Orientation

Fira, Santorini’s principal town, is set against the steep caldera (volcanic cliff). Its center is at Plateia Theotokopoulou, a small square with plenty of travel agencies, banks, and cafes. To get here from the bus station, walk uphill through the taxi park and then turn right. 25 Martiou is the main road, running through the plateia and toward the town of Oia. Above the plateia is a web of small streets that connect to the Golden Street, which runs parallel to the cliff and is home to many pay-us-for-the-magnificent-view restaurants and hotels. Ethnikis Stavrou (or simply the “bar street”) can be found above the plateia and is home to some of Fira’s liveliest restaurants and nightspots. A cable car farther up the caldera connects the town with its port, which is also accessible by donkey. If descending the caldera by foot, be wary of donkey droppings on the already slippery stone steps.

Oia is an alluring town on the northern tip of the island. To get to its central plateia from the bus station, turn away from the sea and zigzag your way uphill to the right. The main street runs both ways from the plateia along the cliffs, westward toward the Ammoudi Beach and eastward toward the small village of Finikia.

Kamari, Perissa, and Perivolos are home to the island’s best black-sand beaches. Red Beach and White Beach are near Akrotiri, an ancient Minoan town preserved in ash. These towns are easily accessible by buses running from Fira. To get to the mountaintop ruins of Ancient Thira, take the bus to Kamari or Perissa.