- Ryan Pigeau
- Apr 4, 2019
- 2 min read
Santorini is located in the Aegean Sea and it's one of the many islands in a cluster known as the Cyclades Islands. It's the most visited island in Greece and many celebrities are often spotted here. Commonplace for a volcanic island, an eruption devastated this paradise way back in the 16th century and created the rough-cliffy landscape that the its two man towns (Oia and Fira) sit atop today. They are seemingly perched atop the cliffs of Santorini. The two serene cliffside towns overlooking the seas are distinguishable by their whitewashed buildings and colourful, mostly blue, rooftops.
Down below these towns are beaches made of black and red lava pebbles and the views over the ocean from either one of these places are absolutely breathtaking. Some of the world's best luxury hotels are strategically located along these cliffside villages, as the sights are so similar to those that are found on post cards. If your thing is to rent a car, you can do that... however, one of the traditional ways travellers get around and explore the island is by KTEL buses that operate throughout, so you shouldn't really have a major need for renting transportation.
The best time for me to visit Santorini would be in June or in September... the reason being; it is very crowded in July and August, so going in June or September allows one to experience the island's weather in the summer when the tourist population isn't quite at its peak. A big recommendation for active adventurers, and something I could see myself taking part in is the hike between Fira and Oia. It's only a 9km (3 hours) and it has been called "the most scenic walk in Santorini..." awesome for the photo album.
Santorini cherry tomatoes are possibly the most famous local product of the island. Described as a unique type of cherry tomato with a hard skin and a juicy body, they tend to have distinct aromas thanks to the volcanic soil around the island that they grow in. I love cherry tomatoes and the way this unique style has been described truly makes me salivate. A couple other "must-try's" regarding foods in Santorini are melitzanoslata - a paste made from rare white eggplants found here and also melitinia which is a stuffed-pastry dessert only made on the island.
Before leaving this paradise, I plan on seeing a movie at the open-air cinema in Kamari Village. It's considered one of the best open-air cinemas in the world, and the entire setup is possible thanks to the amazing weather in Santorini. For the archaeologist in you, a traveller can visit Akrotiri - ruins from the ancient city which was buried by a volcanic eruption ages ago.