Santorini, the largest island in the Cyclades region, is widely regarded as legendary Atlantis. Perhaps this is so, because its modern appearance arose due to the terrible volcanic eruption in its destructive power, which occurred about 1500 BC. As a result, most of the former Santorini went under water, leaving only miserable debris on the surface. Due to subsequent eruptions taking place here, their outlines changed many times. As a result, Santorini (Greece) is now a ring of small islands: Thirassia, Aspro, which means “white”, Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni, respectively, “old stones” and “new stones”, and Santorini himself.
It appears to tourists as a huge steep rock rising from sapphire sea waters. All
life on the island passes on top of this rock, and at its foot there are numerous beaches and three ports: the central one - Fira, Athinios and Oia.
Get to Santorini (Greece) possible by water and by air. There is a local airport operating on the island, receiving planes from Athens, Crete, Rhodes and Mykonos. They are small in capacity, in season you need to book a place for a week or more, although the ticket price is quite high. You can fly to Athens by plane in about 40 minutes. On the ferry it will take from 5 to 8 hours, depending on which ship. From the port of Athens Piraeus there are regular and high-speed ferries, which are multi-decked (with an elevator) huge structures, on board which there are comfortable rooms with TVs, sleeping cabins, shops, bars and restaurants of the McDonald's series.
Where to stay on Santorini (Greece) can be found without difficulty. Moreover, it is not necessary to book a hotel room in advance. In the port of Fira, as a rule, there are always barkers with detailed photographs of the rooms of either a hotel, or simply rooms and entire houses. Although the place is better to book. The volcanic formation of the island causes some problems with drinking water. It’s more reasonable not to drink water from a tap, but to take mineral bottled water, which is not carbonated in Greece. Fans of soda will have to buy expensive and small-capacity bottles of soda.
The cuisine of Santorini (Greece), like on the other islands, offers a lot of meat and fish dishes, as well as shrimps, octopuses, squids, lobsters, cuttlefish, locally called "soup". Each restaurant also offers many vegetable dishes, including very tasty giantes beans and vegetables stuffed with rice without meat. Exoticism for our tourists may seem boiled “horta” grass, which grows everywhere in Greece, but costs in stores from 4 euros per kilo.
For information, about the same cost a kilogram of chicken. Lovers of olives should be prepared that in Greece they are very different from those sold here. The Greeks believe that good olives must certainly be bitter. Of alcoholic beverages, Santorini will surely offer local wine, which comes in three varieties - white, pink and red. Ouzo and crayfish, that is, grape vodka, are also very popular there. It differs from Russian in smaller degrees.
Greece has many interesting, rich in history islands. Santorini boasts its own Pompeii. The ruins, completely covered with ashes, began to be excavated at Cape Akrotiri. The city led an active life 3000 years before our era, and even then they knew how to build three-story houses and lay water pipes and sewers. Also, having arrived in Santorini, it is worth visiting two neighboring uninhabited islets - Nea and Palea Kameni. There you can admire the bizarre ledges created by the frozen lava. And the smell of sulfur will remind you that the volcano is not dead, it is just resting.
Of particular note are the island beaches. Their highlight is that each of them is bordered by a many-meter steep cliff of frozen lava. Climbing into the city from the beaches is possible via a multi-stage staircase, on a funicular and, for a nominal fee, on a donkey. With such an unusual form of transport, you will get a wonderful photo shoot. Pictures can be signed: "Greece, Santorini." Photos can not be signed, and so everything will be clear.
In the evening, an exciting nightlife begins on the island. Night bars, numerous discos open. Another spectacle that must never be missed is sunsets. This sight is even included in the excursion programs.