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Cyclades
The eponymous port and capital, locally referred to as Chora as all the main towns on small islands seem to be, is charming with its cube-like white-washed houses and blue shutters, stone-flagged maze of lanes. The layout of the town was deliberately complex so as to confuse pirates. Another feature of the town is the pelican inhabitant(s). I don’t know if there is one or more. The original was called Petros or at least that is what you will hear if you ask anyone in
The
The town is closed to cars during most of the day, so be prepared if you arrive by car, for a walk if your accommodation is in town.
The town has plenty of restaurants, bars, clubs, cafes and shops which stay open until early in the morning. Its streets tend to heave at night during the peak visiting times although you can avoid that either by exploring at other times of day or off-peak.
A well-known area of
The island is pretty barren and treeless and has a rather remote feel. It is often quite windy and is interesting to explore on foot as you will get a feel of rural Mykonos which has nothing to do with cosmopolitan
Places of interest and what to see
The
The
The
The Archaeological Museum
The
The museum is has a wonderful collection of vases which illustrate techniques in ceramics in Ancient Greece as well as many other important finds.
The Aegean Maritime Museum
The
The whole of the
Beaches
There are some beaches on
Some of the beaches are listed below:
This beach is accessible by bus from town and a regular boat service from Plati Gialos, Elia beach is the largest of the south chain of beaches. Good restaurants, hotels and bungalows provide beach-side refreshment and accommodation with the added attraction of the island’s only water park situated just back from the beach and only minutes away. In designated sections nude bathing is allowed.
Very often subjected to a good onshore wind, north-facing Fetelia beach, unpleasant to sun bathers, is a great pleasure to wind surfing enthusiasts. Located on the north and central part of the island this beach forms the base to
Located on the southwest corner of the island and only two kilometres from town, this area has recently developed into a self-contained village. Together with an abundance of hotels and places to eat and drink there are also supermarkets, butcher, pharmacy, and bakery. Due, for the most part to the sea's sandy bottom which drops off very gently from the shore, Ornos provides the perfect family beach. Access to and from town is made easy with a frequent local bus service. A daily boat service to other beaches as well as excursions to the
On the west side of the island and facing Delos, the relatively small and picturesque beach of Agios Yannis offers white sands and a collection of small coves catering to the general public. Famous as the location for the film "Shirley Valentine", the beach has an easygoing character. Regular bus service from town provides easy access throughout the day.
You will find more information from the Greek National Tourist Organisation here: http://www.gnto.gr/
The interior of the island which is more or less treeless has one main village and some small settlements.
Ano Mera is a fairly traditional village with its main square and kafenio. A monastery dating back to the 16th century is also located here. Nearby is the 12th century Paleokstro monastery which is set on the hillside.
Antiparos
About one and half miles off the west coast of
The island has recently become more popular with people of all walks of life choosing to spend their holidays on the
It is worth visiting the famous cave which has been known since ancient times. It was known for its stalagmites and stalactites and, despite losing many to Russian soldiers between 1700 and 1774 and Italian soldiers in the Second World War, when they were cut down as souvenirs.
The Antiparians were among the first in the
Watersports, including diving, scuba diving are on offer. There are lots of beaches. Kastro is an attractive village of alleys which is pleasant to explore.
Boat trips round the island and to
The main settlement of Chora has a bars and clubs and these can get quite noisy during the high season.
The island’s diminutive size doesn’t demand car hire. The island has a bus which connects Chora to the cave. There are cars, mopeds and bicycles for rent on the island.
During the busy season, June 1st to 15th September, it is advisable to book your accommodation ahead of time.
Santorini
Santorini seems to be known all over the world judging from the diverse places from which the visitors come. It has an airport which is linked by domestic and some international carriers, a ferry port with connections to
A road links the port with Chora (most island capitals on the Aegean islands are locally known as Chora despite having another name) also known as Thera or Fira. There is also a cable-car to the top of the cliff from the port, while the capital of the island (Chora) has bus links to all the villages.
The island suffered a cataclysmic event in the mid-second millennium BC.
Santorini is actually a group of islands comprising of Nea Kameni, Palea Kameni, Aspronisi, Therasia and Thera. They are the result of the volcanic eruptions over the previous millennia.
The dramatic island is made attractive by the contrast between the stark landscape and the white-washed buildings. Some of these buildings seem to hang over the edge of the volcanic rim. There are amazing views from all over the island, while the sunsets are thought to be particularly noteworthy. Photographs of the island are abundant.
Thousands of visitors come to the island every year from all over the world. The island has a cosmopolitan atmosphere and there are many retailers and restaurants which aim at the well-heeled.
The island has some areas which have been exploited in that every available space has been exploited in order to allow people to eat and watch the sunset at the same time, but this does not mean that the whole of the island has been ruined. A large part is agricultural despite the clemancy of the climate. Tomatoes are produced on Santorini getting succor mostly from the humidity which then falls onto the soil in the evening. The vines get some extra moisture from the dew fall on their leaves which are at ground level as they are not trained to grow upwards. The porous, volcanic soil and the method of production which entails leaving the grapes to dry in the sun for about ten days until they are borderline raisins, produces the sweet dessert wine known as Vinsanto.
The lack of rainfall on Santorini has inspired its inhabitants to collect any rain-water or dew by harnessing hard flat areas that that flow down to cisterns.
Minoan excavations and history
It is thought that the residents in Minoan times had some warning that there was going to be an eruption as no skeletons of human remains have been unearthed at the site of Akrotiri which is second only to Knossos in Crete. At this date a small proportion of the town so far has been revealed. The town was an advanced settlement, having two and three storey buildings, squares and streets plus wall remains of as high as eight metres. Some finds seem to point to the export of some textiles. Some of the residences still have their stone staircases as well as frescoes and ceramic storage jars. There was also a sophisticated drainage system with running water and water closets. The water supply had two sets of pipes which appear to perhaps suggest hot and cold running water most probably supplied by geothermic springs.
What to do and see
There is now a submarine which offers visitors the chance to see more of the dramatic geological features. The submarine leaves from the
The sea is warm because of the underwater volcano. The waters are said to be beneficial to health.
Wineries
There are quite a few wineries on the island. The volcanic soil is a major factor is the quality and taste of the produce. The wineries produce Vinsanto as well as other types of wine. Three of the wineries on Santorini are at Megalohori. They are Boutaris, Antoniou and Iliopoulos.
Villages on the
Megalohori is an interesting village. It seems that the many of the houses are set down in the earth so making them seem at first glance to be disproportionate. The houses are walled so it is not always possible to appreciate them in their entirety. There are some interesting churches to visit and you will enjoy the lively traditional atmosphere and the respect the local residents have shown to their traditional which is reflected in the upkeep of the buildings.
Oia (pronounces Ia)
The
Pyrgos
Pygos is a fortified Ventetian village surrounding a castle. Cars are banned from the village and you will be able to explore on foot the maze of alleys with their tightly packed houses.
Imerovigli
The
Firostefani
The village is situated just above the main
Sports
A number of sports are available on Santorini including windsurfing, sailing, beach-volley, basketball, hiking, jet-skiing and water-skiing and sea-kayaking
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