Santorini, Greece

Why Visit Santorini Island, Greece

Beautifully set in the Aegean Sea, this gorgeous Greek island is among the most famous ones on our planet. The petite cliffy island has once witnessed an enormous volcanic eruption after which the Santorini volcano sunk underwater, this explains the caldera's unusual moon shape, and the island stands in the volcano's "ghost shadow" to this day.

Taking up a territory of as little as 90 sq. km (35 sq.m), the destination that officially carries the name of Thira is home to several charming towns. One of the most popular Santorini cities is Fira, set up high in the cliffs, it opens jaw-dropping views of the surrounding smaller islands and beautiful boats.

Santorini's Oia is one more often visited location, this fabulous town is among the highlights of Santorini tours as it is here that you can find the well-recognized signature panoramas of the glorious white-walled buildings and windmills as well as blue-domed churches, all standing in a staircase-like manner on the dark cliffs against the blues of the water. The maze-like narrow streets remind pathways with many tiny stairs, winding around the lovely buildings and inviting for an exploration. It's fair to say that here beautiful vistas await just around any corner, without a doubt, this UNESCO-listed World Heritage town is for sure a Santorini must do!

Interestingly, most of the buildings seen on the cliff sides of Santorini, Greece have been fully or partially carved out of the cliffs, reminiscent of those found in cave towns. And since Santorini weather, especially in the summer, boasts very hot temperatures, it was twice as challenging to haul rocks and building materials from the shores up to the abrupt precipitous cliffs, thus, the locals turned to their donkeys for help. Although today Santorini donkeys mostly transport tourists, their historical role in the building of the towns of the island was immense, so immense that each of them has an official passport, issued by the Greek government, and a retirement pension, paid out to the animal's owner for its keeping and wellbeing after the animal “retires”. Shockingly, there are more donkeys on the island than there are people, a similar thing can be said about the number of local churches when compared to the overall number of buildings.

Moreover, any Santorini itinerary usually includes leisurely time spent bathing in the waters. Actually, the Santorini black sand beach is one of the unique spots worth a visit. Featuring sand of volcanic ash origin, it is among the most unusual Santorini beaches out there.