Greece: Santorini - perhaps the most beautiful of all
The name sounds promising and promises breathtaking scenery: rugged cliffs of dark lava rock rise steeply several hundred metres above the deep blue sea. Snow-white cubic buildings with blue roofs sit enthroned on the ridge under the burning sun. The archipelago of Santorini is the remains of a volcanic crater with a diameter of around nine nautical miles that partially sank into the sea. Ships now sail into the caldera, its former maw.
Welcome to the volcano!
Nobody has any problems with the draught. Inside, it is over 300 metres deep and the rocks drop almost vertically. This also explains why it is almost impossible to find a safe anchorage in the crater with your own or a chartered boat. We tell you what to expect on this irresistible island, which is often described as the most beautiful in the Aegean.
Around 17,000 people now live on the former volcano. There are also around three million tourists every year! Most of them arrive on cruise ships, with over 800 calls in 2024, sometimes a dozen in the season from Easter to the end of September. As most of them are now too big for the harbour of Athinios, they have to anchor. Tens of tender boats bring the passengers ashore. From there, 120 buses, which are used solely for the cruisers, transport the tourists over steep and narrow serpentine roads to the villages above and back every day from morning until almost non-stop.
Off the charter routes
From an ecological point of view, it is a disaster. The island administration is trying to push back cruise tourism. Although it brings in money, it clogs up the narrow streets to such an extent that it gets very crowded in summer. Yacht tourism, on the other hand, plays a negligible role. No wonder: Santorini is located in the very south of the Aegean Sea, around 125 nautical miles south-east of Athens and only around 65 nautical miles north of Crete. This means it is far from the usual charter routes. Only a few charter companies offer boats in the Cyclades, and there are none on Santorini itself. The small archipelago is too isolated. Only catamarans with skippers for day or evening trips through the caldera can be hired locally.
There is also no service for yachts. Only diesel can be bunkered, but even that is not easy. Nevertheless, several hundred skippers head for the island every year; its beauty seems to make up for all the effort. Santorini is simply too beautiful, so that even the modest opportunities to moor there comfortably and safely do not seem to deter most of these crews.
What makes Santorini so attractive
What makes Santorini so attractive? The ring-shaped islands of Thira, Thirasia and the uninhabited rock Aspronisi form the rim of the crater today. The village of Ia in the north-west is considered the most beautiful place on its rim. The gleaming white houses in Cycladic architecture, the blue domes and the breathtaking view of the caldera are unique, especially at sunset. The capital Thira is also a major attraction.
The quieter Imeroviglion, situated on a hilltop, is well worth a visit. The village offers fantastic views over the entire crater landscape. The most beautiful beach is Red Beach on the south coast of the island of Thira, near the archaeological site of Akrotiri. The comparatively flat islands of Nea Kameni and Palia Kameni also rise in the centre of the caldera. Like Aspronisi, they are also uninhabited.
Berths for guests are rare
There are seven spots in the archipelago that can be approached - but all of them are far from perfect. There are two main options for an overnight stay: Red Beach is one of them. Protected from the Meltemi, you can anchor here in water depths of between ten and 15 metres. There are several tavernas on the shore serving fresh fish. This remote location is far removed from the tourist hustle and bustle of Ia, but you can have your hire car brought almost to the dinghy and then explore the island in this way.
Another option are the mooring buoys off the village of Arméni in the north of Thira. They belong to the operators of the excursion catamarans, but are free in individual cases. Reservations are made through an agency, but the prices for guest moorings are set by the owners and can range from moderate to exorbitantly overpriced.
Santorini has the most hours of sunshine in Greece - from June to September there is rarely more than one day of rain per month. Daytime temperatures reach up to 29° Celsius during the summer season, with water temperatures peaking at 25° Celsius in August. The rainy season lasts from December to February with up to nine days of rainfall per month.
Colonised for thousands of years
Due to the lack of natural harbours in the archipelago, it is hard to imagine that the island was already inhabited in the 5th millennium BC. In the 2nd millennium, Santorini was even a centre of maritime trade in the Mediterranean. Archaeological finds from Cyprus, Syria and Egypt allow conclusions to be drawn about lively trade with neighbouring regions.
An ancient canalisation, magnificent bathing rooms and 3500-year-old frescoes testify to a high level of craftsmanship during the Minoan civilisation, which, however, came to an abrupt end between 1620 and 1600 BC. The flourishing trading centre on the islands disappeared from the scene forever overnight, so to speak.
A tsunami ended ancient civilisation
Researchers assume that a natural disaster with serious consequences wiped out the Minoan civilisation; an underwater tsunami is thought to be the cause. A subsequent tsunami could have buried the harbour and merchant fleet with waves up to twelve metres high. After the Minoans disappeared, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans settled on the archipelago. Santorini has belonged to Greece since 1823. However, the volcanoes at the bottom of the Mediterranean did not allow the settlers of modern times to rest.
