In short
Santorini is what remains of a volcano: the crescent island is the rim of a caldera that collapsed in a major Bronze Age eruption, around 1600 BCE. The three-hundred-metre cliffs that make its reputation are the inner wall of the crater.
Fira is the capital, on the ridge. Oia, at the northern tip, is the village of blue domes in the photographs. Perissa and Kamari, on the east coast, have the black sand beaches — the opposite of the caldera, cheaper and quieter.
Arriving and getting around
The airport takes direct European flights in season. Ferries from Piraeus take five to eight hours depending on the vessel.
The island is covered by bus, adequately served between Fira, Oia and the beaches, or by scooter and quad — very numerous, and a frequent cause of accidents.
Athinios port is not the old port. Ferries dock at Athinios, to the south; the old port below Fira serves only excursion boats and cruise ships.
What it really costs
Santorini is the most expensive island in Greece. A room with a caldera view costs several times a room in Perissa, twenty minutes away by bus.
Fresh water is a scarce resource on the island, largely desalinated or imported.
When to come
May–June and September–October. Summer is scorching, shadeless and saturated.
Winter is windy and much of the trade closes.
What nobody tells you
The Oia sunset draws a considerable crowd every evening: the lanes fill an hour ahead and become hard to move through. The path between Fira and Oia, ten kilometres along the ridge, gives the same views with nobody on it — and takes three hours.
Akrotiri is a Bronze Age city buried under ash and preserved like Pompeii, far older. It is sheltered under a structure and can be visited in hot weather without difficulty. Almost nobody goes.
The mules at the old port climb the steps carrying passengers. Animal welfare organisations have documented difficult working conditions; a cable car covers the same route.
The beaches are black or red volcanic pebbles, scorching in the sun: beach shoes change the day.