10 Must-Have Experiences in Santorini

At the heart of Fira, where narrow lanes meet the sky and the Caldera’s vastness opens just beyond the rooftops, the Archaeological Museum of Prehistoric Thera has reopened its doors after years of silence. Light-filled, pared-back, and thoughtfully redesigned, the museum now invites visitors into a sweeping narrative that traces the earliest chapters of life in the Aegean.

Its new beginning was marked in June 2025 with the launch of Cycladic Women: Untold Stories, a powerful traveling exhibition from the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens. Focused on the role of women in early Cycladic society, it reimagines ancient Thera through the presence, voice, and agency of its women—figures often lost to time but brought into vivid clarity here.

Beyond this exhibition, on view through October, the museum is preparing to unveil thousands of finds from across Santorini, particularly from Akrotiri. Together, they speak of volcanic origins, seaborne trade, and the slow shaping of one of the Mediterranean’s most influential island cultures.

As you move south through Santorini, past the ghostlines of ancient Thera, the landscape begins to shift. Volcanic drama gives way to something softer: rows of green vineyards unfurl toward the horizon, and a quiet settlement appears among them like a memory that never aged. Megalochori feels suspended in time—earth-toned, hushed, and untouched by the island’s more showy corners.

Its cobbled alleys wind past cave houses, neoclassical facades, and sun-worn courtyards draped in vines. There’s a gentler rhythm here, held together by the scent of soil and grape skins, and the deep, familiar silence of a village that works with the land.

The bell towers stand like watchmen—especially the iconic arched belfry of the Church of Zoodochos Pigi, rising in three tiers with six bells. You’ll stop, inevitably, at the village’s old kafeneio for a spoon sweet and a glass of something cold—one last, simple ritual in a place that makes stillness feel essential.

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Akrotiri: Cradle of Cycladic Civilisation

On the southwestern edge of Santorini, Akrotiri offers more than the ruins of an ancient settlement—it reveals an entire city, emerging slowly from volcanic ash to reclaim its place in history. Once buried for centuries beneath the fallout of a Minoan-era eruption, the site still pulses with the life of a civilization that thrived over 3,500 years ago.

Multi-story homes, paved streets, pottery jars, and vibrant wall paintings have survived almost untouched, preserved in eerie stillness beneath layers of ash. Even the town’s drainage system remains intact, bearing witness to a level of sophistication rare for its time. Every detail speaks of a Cycladic culture that was advanced, expressive, and deeply connected to the sea.

Akrotiri isn’t just a site to visit—it’s a confrontation with time. Pottery workshops, maritime trade, everyday rituals—everything reappears in uncanny clarity, collapsing the centuries between ancient Thera and the modern traveler. A walk through this city is less about ruins and more about revelation.

Perivolos isn’t like anywhere else on the island—and for more reasons than one. On one side, it pulses all day long with the endless energy of Cycladic fun; on the other, it promises the kind of enchanting tranquility found only on truly special beaches.

Its rare natural features—the deep black volcanic sand extending from the shore to the seabed, and the intense warmth you feel when stepping barefoot onto its fine, lava-formed grains—transform swimming, and even sunbathing, at Perivolos into an experience entirely of its own.

Discover more Santorini beaches

Santorini makes an ideal launchpad for Cycladic island-hopping—whether you’re craving whitewashed villages, lunar beaches, or just the thrill of waking up somewhere new each day. For those who want to travel in style (and skip the ferry lines), Hopper, Greece’s first scheduled helicopter service, connects Santorini with Mykonos, Paros, Ios, Naxos, and Milos in minutes. Private flights can also be arranged to lesser-known islands like Folegandros or Anafi—perfect if you’re after that off-the-radar magic with a touch of cinematic flair.

But hopping across the Aegean isn’t just for high-flyers. Santorini’s main port, Athinios, is a major hub with daily ferries (both conventional and high-speed) linking the island to Ios, Naxos, Paros, Mykonos, Syros, Folegandros, Sikinos, and Anafi, among others. During summer, connections to Crete (Heraklion and Rethymno) and mainland ports like Piraeus and Rafina are frequent and reliable. You can sail at sunrise and be sipping wine on another island by lunch.

