Santorini is perhaps the most beautiful scar on the face of the Aegean Sea. Formerly a single island   Herodotus christened it Strongyle meaning the round one.  It was also Kalliste (the Fairest One) and eventually renamed Thera, after its leader Theras.

Santorini is essentially the remnant of a one of the largest and most violent volcanic eruptions on Earth in the last few thousand years.  The cataclysmic event, which took in 1600 B.C., is thought to have caused the collapse of Minoan civilization at the peak of its glory. When the fury died down and the smoke cleared, it left behind the shards of islands known today as Nea Kameni, Palea Kameni, Aspronisi, Thirasia and Thira.

Its history reaches back 4,000 years yet Santorini will be forever identified with that singular event. But this is not a place of gloom. On the contrary, Santorini is one of the hottest spots on the world’s holiday get away map celebrated for its beguiling scenery, magical sunsets, and dramatic beaches.

The most famous beach in Santorini is Red Beach. Located southwest of Firostefani (Fira) the island’s capital, it is known for the beautiful red and black volcanic rocks that forms a bold backdrop of cliffs. The sand itself is reddish black and can be unbearably hot under the strong Mediterranean sun. Beach loungers and shades provide a refuge away from the clear water.

Kamari, another popular beach in Santorini, is a 5-mile long stretch of black volcanic sand and pebbles juxtaposed along vividly blue waters. Various hotels are also located along the beach for people who do not want to be more than a minute away from the sea. Taverns and cafes along Kamari beach offer a refreshing break from its throngs of crowd.

Another favorite beach in Santorini is Perissa. Perissa, like Kamari is located southeast of Fira. But the accommodations, restaurants, taverns, café and bars there are less expensive. Its campsite makes it highly popular with backpackers travelling on a smaller holiday budget. Other than that, its crystal blue water, grey sand and pumice are like any other beach in Santorini.

Those who prefer to stay off the beaten tourist paths will find Cape Columbo the ideal beach in Santorini.  It one of the most isolated beaches there and remains an exclusive retreat year round.  It has a long strip of dark sand with the sea on one edge and sharp rising cliff on the other.  Aside from a Taverna between the two entrances to the beach, the nearest accommodations and other small taverns are in Finikia, a small inland traditional village a few kilometers away.

Some claim Santorini is the mythical Atlantis. It is really more like the Phoenix, rising from its ashes and springing passionately back to life.

Akrotiri is one of the most fascinating and wondrous sites rimming the island and crater of Santorini. So what is so fascinating about Akrotiri? Akrotiri was an ancient, flourishing town on Santorini that was abandoned before the massive explosion in 1450 BC that destroyed the towns and civilizations on ancient Santorini. Dubbed the “Minoan Pompeii,” the size of the ancient town is only partially known as more than 90% of the ruins have yet to be excavated.

The island of Santorini and the settlement of Akrotiri were started around 3000 BC and the civilization, which was an outpost of the ancient Minoan civilization flourished until the volcanic eruption that destroyed all of the settlements on the island.  During the excavations on Akrotiri, researchers have found no human remains, meaning that residents had ample time and warning to evacuate the island before the devastating eruption in 1450 BC.

It wasn’t until 1860, when workers quarrying for ash to use in the Suez Canal found the initial remnants of the civilization that once flourished in the ancient Santorini caldera. With the excavations done so far, they’ve provided a glimpse into the ancient urban life of this advanced Minoan civilization. The buildings and art show a remarkably high level of culture, demonstrated by beautiful colorful frescoes.  Of the 40 buildings excavated so far, scientists believe there are hundreds more than still need to be excavated.

Of the all the frescoes disovered, the most famous is the fisherman frescoe, which depicts a fisherman with the day’s catch. You will see this frescoe all over the shops of the Santorini caldera, notably on postcards and towels bearing this beautiful frescoe.

While most of the frescoes have been sent off to the National Museum in Athens, some frescoes remain at the Museum of Prehistoric Thira which is located adjacent next to the excavation site.

While the ancient site in Akrotiri on the Santorini Caldera was a popular tourist destination, it was closed in 2005 when a tourist was killed when the roof that was designed to protect the excavations. To this day, the excavations still haven’t opened and it looks like it won’t open until 2010 at the earliest.

You start the hike from Imerovigli – you can take the Santorini bus or park your car in the parking lots near the main road. From the walking paths of Imerovigli, the hike is about 0.64 kilometers to the church on Skaros. You can hike it in about 30 minutes. Sneakers or good hiking shoes are a must as the path is bare rock at some points and once on the rock you can further climb other crevices for more unobstructed views. This isn’t an easy hike but its not challenging either – the big challenge is the huge number of stairs you’ll need to climb up Skaros – 300 stairs.

