Attractions

The top attraction here is the island itself; don't feel compelled to race from attraction to attraction. It's far better to make haste slowly, linger on the black beach at Kamares, and stroll Thira in the early morning when the town belongs to its inhabitants, who are buying loaves sprinkled with sesame seeds at the bakery and sweeping and washing the pavement outside all those jewelry shops. Most importantly, wherever you are, enjoy the view. There's nowhere else in the world, let alone in the Cyclades, with that caldera view.

Tip: If you plan to visit the ancient sites and their associated museums, get the economical 8€ ($10) ticket that's good for the Archaeological Museum, Ancient Akrotiri (if open), Prehistoric Thira, and Ancient Thira. Even if the ticket price goes up, as it almost certainly will, and even if Akrotiri is closed, as it may be, this will be a good buy.

Fira

Location, location, location: To put it mildly, Fira has a spectacular location on the edge of the caldera. Just when you think you've grown accustomed to the view down and out to sea and the offshore islands, you'll catch a glimpse of the caldera from a slightly different angle -- and be awed yet again. If you're staying overnight on Santorini, take advantage of the fact that almost all the day-trippers from cruise ships leave in the late afternoon. Try to explore Santorini's capital, Fira, in the early evening, between the departure of the day-trippers and the onslaught of the evening revelers. As you stroll, you may be surprised to discover that, in addition to the predictable Greek Orthodox cathedral, Fira has a Roman Catholic cathedral and convent, legacies from the days when the Venetians controlled much of the Aegean. The name Santorini is, in fact, a Latinate corruption of the Greek for "Saint Irene." Megaron Gyzi Museum (tel. 22860/22-244) in a stately old house by the cathedral has church and local memorabilia, including before-and-after photographs of the island at the time of the devastating earthquake of 1956. It is open Monday to Saturday 10:30am to 1pm and 5 to 8pm; Sunday 10:30am to 4:30pm. Admission is 3€ ($3.90).

Not surprisingly, Fira is Santorini's busiest and most commercial town. The abundance of jewelry stores is matched in the Cyclades only by Mykonos -- as are the crowds in July and August. At the north end of Ipapantis (also known as "Gold Street" for all those jewelry stores), you'll find the cable-car station. The Austrian-built system, the gift of wealthy ship owner Evangelos Nomikos, can zip you down to the port of Skala in 2 minutes. The cable car makes the trip every 15 minutes from 7:30am to 9pm for 3€ ($3.90), and it's worth every euro, especially on the way up.

Up and to the right of the cable-car station is the small Archaeological Museum (tel. 22860/22-217), which contains early Cycladic figurines, finds from Ancient Thira and erotic (or obscene, depending on the eye of the beholder) Dionysiac figures. It's open Tuesday through Sunday from 8:30am to 3pm. Admission is 3€ ($3.90) or free with a ticket to the Museum of Prehistoric Thira. You can easily spend a day or more enjoying Fira but don't count on getting much sleep: Fira has a wild all-night-every-night bar scene, with every bar seemingly competing for the award for the highest decibel level attainable with amplified music.

Oia

Oia gets most visitors' votes as the most beautiful village on the island. The village made an amazing comeback from the 1956 earthquake which left it a virtual ghost town for decades. Several fine 19th-century mansions survived the earthquake and have been restored, including the elegant Restaurant-Bar 1800 and the Naval Museum . Much of the reconstruction continues the ancient Santorini tradition of excavating dwellings from the cliff's face, and the island's most beautiful cliff dwellings can be found here. The village has basically two streets: one with traffic; and the much more pleasant inland pedestrian lane, paved with marble and lined with an increasing number of jewelry shops, tavernas, and bars.

