A long walk in the caldera is essential for the visitor to get the essence of all aspects of Santorini’s beauties. The capital of Santorini, Fira is built in an impressive location on the top of the abrupt rocks, in a 260m height structured according to the traditional architecture of Cyclades islands. Long walks on the city pay off any visitor with its graphic neighbourhoods, the traditional excavated dwellings, churches with blue cupolas, characterize this charming capital. Approaching Oia, one of the most famous summer resorts you will be fascinated by the incredible beauty that lies before your eyes which makes it the first settlement in Greece considered conserved, where you can also take a donkey ride, being the only mean of transportation through its narrow cobblestone pavements. Oia’s name is connected with sunset where every afternoon, when the horizon is painted with the colours of fire, crowds of people “hang” in caldera to see this unique and romantic spectacle. At the highest spot of the capital is Firostefani, the last and most graphic settlement of the city, while on the top of the caldera between Fira and Oia is Imerovigli where you will see the remains of the Enetic castle “Skaros”. Below the castle, a long flight of steps leads down to the pebble beach ofAmmoudi,with excellent fish taverns right where the waves go off.Throughout caldera’s paths will find some of the most luxurious Greek hotels, a lot of shops, coffeehouses and restaurants to remind you that you are in the most cosmopolitan island of Cyclades.

Although romantic walks on the cosmopolitan caldera could last forever, the exploration of the rest of the island surely pays off. During an island tour, the visitor gets a glance on the less touristic side of the island. Numerous large vineyards flourishing on the volcanic ash or even the smaller local’s fields of tomatoes or fava beans overlooked by fancy scarecrows is a proof of the island’s diversity. At the south end of the island, is the handsome old village of Emborio. The town was fortified in the 17th century, and you can see its towers, a graceful marble statue of the muse Polyhymnia in the cemetery, and modern-day homes built into the ruins of the citadel.

Pirgos,a village on a steep hill just above the island’s port at Athinios, is a maze of narrow pathways, steps, chapels, and squares. Near the summit of the village is the crumbling Venetian castle, with sweeping views over the island.