Weekend in Santorini

You decided to visit Santorini you say? Then first and foremost you must spend a day close to the volcano. From the old port of 'Thira' there are small boats every day going to the volcano. The excursion could include hiking to the small mountain of the volcano, swimming in the hot springs that are near, a stop to "Thirasia' for regular swimming at the beach and (of course) a stop at a tavern before going back. Renting a car on the island is highly recommended, the price for a regular one could be from 30 to 80 euros a day depending on the season.

After the day of the Volcano, although it's so beautiful and you would like to visit it again, there are other attractions as well so...next in line worth visiting are the archaeological museum of Thira, which includes sculptures and statues of the Archaic and Roman periods, and the settlement of Ancient Thira which is at the mountain between the region of 'Kamari' and 'Perissa'.

A local delicacy are the 'tomatoballs' (like meatballs but made from tomatoes instead), whichever restaurant or tavern you go to make sure you order some.

A good tavern for lunch would be 'Koukoumavlos' with an excellent chef and owner of the tavern, who is considered one of  the best around Greece for his Greek dishes in surprisingly fair prices.

Then a nice restaurant for dinner would be 'Archipelagos', with a great view of the volcano (I knew you wanted to see it again even from a distance so there you go) and all the Greek dishes in 'Santorini style' from A to Z on the menu. Both of them at the region of 'Thira' which is the 'capital' of the island. For those that seek a quiet vacation I would recommend a hotel at the region of 'Imerovigli' as it is a region pricey for the youth so you won't be disturbed plus it has beautiful hills around 'made' for hiking and enjoying nature. For the youngsters the heart of the party is in the region of 'Fira' with countless bars and clubs but choose wisely and ask for the prices before entering because you could land somewhere that cocktails cost up to 15 euros!

You are in Greece so almost every beach is a good beach a couple of those worth paying extra attention are, 'kokkini paralia' (red beach) with amazing red hills from the lava of the volcano and black sand (usually a bit crowded thought) and for a more private experience 'Perivolos' that has traditional Greek taverns around (not a good choice for quality food though) and a variety of water sports available.

I got you excited about Santorini you say? And I didn't have to lie once... We shouldn't call it summer time, we should call it Santorini time!

Mary Kali

Tags: Weekend in Greece