12 Best things to see & do in Santorini

Santorini’s signature experience: sailing, swimming and lunching on luxury catamarans amid stunning volcanic scenery.

Arguably the most memorable hike in the Aegean, this easy 6-mile trek on the rim of the Santorini caldera offers precipitous views and mesmerising landscapes.

Sail the beautiful flooded caldera, climb the sizzling crater and cool off in sulphurous springs.

Sample Santorini’s most famous export at source: the distinctive wines produced from the volcanic terroir.

Watch the sunset at Oia and marvel at the changing colours of the rocky cliffs as the sun dips below the horizon.

A long, sandy and uncrowded beach on the island’s east coast. Go for authentic fish tavernas and a back-drop of spectacular volcanic rock formations.

A perfectly preserved ancient Minoan settlement, buried beneath volcanic ash 3,500 years ago. It offers a unique insight into an ancient civilisation, which some speculate could be the lost city of Atlantis.

The black beaches of Santorini’s east coast, made up of volcanic gravel, are one of the island’s big attractions and Kamari is a resort for those who want the full sun, sea, and sand summer experience.

The Chapel of Theoskepasti, suspended between sea and sky in a nook on Skaros rock, is a spectacular spot to watch the sunset. Enjoy with a bottle of chilled Assyrtiko.

A small archaeological museum stuffed with frescoes and figurines from Bronze Age Akrotiri. Furniture and figurines, tools and weapons, seals and ceramic vessels all reveal aspects of how the inhabitants lived thousands of years ago.

This small but interesting museum outside Kamari offers great insights regarding Santorini’s unique viniculture: and 400 years if wine-making history. You can sample the winery’s offerings, too. Here the vines are twisted into crown-shaped baskets so the grapes are protected from harsh winter winds.

Antiquarian bookshop in Oia with many rare first editions some on sale for over £1,000, attracting clients from all over the world. Just walking through the doors feels like visiting a museum of books.