Atlantis Books began as a spontaneous idea among friends and grew into one of Greece’s most distinctive literary landmarks. For years, it was housed in a small, cave-like space in Oia—low ceilings, handwritten notes, shelves packed tight, and a caldera view just beyond the terrace. It felt handmade in every sense, from the curated titles to the painted walls and loft beds for visiting writers and staff.

In 2024, the bookstore relocated to Firostefani, finding a new home in the old Nomikos Cultural Centre. The new space carries the same spirit: thoughtfully chosen books in several languages, rare finds, local poetry, and that same quiet pull toward exploration. There’s room to pause, browse, and follow your curiosity without rush or distraction.

“How can such a dry, volcanic island produce the tastiest tomatoes we’ve ever had?” A fair question—one answered with charm and clarity by Iosif, our guide at the D. Nomikos Industrial Tomato Museum in Vlychada, Santorini. With a natural gift for storytelling, he walked us through a history rooted in sweat and sea air: farmers hauling 50-kilo baskets, factories a breath away from the shore, and a tomato so unique it earned global fame. The secret? Volcanic minerals and underground humidity, giving Santorini’s tiny tomatoes their intense flavor and unmistakable scent.

Inside the museum, vintage machinery and immersive projections, we learned that electricity didn’t reach Vlychada until 1995. We admired a poignant photo exhibit, eyed the shop, and lingered over tomato-infused cocktails in the café. Don’t miss the Bloody Mary—or better yet, the tomato-syrup gin served here. And if time allows, swim just behind the museum, where land, sea, and history meet.

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Oia, Like Nowhere Else

It may be one of the most photographed places on Earth, but that’s not the half of it. Perched on the northern tip of Santorini, this cliffside village justifies every journey, every step, every mile traveled to reach it. It’s a phenomenon that continues to draw people year-round from every corner of the globe, just to see it once in their lives.

Centuries ago, this land split in two, and what remains still stuns geologists and poets alike. Oia clings to the rim of the caldera like a dream made real—whitewashed dwellings stacked in levels above the sea, blue domes rising between bougainvillea-draped terraces, light bouncing in ways you can’t explain. Morning brings a soft, milky glow. By afternoon, everything turns molten gold. And come twilight, the view flirts with the metaphysical.

Stroll its stone-paved lanes and you’ll pass restored captain’s houses, quiet art galleries, small design boutiques, and cafés with views that don’t seem quite real. The village holds tension and harmony in equal measure—Cycladic simplicity beside high-end polish, serenity alongside spectacle. And when the sun begins its famous descent, let everything else fall away.

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Wine Tasting with a View

Santo Wines clings to the edge of the Caldera near Pyrgos Kallistis, where the gaze drifts out so far it feels like it might touch the sea. This is one of Santorini’s most striking spots for wine tasting—an experience shaped as much by the volcanic landscape and Aegean light as by the wines themselves.

In the terraced tasting area, guests can sample Assyrtiko with its dry, mineral bite or the honeyed depth of Vinsanto, both echoing the island’s ancient soil. Tours offer a closer look at the production and cellars, but many are content to sit with a glass and watch the sky burn into sunset.

Read more about Santorini’s wineries here

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Sunset at Low-Key Messaria

The sunset in the quiet inland village of Messaria may not have the fame of Oia or the Caldera rim, but its spell is quieter, deeper—and it stays with you. Here, the light fades differently. The sun slips behind the island in silence, steeping everything in an otherworldly calm.

Far from the crowds, the phones, the social media clamor, Messaria offers something harder to capture: stillness. The last light spills over white rooftops and blue-domed bell towers, turning the Cycladic palette into something almost sacred. In the paved alleys, time moves slowly, as if urging you to stop chasing and start feeling—just for a moment—the raw, unfiltered beauty of this place.