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Destination

A Complete Guide to the Hidden Treasures and Things to Do in Santorini

30 Jan 2024

Europe is very close to the heart of most Americans as most of them trace their ancestry back to one European country or another. Americans travel in vast numbers to this continent across the Atlantic Ocean as tourists. There are other reasons to fly, like business deals and studies, but their numbers are way small when compared to those who come here for pleasure on a short trip. You will have the option of traveling to the capitals of Western Europe or areas with mountains or beaches. You may have wanted to travel to Greece having seen numerous Hollywood movies about the country. Here we recommend Santorini, a small Greek Island, which is popular with the who’s who of the world.

A view in the past

This group of islands is called Thira by the locals and is very different from what it looked like a few millenniums ago. It was a large circular island before a volcanic eruption in the center of it, which created a crater that got filled with water, so now a few large islands and small islets is what is left of it. You will be sure about this once you get to the beaches here, and see those with differently colored sands. If you want to confirm what we have told you, there is a museum about the history of the islands in the capital of these islands, Fira.

Summer is the right season

This group of islands has an airport that they share, which wakes up in the summer months with regular flights from all over Western Europe. These are mostly seasonal flights, as these are the only months when the tourists wish to come here. In other seasons, most of the flights are from Athens only. So, if you want a cheap holiday to these islands, you can come here at May end or August end when there won’t be any large crowds and the accommodation will be cheap. However, you will have to get to Athens first and catch the connecting flights. You can even catch a ferry to get here, if you have enough time and you will be adding another dimension to your holidays.

Sunset watching

There is a small village of Oia at the northern end of this island which is ideal for sunset watching. If you have accommodation in any other part of the island, there is nothing to worry about with regular bus services and you can even book a cab to get here unless you have a lot of time then you can even walk to this village one way and take a ride back when you are tired in the evening. If you are a little early there is a small church that the locals attend, for you to visit. 

Did it really happen?

This group of islands has it all, whether it is architecture that interests you or archaeology. Most buildings here are whitewashed on the outsides and the insides. There are some hills that will have several villas on them and some of them offer a very good view of the Aegean Sea. If mountain hiking interests you, you will have a different kind of path to walk on, as you go up the hills between these villas. It is a common belief that people lived here before the volcano erupted and there are archaeological remains as proof of this.

Taste like a local

This island also produces wine, so you can have a few wine-tasting sessions when you come for holidays here. The cuisine here is very much Greek with slight variations. The items that you will get to try will be cooked from local produce, including seafood. You may want to grow the local cherry tomatoes in your garden, and you will be able to get the seeds of this unless you want to take a few kilograms of these with you. The local cheese is also very rare, available only in these islands.

Afterthoughts

Now it is the beaches and the sunshine that you have come here for. You will be joining the large crowds in the summer here unless you come in the spring or autumn season, if not in winter to have a quieter holiday. You can even ride boats to travel around the edges of these islands and there are some larger boats on which meals with beverages are served. As the island got popular tourists began coming here from all parts of the world, and this made locals learn English to communicate with them, unless you speak Greek, which will be an advantage for you and the hosts.

By FlightsChannel Team
Category
Featured Blog
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