part of the day, carry water and use proper walking shoes. You need not complete the whole route to appreciate it; select a section that suits your fitness and arrange the return journey beforehand.
Taking in the landscape on foot
Santo Wines tasting
Pyrgos, Greece
Santo Wines combines a tasting experience with terraces overlooking the caldera at Pyrgos. The cooperative setting introduces a collective side of Santorini's wine culture, while the different tasting options help put its grape varieties and styles into context. Choose it for an accessible first encounter with the island's wines and leave time to explore the shop's local produce. Reserve your preferred tasting, and arrange transport so that the experience remains a leisurely part of the day.
An introduction to volcanic wine
Domaine Sigalas tasting
Baxes, Oia, Greece
Domaine Sigalas sits among vines on the plain near Oia, offering a closer look at the island's wine landscape. Tutored tastings and food-and-wine experiences provide different levels of detail, with some arrangements including a vineyard visit. Choose it when you want the grapes and growing conditions to lead the conversation. Advance booking is required, so select the format carefully and allow enough time to taste thoughtfully rather than fitting it between rushed sightseeing stops.
A focused vineyard experience
Pyrgos village and castle
Pyrgos, Greece
Pyrgos offers a rewarding walk through lanes, traditional houses and the remains of its fortified settlement. The village climbs towards its Kasteli, with views opening as you ascend and places to pause around the main square below. Choose an unhurried morning or late afternoon to explore its architecture and small cultural stops. Wear comfortable shoes for the steps and avoid treating the village simply as another sunset platform; its appeal lies in the details along the way.
A slower village morning
Ammoudi harbour
Oia, Greece
Ammoudi brings a change of perspective after Oia's elevated lanes. At this old port, the cliffs rise above the waterfront and the sea feels close enough to shape the whole visit. Choose it for a harbour stroll and a meal planned around the setting, rather than another hurried photo stop. Decide how you will reach and leave the port before descending, particularly in heat, and confirm any restaurant or boat arrangements independently.
Oia from the water's edge
Caldera sailing with Sunset Oia
Santorini caldera; departure point varies, Greece
A sailing outing gives the caldera a different scale, with the cliffs and settlements seen from below. Sunset Oia advertises shared and private yacht experiences, providing different ways to build a day on the water. Choose the boat, route and departure point to suit your party rather than selecting solely by sunset timing. Confirm swimming stops, transfers and weather arrangements directly, as the sea determines what is practical on the day.
Seeing the volcanic coast from the sea
Tomato Industrial Museum
Vlychada, Greece
The Tomato Industrial Museum at Vlychada preserves the story of Santorini's tomato-processing industry in a former factory. It is a useful counterpoint to the island's glamorous present, showing how an agricultural product shaped local work and identity. Choose it as part of a southern-island day, with time afterwards for the harbour or coast. Check the current exhibition and seasonal opening arrangements before travelling, particularly outside the main visitor season.
The island's agricultural story