The beginning of the hike has you climbing up and down hundreds of stairs. While its not too steep, beware of the loose rocks and steps that can surprise you.

Looking down towards the azure waters of the Aegean Sea. This is a several hundred foot drop from Skaros, but don’t worry, you won’t fall down the path – just make sure you don’t hike this drunk.

A view of the stairs leading down to Skaros rock from the walkway paths of Imerovigli. Bring a bottle of water, comfortable shoes, a hat and sunblock as there isn’t any room for cover if you want to take a break from the hike until you get to the church.

After a few last steps, you’ve reached the top of Skaros and from here you can see the remains of the Venetian fortress and Santorini administrative buildings that destroyed during massive earthquakes in the 1950s in Santorini. From this view, you’re looking at the roadway to Oia.

You’re coming to Skaros for views you can’t see from the Santorini caldera rim, such as this view of how dramatic the construction is on the caldera Santorini in Imerovigli.

Theoskepasti Church on Skaros. You’ve reached one of the most magnificent views that can be seen from anywhere on Santorini’s caldera.

The breathtaking sunset in Oia

Oia (pronounced I-a) is a small town on the northern edge of the island of Santorini, at the top of the crescent of the half-moon shaped caldera. The area only has about 1,200 permanent residents who are outnumbered on a daily basis by the crush of tourists that pour into Oia during the holiday season to catch its breathtaking, world-famous Aegean Sea sunset.

Oia’s scenic location on the northern edge of Santorini’s caldera and facing Therasia includes many preserved, pictureresque homes painted in the traditional whitewash style the Cyclades are famous for. There are also several Venetian houses with small incave village homes where the rest of the town’s population resides.

Among the sites on Santorini’s caldera, Oia is one of the premier attractions on the island. The world-famous Oia sunset, considered by many visitors to be the most spectacular in the world, inundates the village on a daily basis with flocks of tourists waiting for the moment when the sun begins to set below the horizon. Many tourists camp on the Oia town steps, the churches, the restaurants and fortifications  – practically taking every available open space – to watch the moment when the sun goes below the horizon and sets the sky ablaze in spectacular colors of reds, oranges and yellows, lighting up the Santorini caldera for all to see.

Unlike Thira (Fira), which has become heavily commercialized, Oia town retains a very small-town/village flavor with a nice mix of small, independent shops, art galleries, selling crafts, jewelry and other items only found on this part of Santorini. If you’re looking to get away from the bustle and noise of Thira, Oia is where you should stay as it is even though its only a few kilometers away from Thira, the quiet shop lined streets make you feel like you’re on a different island and not on the Santorini Caldera.

Within Oia are a few landmarks such as the very large Platani Church near the Central Square. From Oia, you can also walk down to Armeni Bay to the fishing port dock located at the bottom of the Santorini caldera – some say this is one of the longest continuously running ports in the world (over 3,000 years and running).  Beware as the footpath down to the port can become overcrowded with tourists especially during the sunset hours.

One of the most popular spots to watch the Oia Sunset is by the Kastro walls. While in Oia, don’t forget to photograph the views that Oia is world famous far, including the white and blue churches and houses contrasting against a fiery orange sun and azure Aegean Sea of the Santorini Caldera.

A beautiful shot of the Santorini caldera sunset from Imerovigli.

Imerovigli is one of the towns ringing the caldera of Santorini, perched nearly 1,000 feet above the azure blue waters of the Aegean Sea. Imerovigli is actually not a town itself, but a neighborhood of the town of Thira (Fira) a couple of kilometers to the south. While Thira extends inland and away from the rim of the Santorini caldera, Imerovigli’s residents are almost all entirely at the rim of the caldera.

The town of Imerovigli is famous for its beautiful unobstructed sunset views. Imerovigli sits positioned at the highest point of the caldera as well as in the center of the caldera, providing a powerful visual wall of scenery.

During my stay in Imerovigli, we watched the sunset from the balcony of the Tholos Resort and avoiding the crowds that gather in Oia to watch the sunset there. The sunsets were just as striking and beautiful and you can do it comfortably reclined in your balcony with the howling of the Aegean wind the only other sound. In fact, Imerovigli’s nickname is the “Balcony of the Aegean” as practically every resident has a balcony directly facing the Santorini caldera.

Imerovigli on the Santorini caldera has many churches designed in the Cycladic white architectural style. Two notable churches in Imerovigli are the church of Ai-Stratis in the town center and the Monastery of Saint Nikoloas between Imerovigli and Thira on the main road connecting the towns. On Skaros, the rock outcropping in front of Imerovigli is another church, the Chapel of Panagia Theoskepasti, with an impressive view of the caldera, Oia, Thira and Akrotiri on all sides.