The Naval Museum (tel. 22860/71-156) is a great introduction to this town where, until the advent of tourism, most young men found themselves working at sea and sending money home to their families. The museum, housed in a restored neoclassical mansion, was almost completely destroyed during the 1956 earthquake. Workers meticulously rebuilt the mansion using photographs of the original structure. The museum's collection includes ship models, figureheads, naval equipment, and fascinating old photographs. Its official hours are Wednesday through Monday from 12:30 to 4pm and 5 to 8:30pm, although this varies considerably. Admission is 3€ ($3.90).

The battlements of the ruined kastro (fortress) at the western end of town are the best place to catch the famous Oia sunset. Keep in mind that many cruise ships disgorge busloads of passengers who come here just to catch the sunset; unless you are here on a rainy February day, you may prefer to find a more secluded spot where the click of camera shutters is less deafening. Below the castle, a long flight of steps leads down to the pebble beach at Ammoudi, which is okay for swimming and sunning, and has some excellent fish tavernas. To the west is the more spacious and sandy Koloumbos Beach. To the southeast below Oia is the fishing port of Armeni, where ferries sometimes dock and you can catch an excursion boat around the caldera.

Out on the Island

It's easy to spend all your time in Fira and Oia, with excursions to the ancient sites and beaches, and to neglect other villages. Easy, but a shame, as there are some very charming villages on the island. As you travel, keep an eye out for the troglodytic cave houses hollowed into solidified volcanic ash. Another thing to look for: In many fields, you'll see what look like large brown circles of intertwined sticks neatly placed on the ground. What you're looking at is a vineyard. Santorinians twist the grape vines into wreaths that encircle the grapes and protect them from the island's fierce winds.

At the south end of the island, on the road to Perissa, is the handsome old village of Emborio. The town was fortified in the 17th century, and you can see its towers, a graceful marble statue of the muse Polyhymnia in the cemetery, and modern-day homes built into the ruins of the citadel.

Pirgos, a village on a steep hill just above the island's port at Athinios, is a maze of narrow pathways, steps, chapels, and squares. Until the mid-19th century, this quiet hamlet hidden away behind the port was the island's capital. Near the summit of the village is the crumbling Venetian kastro, with sweeping views over the island. There is less tourism in Pirgos than in many island villages, and the central square, just off the main road, has just about all the shops and cafes. If you feel like a break try the Café Kastelli, with tasty snacks, glyka tou koutalou ("spoon sweets" of preserved fruits), and fine views. If you want a sweet-and-sour treat, try the preserved nerangi (bitter orange).

In the hamlet of Gonias Episkopi, the Church of the Panagia is an astonishingly well-preserved 11th- to 12th-century Byzantine church. As is often the case, the builders pillaged classical buildings. You will see the many fragments they appropriated incorporated into the walls -- and two ancient marble altars supporting columns. Among the frescoes, keep an eye out for the figure of a dancing Salome.

The Caldera Islets

These tantalizing islands in the caldera are part of the glory of Santorini's seascape, reminders of the larger island that existed before the volcano left today's crescent in the sea. Fortunately, you can visit the islands and get a view of Santorini from there.

Thirassia is a small, inhabited island west across the caldera from Santorini; a cliff-top village of the same name faces the caldera, and is a relatively quiet retreat from Santorini's summer crowds. You can reach the village from the caldera side only by a long flight of steep steps. (Travelers once had to get to Fira and Oia the same way.) Full-day boat excursions departing daily from the port of Fira (accessible by cable car, donkey, or on foot) make brief stops at Thirassia, just long enough for you to have a quick lunch in the village; the cost of the excursion -- which includes Nea Kameni, Palea Kameni, and Ia -- is about 40€ ($52) per person. Another option is local caiques, which make the trip in summer from Armeni, the port of Oia; ask for information at one of the Fira travel agents.

The two smoldering dark islands in the middle of the caldera are Palea Kameni (Old Burnt), the smaller and more distant one, which appeared in A.D. 157; and Nea Kameni (New Burnt), which began to appear sometime in the early 18th century. The day excursion to Thirassia (a far more enjoyable destination) often includes these two (unfortunately often litter-strewn) volcanic isles.