Top 5 Things To Do Around the Santorini Caldera
1) Hike to Red Beach – Red Beach is one of the most famous and beautiful beaches in Santorini. The beach is known for its red volcanic rock and is near the ancient site of Akrotiri where the remnants of an ancient Minoan civilization were found before it was destroyed by a massive volcanic eruption 3,00 years ago. The beach is not large and many people don’t even make it to the beach, instead happily taking photos of the impressive red volcanic rock that towers above the beach and the ocean.
2) Hike Skaros – From the village of Imerovigli in the center of Santorini you can access Skaros, a large rock formation that looks more like a fort than a rock. Santorini was ruled by Venice for over 600 years and the Venetians built an impressive fort on Skaros but sadly, most of it has been destroyed. What’s left now are the remains of the fort as well as a beautiful solemn Greek Orthodox church painted in the traditional Santorini white that has an unobstructed view of Santorini caldera.
3) Walk the streets of Imerovigli – After visiting Skaros, don’t forget to wander and get lost in the village of Imerovigli. There are many hotels and resorts that dot this village, but what you’re looking to see are the sweeping views from the many narrow walkways around Imerovigli. You’ll find picture perfect homes coupled with an unobstructed view of the Santorini caldera, Thira and Oia.
4) Cliff dive off of the cliffs of Kamari Beach – South of Ancient Thira is the seaside beach resort town of Kamari on Santorini. Its about 10km south of Thira and is directly opposite from Perissa beach. There is an impressive beach, while more rocky than sandy, is still filled with crowds of people. The main attraction at Kamari Beach are the cliffs at the farthest end of the beach. At the base of the cliffs is a Greek Orthodox Church hotel, and from there, you can easily climb up the cliffs and jump off of multiple diving areas into the Aegean Sea. Don’t be surprised if you see native Greeks hanging out and diving in with you!
5) Rent a car and drive around Santorini – This is one of the most popular things to do in Santorini, even if you’ve been here a few times. While Santorini may look like a tiny island on a map, its actually several miles long and a couple miles wide at some points and with its windy, one-land roads, going from one end of the island to the other end of the island (Akrotiri to Oia) can take 1-2 hours. However, while driving around Santorini, you’ll be able to discover its true beauty and see it from many different angles as you wind your away on the cliffside roads towards the beaches, towns, and wineries of Santorini.
April 1st, 2010 at 1:39 am
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