Akrotiri is a small village located at the southwestern end of Thira in Santorini. Akrotiri is not a developed tourist destination so don’t expect the sort of facilities you’d have in Fira or Oia. What it does have is a Cycladic charm about it, with the usual narrow streets.
Ammoudi is a very small but charming port on the caldera below Oia, 214 steps below Oia to be exact, at the northern end of the main island of Santorini. There’s a handful of restaurants, a couple of places to stay and some bars, all set in spectacular scenery.
Athinios is actually the main port of Santorini, this is where the cruise ships land and the ferries for the other Greek islands are based as well. Around the harbour you’ll find a ton of car rental shops and tourist desks to book excursions or other activities.
Emporio, also known as Nimborios is a traditional Cycladic village that’s inland towards the south of Thira island just west of Perissa. It lies at the base of Mount Prophet Elias and is the largest settlement in Santorini with close to 2000 permanent residents.
Finikia is set among vineyards on the hills just west of Oia. It has typical Cycladic houses with whitewash walls and blue windows as well as some houses painted in other pastel shades making it a lovely place for a wander through the narrow cobbled streets.
Fira is the capital of Santorini, it’s a beautiful town that looks like it’s grown out of the hillside with whitewashed and pastel coloured houses, upmarket hotels and restaurants offering stunning views out across the caldera and loads of nightlife options.
Firostefani is located just north of the capital Fira and offers similar spectacular views out over the Caldera. Nightlife in Firostefani is good, there’s a load of restaurants with several types of food from traditional Greek to barbecue, Italian and even Sushi.
Imerovigli is a small traditional village that lies at the highest point of the caldera, it has amazing views and traditional narrow cobbled streets, there’s plenty of bars, restaurants and shops to keep you busy, plus it’s only 2km from the buzzing nightlife of Fira.
Kamari is a beach resort on the east coast of Santorini and it’s arguably the best beach on the island. The village itself has loads of restaurants and a large portion of those are down by the sea front so you’ll get to soak in the views whilst enjoying your meal.
Karterados is a traditional village, slightly inland to the east of Fira, it’s made up of one main street that runs through the centre of the village and other narrow streets with traditional Cycladic buildings as well as cave houses built into the rocks.
Megalochori is another traditional village set on the hillside, it has a central square with restaurants and tavernas. Cobbled streets winding off from the square lead to houses with high walls and hidden courtyards. It’s a charming village that you’ll love exploring.
Mesa Gonia is a small and quiet village, It was largely abandoned after the 1956 earthquake but has seen people move back in recent years. Since then the houses have been restored and repainted and it’s now a beautiful place for a walk round.
There’s almost two sections to Messaria, there’s a selection of hotels a gym and a supermarket out on the cliff edge and the village centre is a few hundred metres to the east. Messaria is just beginning to become touristy with all the new hotels by the coast.
Monolithos is a quiet region with a collection of hotels around the beach and harbour on the east coast of Santorini just by the northern end of the airport. It gets it’s name from the large rock (Monolith in Greek) where the church of Agios Ioannis stands.
Oia is the second most popular resort on the island behind Fira. It’s a beautiful village perched on top of the caldera with amazing views. It’s a romantic little village and very popular with couples and honeymooners, it also hosts many weddings every year.
Perissa is an attractive village with whitewashed houses and volcanic scenery. It was mostly built in the sixties and some say it lacks the authentic Greek charm of other villages but it makes up for that with its relaxed sea side nightlife.
Perivolos isn’t a working Greek town or an old settlement that’s turned into a tourist resort, it’s simply a collection of hotels and tavernas around Perivolos beach. There’s loads of tavernas, some of which stay open late with cocktails, music and dancing.
Pyrgos is a fairly compact and traditional Cycladic village with small winding streets and the usual white and blue houses. There’s a good selection of hotels as well as restaurants and tavernas both on the main street and dotted around the town too.
Vothonas is a great place to visit, simply because of the unusual architecture of the buildings here. The village is built into the rock with many of the houses being part cave, part house which is certainly interesting and unusual.
