A flooded volcanic caldera with white villages clinging to the rim, and the most photographed sunset in Europe. Small, spectacular, crowded, and rarely a fortnight.
The caldera is the reason to come, and you can see it properly in a couple of days.
Santorini's beaches are black volcanic sand and shingle, and they're fine rather than remarkable — the island's draw is the cliff-top villages and the view down into the flooded crater. Most people find two or three nights covers Oia, Fira, a boat trip and a sunset. Pair it with Crete, Naxos or Athens rather than trying to fill a week, and you'll come home having liked it rather than feeling you overstayed.
A rim path, a volcano, and villages that photograph better than anywhere in Greece.
Ten kilometres along the rim, three to four hours, and the best thing on the island. Start at seven before the heat.
Famous, and genuinely crowded — people arrive two hours early for a wall space. The rim path just outside town is calmer.
A boat to the crater in the middle of the caldera, then a hot walk over black lava. Hot springs swim on the way back.
A Bronze Age town buried by the eruption and preserved under ash. Frescoes, streets, and far less busy than the villages.
Volcanic sand under red cliffs on the south coast. Different from the caldera, and where people actually swim.
Assyrtiko grown in basket-shaped vines against the wind. Sunset from the winery terrace beats fighting for space in Oia.
Caldera rim for the view, or the coast for beaches and value. They're very different stays.
The postcard village. Beautiful, and it fills with day-trippers and cruise passengers by mid-morning.
Between Fira and Oia with the same views and a fraction of the crowds. Our usual recommendation.
The main town, best transport links and most restaurants. Busy, and better value than Oia.
Black-sand resorts on the south-east coast. Half the price of the rim, and no caldera view.
May, June, September and October. July and August are hot, packed and expensive.
High summer reaches 30°C-plus with cruise crowds at their heaviest and hotel rates at their peak. May, June and September give warm weather, a swimmable sea from June, and considerably more room. October is quieter still and the light is superb. Winter is very quiet with many hotels and restaurants closed.
4 hours to Santorini (JTR), seasonal direct from UK airports. Also easy via Athens.
Buses run from Fira to everywhere; they get full. Quad and car hire is common — roads are narrow and parking is difficult.
Euro. Cards widely accepted.
High-speed ferries to Crete, Naxos, Mykonos and Athens. Combining islands is straightforward and we'll book it.
We'll pick the right part of the rim, pair it with another island if you want a longer trip, and write the payment plan out in full.
Two or three for most people. If you want a week in Greece, pair it with Crete or Naxos rather than staying put.
It's the whole reason people come, and Imerovigli gives the same view as Oia for less. But it means steps, and beach-side hotels cost half as much.
They're volcanic — black sand and shingle, and hot underfoot. Fine for a swim, not why you'd come.
Early morning and after six, any month. Across the season, May, early June and October are the quietest workable windows.
Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
10 nights · May–Jun, Sep–Oct · from £1,449pp
11 nights · May–Jun, Sep · from £1,149pp
10 nights · Mar–May, Sep–Nov · from £849pp
11 nights · Apr, Oct · from £2,699pp
12 nights · Jun–Oct, Jan–Feb · from £3,399pp
12 nights · Jul–Oct · from £3,099pp
11 nights · Jun–Oct, Dec–Feb · from £1,799pp
11 nights · Nov–Apr · from £2,199pp
