Oia lit up at moonrise above the caldera

Santorini · Towns & villages

Towns & villages of Santorini

Harbour towns, mountain hamlets and the places where island life still follows its own rhythm.

View of Oia, The caldera rim, Santorini
01
The caldera rim

Oia

Captains' houses and blue domes at the tip of the caldera

The village at the northern tip of Santorini, where white cave houses, blue domes and the mansions of old sea captains spill down the cliff. Below it, some 300 steps lead to the little harbour of Ammoudi, and at its end the ruins of a Venetian castle look out over the open sea. It is the most famous sunset on the island, so come for the mornings too, when the lanes are empty and the light is soft.

  • The empty lanes at sunrise
  • The steps down to Ammoudi and lunch by the water
  • Swimming off the rocks at Agios Nikolaos
  • The view from the castle at the tip of the village
Discover Oia
View of Imerovigli, The caldera rim, Santorini
02
The caldera rim

Imerovigli

The highest balcony on the caldera, quiet at first light

The highest village on the rim of the caldera, between Firostefani and Oia, its name means something like 'day watch', after the lookouts who once scanned the sea from here for pirates. Below it the rock of Skaros juts into the caldera, where the Venetians built their main castle. Come early: in the soft morning light, with the sea still and the cliffs turning pink, you can have the whole view to yourself.

  • Morning coffee on the caldera rim before the day trippers
  • The path out to the rock of Skaros
  • The chapel of Theoskepasti on the far side of the rock
  • Walking the rim path to Fira or Oia
Discover Imerovigli
View of Pyrgos, The wine villages, Santorini
03
The wine villages

Pyrgos

A hilltop castle village, best in the evening

The old capital of the island, built in rings around a Venetian kasteli on a hill below Profitis Ilias, the highest peak. Its lanes wind up through arches and little churches to the top, where you can see both coasts and the whole caldera at once. When the day trippers have gone back to Fira, the village grows quiet and the terraces fill for sunset. On the night of Good Friday thousands of small lights are set along its walls and roofs.

  • Sunset from the top of the kasteli
  • The lanes and arches of the old castle
  • Wine tasting at Santo Wines on the edge of the village
  • Easter, when the whole village is lit with candles
Discover Pyrgos
View of Megalochori, The wine villages, Santorini
04
The wine villages

Megalochori

A wine village of captains' houses and bell towers

A village in the vineyards of the south, where the bell tower of the church spans the lane and the old square fills with tables in the evening. Its families made their money in wine, and you can still see their canavas, the old wineries, and the walled mansions of the 19th-century sea captains. Little chapels on the cliffs nearby look straight down into the caldera, and the Venetsanos winery is built into the rock above the sea.

  • Dinner on the little square under the bell tower
  • Wine tasting above the caldera
  • The chapels on the cliff edge
  • Walking the lanes of the old captains' houses
Discover Megalochori
View of Emporio, The south, Santorini
05
The south

Emporio

The largest village, with a maze of a medieval castle

The biggest village on the island, and one of the least visited. At its heart is the kasteli, a Venetian-era fortified quarter whose houses form the outer wall, with lanes so narrow and twisting they were built to confuse pirates. Above the village, a line of old windmills stands on the ridge of Gavrilos. It is a place to wander without a map, with the black-sand beach of Perissa a few minutes away.

  • Getting lost in the lanes of the kasteli
  • The windmills on the Gavrilos ridge
  • The old Goulas tower
  • A short drive to the beach at Perissa
Discover Emporio
View of Kamari & Perissa, The east coast, Santorini
06
The east coast

Kamari & Perissa

Long black-sand beaches below the rock of ancient Thera

On the gentle east side of the island, away from the cliffs, two long beaches of black volcanic sand lie on either side of Mesa Vouno, the mountain where ancient Thera stood. Kamari has a seafront promenade and an open-air cinema; Perissa runs on for kilometres to Perivolos and Agios Georgios. The sea is clear and deep, the sand is warm underfoot, and in the evening the light goes gold on the rock above.

  • Swimming off the black sand
  • Walking up to ancient Thera from either side
  • A film under the stars at the Kamari open-air cinema
  • Sunset drinks on the long beach of Perissa
Discover Kamari & Perissa
View of Thirassia, Across the caldera, Santorini
07
Across the caldera

Thirassia

The other side of the crater, as Santorini was before

The small island on the far side of the caldera was once part of the same ring of land, until the sea broke in. A few hundred people live here, in the village of Manolas on the cliff top and by the little harbour of Korfos, where fish tavernas line the water. There are no big hotels and few cars, and from its rim you look back at Oia and the white villages across the water.

  • Fish lunch by the water at Korfos
  • The steps up to Manolas on the cliff top
  • The view back across the caldera to Oia
  • A day with almost no one else
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Regions

Where to base yourself in Santorini

01

The caldera rim

The cliff-top villages of Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia, with their cave houses and terraces looking west over the crater.

02

The wine villages

Pyrgos, Megalochori, Vothonas and Exo Gonia in the vineyards of the middle of the island, with old canavas, castles and quiet squares.

03

The east coast

The long black-sand beaches of Kamari and Perissa on either side of Mesa Vouno, the mountain of ancient Thera.

04

The south

Emporio and its castle maze, the lighthouse of Akrotiri, the Red Beach and the Bronze Age town buried in ash.

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