Fira
Transport and nightlifeThe island capital on the rim, and the bus hub. Busy, with the bar street.
Santorini island guide
Things To Do In Santorini
A drowned volcano with white villages on the rim of its crater, black-sand beaches on the other side, and the most photographed sunset in Europe. Beautiful, crowded, and expensive in August.
21
Hostels in the city
9.0
Average, from 29,398 reviews
300 m
Caldera cliffs, sea to rim
~3,600
Years since the eruption
€2.20
Most bus rides
An island that is mostly a crater
Santorini is what was left after one of the largest volcanic eruptions in human history, around 3,600 years ago, blew out the middle of the island and flooded it with sea. The result is the caldera: a lagoon ringed by cliffs three hundred metres high, with Fira, Imerovigli and Oia built along the top.
The eruption buried a Bronze Age town at Akrotiri under ash, which preserved it the way Vesuvius preserved Pompeii. The volcano is still active; the islands in the middle of the caldera are its newest parts, and the island went through an intense series of earthquakes in early 2025.
The caldera side is the famous one and the expensive one. The east side slopes gently down to long black-sand beaches at Kamari and Perissa, where most of the hostels are. Three days is enough for most people; stay on the beach side and visit the rim.
Where to stay
The caldera villages are for the view; the beach villages are for sleeping on a budget. Buses link them all through Fira.
Oia
The famous viewThe postcard village at the northern tip. Beautiful, very expensive, packed at sunset.
Imerovigli
A quieter calderaThe highest point on the rim, between Fira and Oia. Views without the Oia crowds.
Perissa
Budget and beachBlack-sand beach village on the south-east coast, with most of the hostels.
Kamari
Beach, with more going onA longer black-sand beach with bars and tavernas, and Ancient Thera above it.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 12 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Santorini
Walk the caldera path from Fira to Oia. It runs about ten kilometres along the rim, through Firostefani and Imerovigli, with the crater below you the whole way, and takes three to four hours. Start early, go north, and take the bus back from Oia.
Akrotiri, the Bronze Age town buried by the eruption, is under a modern roof at the south of the island and is the most important site in the Cyclades: multi-storey houses, streets and drainage, preserved by the ash.
Take a boat into the caldera to walk on the newest volcanic island, Nea Kameni, and swim in the warm, sulphurous water off Palea Kameni. Wine is the other thing the island does well: the vines are grown in low baskets on the ground against the wind, and the white assyrtiko and the sweet vinsanto are worth a tasting at one of the wineries near Pyrgos and Megalochori.
The sunset in Oia is famous, and so are the crowds that watch it — thousands of people on the walls around the castle. Watch it from Imerovigli or Pyrgos instead, or from the caldera path.
Do not ride the donkeys up the steps from the Old Port. Take the cable car or walk.
More on things to do in Santorini
Free things
Free things to do in Santorini
The caldera path from Fira to Oia is free, and the best thing on the island. So are the views from every village along the rim.
The black-sand beaches at Kamari and Perissa are free if you skip the sunbeds, and Perivolos beyond Perissa is long and quieter.
Pyrgos, the highest village inland, has a ruined castle, lanes of whitewashed houses and a sunset view with a fraction of the Oia crowd.
The walk up Mesa Vouno from Kamari to the ruins of Ancient Thera is free as far as the site gate, and has views over both sides of the island.
State museums and sites are free on the first Sunday of the month from November to March.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Santorini
Eating on the caldera is paying for the view, often a great deal. The same food is half the price in Fira's back streets, in the inland villages and at the beach towns.
Gyros and souvlaki are the budget standby, at €4 to €6. Look for the local dishes: tomatokeftedes, fritters of the small, sweet Santorini tomatoes; fava, the yellow split-pea purée the island is known for; and white aubergine.
The tavernas in Pyrgos, Megalochori and Exo Gonia, away from the rim, are where the island's own residents eat. Perissa and Kamari have cheap beach tavernas.
The wineries do tastings with small plates and caldera views, and are better value than a caldera dinner.
Nightlife
Going out in Santorini
Santorini is for sunsets rather than clubbing. Fira has the island's bar street, busy and loud in summer with cocktail bars and a few clubs.
Kamari and Perissa have beach bars and a more relaxed night out, and the hostels in Perissa tend to have their own bars.
For serious nightlife, Ios is a short ferry ride away. On Santorini, a cocktail with a caldera view costs €15 or more; a beer at a beach bar €5 to €7.
Getting around
Getting around Santorini
KTEL buses run everything through Fira. Most routes cost €2.20, and the Perissa, Perivolos and Athinios port routes €2.70, paid on board. To go between two villages that are not Fira, change there and buy a second ticket. There is no day pass.
Buses to the airport run from Fira, and the airport is about fifteen minutes away. Ferries dock at Athinios, down a long switchback road below the cliffs. Buses meet the boats and go to Fira; there are no direct buses to the other villages.
