Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GETTING AROUND
By bus
Buses leave Firá from just south of Theotokopoúlou
Square to Períssa, Perívolos, Kamári, Monólithos (via the
airport), Akrotíri, Órmos Athiniós and Vliháda. For the
timetable consult
W
ktel-santorini.gr.
By taxi
The island's taxi base (
T
22860 22555) is near the
Firá bus station, within steps of the main square. There are
fewer than forty in the whole island, so make sure you have
your onward transport arranged well in advance.
By car and motorcycle
If you want to see the whole
island in a couple of days, a rented motorbike or car will be
essential. There are many rental places all over the island
and your hotel or any travel agent can arrange it for you.
Nomikos Travel (
T
22860 24940,
W
nomikostravel.gr)
opposite the OTE building in Firá is a good, reliable agency.
Day-trips
The glass-bottom
Calypso
(
T
22860 22958,
W
dakoutrostravel.gr) makes an excursion to the islands of
the archipelago daily at 10.45am (€28) and hovers over the
volcanic reefs at the end of each journey to allow
passengers a peek into the dark depths of Santoríni's
flooded crater. Ancient Thira Tours (
T
22860 32474; €8; 2hr
stopping time at site) also operate guided tours of the ruins
of Ancient Thíra from Kamári (p.439).
6
Firá and around
Half-rebuilt after a devastating earthquake in 1956,
FIRÁ
(also known as Hóra) clings
precariously to the edge of the enormous caldera. The rising and setting of the sun are
especially beautiful when seen here against the Cycladic buildings lining the clifftop,
and are even enough to make battling through the high-season crowds worthwhile.
Although Firá's
restaurants
are primarily aimed at the tourist market, the food can be
very good; views of the crater add considerably to the price. Similarly accommodation
isn't cheap and rooms facing the caldera tend to be particularly expensive.
Using a spectacular two-hour footpath along the lip of the caldera you reach the
village of
Imerovígli
and further to the north
Firostefáni
, both of which have equally
stunning views and prices. The only alternative location, where you don't have to pay
as much for the view, is
Karterádhos
, a small village about twenty minutes' walk
southeast of Firá.
Museum of Prehistoric Thira
Tues-Sun 8.30am-8pm • €3
Between the cathedral and bus station in Firá, the
Museum of Prehistoric Thira
has
informative displays of fossils, Cycladic art and astonishing finds from submerged
Akrotíri (see p.441) that include plaster casts of prehistoric furniture such as tables,
lamps and a portable oven.
The Archeological Museum
Tues-Sun 8.30am-3pm • €3
he
Archeological Museum
, near the cable car to the north of town, is well
presented, and has a collection from the later Homeric Classical and Hellenistic
eras, much of which came from the excavations of Ancient Thira. The highlight is a
mourning woman from the seventh century BC whose coloration has been
remarkably preserved.
Mégaro Ghýzi
May-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-4pm • €3
he handsome
Mégaro Ghýzi
, just north of the Archeological Museum in an old
mansion owned by the Catholic diocese of Santoríni, has been restored as a cultural
centre, and has a good collection of old prints and maps as well as photographs of the
town before and after the 1956 earthquake.
Santo Zeum
April-Oct daily 9am-8pm • €5
Santo Zeum
is the latest stunner in the Santoríni cultural milieu. Operating only since
July 2011, this is a one-trick museum - but what a trick it is: it contains photographic