Imerovigli used to be completely located on Skaros until an earthquake in 1956 totally destroyed Imerovigli leaving many of the houses on the caldera abandoned. Skaros was previously home to the capital of Santorini and was the first fortification built on the island. Repeated earthquakes over the centuries have destroyed the administrative offices as well as the fortifications built to protect Santorini from marauding medieval pirates.

However, in the early 1970s, tourists rediscovered the “Balcony of the Aegean” and reconstruction of new hotels and resorts continue to this day in Imerovigli. However, Imerovigli still retains its reputation as a luxurious yet quiet village and one of the best spots on Santorini for your stay.

In Imerovigli, there are a couple small supermarkets, a car/buggy/motorcycle rental center, small traditional Greek restaurants and a couple beer gardens. The Santorini main bus line stops in Imerovigli and can take you either to Oia in the north or Thira to the south.

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.

A breathtaking view of the Santorini Caldera from the town of Imerovigli.

The Santorini caldera (caldera is Spanish for cauldron) is a massive depression created in the middle of the Aegean Sea after a destructive volcanic eruption destroyed the island and created the huge caldera that was eventually filled in with seawater. The caldera, stretching from Oia to Akrotiri stretches 7 miles in diameter. The Santorini caldera, along with the Grand Canyon, are probably two of the most awe-inspiring sites you will see in this world.

After scientists found an advanced civilization on present-day Santorini, many speculated that Santorini was the long lost city of Atlantis. The reason being that Plato was a Greek historian and Santorini is located in present-day Greece and he described a large circular island, similar to the present day Santorini caldera. In addition, in present day Akrotiri, the remnants found of a flourishing maritime civilization that suddenly disappeared.

The rocky cliffs rising around the Caldera Santorini rise for several hundred feet, sometimes almost perfectly vertical until it reaches one of the many hotels and homes perched along the caldera’s edge. The cliffs around the caldera that Santorini is currently on actually extends down several feet into the water, making some parts of the island more than 1,000 feet of land, with 500 feet below the water and 500 feet above the water. The deep Santorini harbor allows the daily parade of cruise ships, yachts and the occasional military frigate to drop anchor and enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the caldera from the sea.

The view of the Santorini caldera from the sea is almost as good as looking down and around the caldera from a spot on Imerovigli or Oia. However, from the sea view, you can clearly see the different layers of sediment that make up the Santorini caldera – red layers, white, brown, black, yellow – all sandwiched on top of each other and each capturing a specific moment in time for Santorini. The red striations are most prominent above Thira (or Fira).

From the caldera harbor, you can take a taxi from the main port at Fira to your hotel. The trip up the wall of the caldera involves several winding switchbacks that gradually increase until you are several hundred feet above the harbor. Alternatively, you can also take a donkey up a similar winding road, where you wind up at the town center of Thira.

Today, the Santorini Caldera is one of the most unique geological features in the world and may also be one of the most beautiful sites on planet earth.

However, one day, a massive explosion at the center of Santorini destoryed the entire city and leaving a caldera that eventually filled in with ocean water soon after the explosion. In an instant, the powerful and influential Santorini culture was destroyed and covered under meters of thick volcanic ash. It wasn’t until a few decades ago that the Santorini caldera culture was rediscovered.

Today, the caldera of Santorini provides breath taking views, stretching from Oia, Fira, Imerovigli, and Akrotini. There are dozens of hotels that line the caldera, providing once in a lifetime views that cannot be seen anywhere else. In Imerovigli, the Tholos Resort sits at the edge of the caldera, in front of the remnants of an ancient Venetian fort and provides sweeping 230 degree views of the caldera stretching from Oia to Akrotini and providing a spectacular vantage point to catch Santorini’s famed sunsets.

Oia is the famous village at the norther tip of Santorini as well as the northern edge of the caldera where ships who have entered Santorini’s inlet typically exit. Oia, or Oia town is a short drive from Fira and Imerovigli and every night, hundreds of tourists gather in the late afternoon to position themselves for the Oia sunset which provides an unobstructed view of the sun setting below the Santorini horizon. You’ll be surrounded by couples honeymooning, seniors vacationing, and photographers photographing a site taken straight out of a movie. Within Oia are many restaurants which also sit on the caldera within the famed whitewash buildings that Santorini is also famous for.

Wherever you go in Santorini, one thing is unavoidable – the caldera. And its certainly a site that you’ll want to keep seeing in Santorini over and over again.