Taxis are few, especially in summer, so book transfers ahead for early ferries or flights. ATVs and scooters are widely rented and involved in a lot of accidents.
Ferries from Piraeus take five to eight hours, and the island has direct flights from Athens and much of Europe.
Costs
What Santorini costs
Santorini is one of the most expensive islands in Greece, and in August it is one of the most expensive places in Europe. Dorms that cost €20 in May can pass €40 in August, and a caldera dinner is easily €50.
A careful day is €60 to €90 in summer. The costs that add up are caldera food and drink, boat trips, and transport to and from the port.
Stay on the beach side, in Perissa or Kamari. Eat inland. Walk the caldera path instead of paying for a sunset cruise. And come in May or October, when the island is half the price and half as busy.
Safety
Staying safe in Santorini
Santorini is safe, with low crime. Pickpocketing happens in the sunset crowds in Oia and around the Fira cable car.
The cliffs are the real hazard. Paths along the caldera have steep, unfenced drops, and Red Beach, below cliffs that shed rock, has restricted access because of rockfalls. Respect the signs.
ATVs and scooters are involved in many accidents on the island's narrow roads. Wear a helmet and check your licence and insurance.
The island is volcanically and seismically active. In the event of earthquakes, follow the instructions sent by 112 SMS. Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Santorini
The best trip from Santorini is into the caldera. The others are islands.
The caldera and volcano
Walk across Nea Kameni to the crater and swim in the warm sulphurous water off Palea Kameni.
What's on
What is on while you are there
The island's calendar is quiet compared to its crowds. Easter and the late-summer festivals are the ones to catch.
April or May
Orthodox Easter
Villages across the island
Candlelit processions, and in Pyrgos the village lights its walls with thousands of small flames on Good Friday.
15 August
15 August
Villages across the island
The Assumption, with church festivals and the island at its absolute fullest.
August and September
Megaro Gyzi Festival
Fira
Concerts and exhibitions in a seventeenth-century mansion in Fira.
Hostels
Where to stay in Santorini
Santorini's hostels are mostly in Perissa, Kamari and Fira, and book up early for summer. These are the top-rated right now, live from Hostelworld.
Stelios Place at Perissa Beach
See dates and book
Pension Stella
See dates and book
Pension George
See dates and book
Anna Pension
See dates and book
Caveland
Dorms from €17 a night
See dates and book
Anny Studios - Perissa Beach
See dates and book
Stavros Villas
See dates and book
Utopia Guesthouse
Dorms from €14 a night
See dates and book
Bedspot Hostel
Dorms from €40 a night
See dates and book
Villa Manos
See dates and book
Villa Agas
See dates and book
Fira backpackers place
Dorms from €21 a night
See dates and book
When to go
May, June, September and October are ideal. July and August are very busy, and the island mostly closes in winter.
Jan
Windy and mostly closed
Feb
Very quiet, few boats
Mar
Still quiet. Some places reopen
Apr
Easter and the season opening
May
Excellent. Warm and not yet packed
Jun
Busy, warm sea
Jul
Peak crowds. Meltemi winds
Aug
Peak prices. Book everything ahead
Sep
Superb. Warmest sea of the year
Oct
Excellent value. Season winding down
Nov
Most of the island closes
Dec
Closed and quiet
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. The Meltemi wind blows hard in July and August and can cancel boats.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Transport assumes KTEL buses. A caldera boat trip adds €30 to €60.
—
- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Santorini travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
How many days do you need in Santorini?
Three is right for most people: one for the caldera path and Oia, one for Akrotiri and the wineries, and one for the beaches or a boat trip.
Where should I stay on a budget?
Perissa or Kamari, on the black-sand beaches on the east coast. Most of the hostels are there, and buses run to Fira and on to the caldera villages.
Is Santorini expensive?
Yes, especially in July and August and on the caldera. Staying on the beach side, eating inland and visiting in May or October cut the cost a great deal.
How do the buses work?
KTEL buses run from Fira to everywhere else, at €2.20 or €2.70 a ride, paid on board. To go between two villages, change in Fira and buy another ticket.
Where is the best place to watch the sunset?
Oia is the famous one and very crowded. Imerovigli, Pyrgos and the caldera path give the same sunset with far fewer people.
Can I swim in the caldera?
Yes, off the boats that visit the volcano and at Ammoudi Bay below Oia. The beaches with sand are on the other side of the island.
Is Santorini safe after the 2025 earthquakes?
The island is open and operating normally. It is volcanically and seismically active, so if you are there during a period of activity, follow the instructions sent by the 112 emergency service.
Say yes to hostels, meet the world
Compare Santorini hostels — live prices, real reviews and free cancellation on most bookings. Then meet the people already there in the app.
Get the App.