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Santorini
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Santorini is
located about 200 km south-east from mainland Greece and is a group of
circular volcanic islands in the Aegean Sea. Another name the islands
are known by is Thera, which is the name of the largest island
in the archipelago. It is the southernmost island of the Cyclades and
it comprises an area of about 73 square kilometers. In 2001 the population
of Santorini was estimated at about 13,600.
The Venetians gave the island its name (Santorini) in the 13th century,
as a reference to Saint Irene. Before that is was referred as Kallisti,
Strongili or Thera.
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In 1912 Santorini was annexed to Greece. The major cities in the area
are: Fira (the capital), Oia, Therasia, Emporio, Kamari, Imerovigli and
Pyrgos. Akrotiri is a major archeological site that preserves the ruins
of the Minoan civilization on Santorini.
How to get to Santorini
 You can get to Santorini by air (by airoplane) from Athens, Crete,
Rhodes, Mykonos and most of the cities in Europe. Olympic Airways and
Aegean Cronus Airlines operate daily from Athens International Airport (Spata) to Santorini and the flight is about 45 minutes long, costing
about 100 € one
way. During the summer there are flights from Thessaloniki to Santorini.
A bus service connects Fira to the airport at Monolithos while a taxi
ride from the airport to Fira costs about 8 €.
You can also get
to Santorini by ferry from Piraeus Port (near Athens). There are also
ferries to Santorini from Rafina, Thessaloniki, Dodecanese and Crete.
On the island you can use the network of buses or take taxis.
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