Santorini in Greece, How is it as a tourist Destination? What are its main attractions?

Welcome to Santorini, the dream destination for couples all round the world, the Greek Island with the most romantic destinations.

Santorini is located near the islands of Mykonos and Naxos & is the perfect gateway for you and your partner.  It is an ideal location for honeymooners to enjoy.

Perched atop the hill, all its villages have the most wonderful & stunning view of the sea & the surroundings and as such is the most ideal location for photography lovers.

Fira – This capital city of Santorini is a vibrant and busy town with ‘donkeys’ as its specialty.  It has the famous Archeological museum of Santorini with its excavated exhibits of the Akrotiri site.  Fira also has the folklore museum with its folk and creative art exhibits.  Along with these, Fira has a number of churches and monasteries with their vibrant blue domes.  The town of Fira is a shopping paradise with its markets full of local products like honey, herbs and spices.  Purchasing the Gold and Silver jewellery are a must for every tourist with the ethnic styles of craftsmanship and delicately molded designs.  The village of Firostefani, close to Fira is also recommended for a look-in.

Oia – This village in Santorini is famous for its sunset views.  They are truly breathtaking.  Oia is known for its picturistique layout with the whitewashed houses, its cave houses & its churches along with an uninterrupted view of the large ocean.  Just laze out in your hotel or villa terrace and see this magnificent picture unfold before your eyes.  Oia has some very good luxurious hotels & spas where you can enjoy a luxurious stay along with a majestical view of the sea. Also available are the cave houses of Oia and the specialty of Captains houses.

Below the village of Oia lies the Ammoudi harbour with its clear water and sandy beach which gives out a clear indication for the tourists to join in the water activities.  Along with Ammoudi, the other beaches of the area include Armenaki & Armeni beaches.

Special mention should be made for the fish lovers.  Ammoudi is, in fact, been rated as the best fish restaurants village of Santorini.

For that perfectly romantic gateway watch the sunsets of Oia and take a cruise at sunset in a chartered boat, or just stroll through the small streets of Oia village with the romantic surroundings and then dine at the various restaurants available, or else just gaze out of your hotel room for a look at the caldera.

Imerovigli – This pretty town lies between Fira and Oia and has some very magnificent views of the ocean and volcanic islets of Nea Kameni and Thirassia.  Also, in Imerovigli, is found the giant rock ‘Skaros’ which has the ruined Venetian castle.  The church of Agios Ioannis is another site worth visiting.  The Wineries of Imerovigli can be visited for tasting some really good wines.  Nearby is the site of Akrotiri – It is the Archeological site of the Minoan settlement dating back to the Neolithic ages.

Emporio – The village of Emporio is the largest on Santorini Island.  It is famous for its various historical and archeological monuments such as the sacred site of Pagan goddesses of the 3^rd century B.C., the old windmills and the ruins of an old castle. 

Emporio has been a traders market for a long time and one can shop for the local herbs and artifacts from these markets.

Another site to see in Emporio is the church of Agios Nikolaos Marmaritis, which was built in the 3^rd century B.C.  Don’t forget to roam through the narrow streets of Emporio with the white-washed cobblestone pathways and houses.  It is a treat to walk through these streets and watch the various activities that follow. 

Kamari – This is another resort along with Perissa on the other side of the mountain of Mesa Vouna.  It offers various water activities like wind surfing and water skiing.  With the backdrop of the Mesa Vouna Mountain, this beach is one which cannot be missed to visit.  The sights worth visiting here are the wineries that are available for wine testing as well as the church of Panagia Mirtidiotissa.  The ruins of Ancient Thira offer great experience for an outdoor excursion through the mountains.

Perissa – It is Santorini’s holiday resort with black sandy beaches, the sand being from the volcanic sites nearby.  This beach is near the mountain of Mesas Vouno which makes it an even more attractive sight.  The other attractions of Perissa include the Church of Timios Stavros and the Mineral and Fossil Museum.  For an excursion, go to the top of the mountain of Mesa Vouna, where the ruins of buildings and theaters of the Trojan war and Achilles are still present.

Perissa has a number of resorts and hotels with facilities and rates to suit your budgets and the restaurants of Perissa serve some very good traditional Greek food, mainly fish recipes.

Thus, all in all, Santorini Island is one of the most fascinating and beautiful island of Greece along with Mykonos and at times tourist prefer this to Mykonos also.