On 9 July 1956, the earth shook with a magnitude of 7.4, followed by 18 further aftershocks with a magnitude of up to 7.2. The epicentre was off the north-east coast. The now popular tourist resorts of Ia and Thira were severely devastated. The village of Mesa Gonia, located in the centre of the island, even had to be abandoned completely. The inhabitants founded the new village of Kamari by the sea.
The seabed is still shaking today
The most recent in the long series of these events took place just this year: On the night of 4 February 2025, an earthquake in the sea area between the main island of Thira and the island of Amorgos to the north-east shook the whole of Santorini. The submarine volcano Kolumbos was responsible. Seismologists feared a severe quake and more than 10,000 people fled. Further quakes followed. Due to the ongoing seismic activity, the Greek Civil Defence declared a state of emergency until 3 March.
Santorini was and remained a remote and hard-to-reach island for a long time. This changed in the early 1970s. The worldwide coverage of the archaeological finds in Akrotiri in the south of the island triggered an unexpectedly high level of interest. The former Santorini military airport also allowed civilian flights from 1972.
The cruise ships are coming
Then as now, it was the cruise ships that brought the most tourists. With them came wealthy foreigners, who acquired sought-after properties and drove up prices. The initially relatively small ships docked at Athinios Port (now the ferry harbour). Larger ships were anchored below Thira on huge Muring buoys. In those days, if a buoy was free, a yacht could also moor there. The buoys were so oversized because they had to carry a 120 metre long anchor chain.
Today, these tonnes no longer exist. They could no longer hold the giants of today. Modern cruisers now "anchor" digitally, which means that the ship keeps itself in position using the engine and thrusters. This doesn't always work: on 6 April 2007, the "Sea Diamond" collided with a rock in perfect weather and glassy seas. While trying to tow the ship free, it sank to the bottom.
Tip: It's still good and cheap
It is to the island administration's credit that no hotel blocks or other building sins were permitted in the historic town centres. The new property owners also had to largely adhere to the Cycladic style. The shapes of the houses were created by joining cells together, which usually represent one room. This resulted in irregularly nested buildings and streets with many nooks and crannies. They are connected by stairs and terraces that provide protection from storms and the sun. And they give Santorini its unique architecture. However, vegetables and wine are only grown on small areas.
Tourism has driven up prices. On Santorini, you pay almost twice as much in restaurants and hotels as in the rest of Greece. But they still exist, the small markets where you can buy locally grown vegetables for little money or the simple tavernas where the locals stop off and a glass of house wine costs three euros. So if you dock with a yacht, you don't necessarily have to break the bank, but can also shop cheaply in the market and enjoy dinner on board with a view of the illuminated buildings on the edge of the crater.
Area information: Santorini
Berths
Amoudi Bay: In the NW below the village of Ia, boats can moor briefly at the W quay for embarking and disembarking.
Armeni Bay: Large bay E of Amoudi. Anchoring is difficult as the coast slopes steeply. 30 buoys, tel. +30 22860 72304. email: reservations@santoriniyachtingclub.com There are also buoys off the island of Nea Kameni.
Nikolaou Bay, Thirasia Island: Anchoring is difficult due to the steeply sloping bottom. Boat hire companies offer buoys, tel. +30 6974 650 720 (Manolis) or +30 6976 895 442 (Takis).
Thira: Pier for tender boats. Yachts may only moor in emergencies.
Port Athinios: Ferry harbour. Diesel refuelling by prior arrangement.
Red Beach: In the south, not far from ancient Akrotiri, the anchorage is 10-15 metres WT, far from the tourist resorts. Several fish tavernas. Book a hire car!
Marina Vlychada: In the south of Thira, full of excursion and fishing boats. Sandy approach (max. 2 m). Guests anchor SE of the harbour. Fuel (by tanker) to be arranged in advance with the harbour master, VHF 10. Diesel tanker (+30 22860 31013) in Marina Vlychada or in Port Athinios.
Charter
Kiriacoulis offers yachts from the island of Paros (60 nm N of Santorini). Bookable via Argos Yacht Charter, Tel. 0611-66 051
Rental car
Santorini Car Rental (from 25 € /d) will be brought to any location, Tel. +30 6970 212 908, Mail: support@santorinicarhire.com
Literature
- Radspieler/Haselhorst/Dittmann: "Greece 2", Delius Klasing
- Haselhorst/Dittmann: "Cyclades Charter Guide", Edition Maritim
- NV Charts Greece, Cyclades to Crete, Athens, NV Verlag
