Blue domed churches, the volcanic cliffs of the caldera, the black sands of its beaches and its whitewashed Cycladic cave-like houses. There are a fair few unmissable landmarks in Santorini to see when you visit, and this is my guide to the best of them.
This article is designed for visitors paying a short visit to Santorini, hoping to see as many of the main sights as possible. Most of the Santorini landmarks included are on or close to the beaten path, with a small number of them a little off it.
I describe each of the landmarks, how to get to them, and the best time of day to see them. I’ll also suggest a few tours which show you around some of them. I hope you find it helpful.
Where To Stay In Santorini
Porto Fira Suites – luxury 5-star suites with caldera views, next to St John the Theologian Church and a few minutes down the hill from the Metropolitan Cathedral
Santorini Palace Hotel – highly-recommended 4-star a few steps from the Three Bells of Fira, and a short walk from both Fira town and Skaros Rock
Oia Mare Villas – luxury villas with private pools and breathtaking caldera views
Santorini Caldera
The one thing you cannot miss in Santorini is the stunning caldera. The island is the result of violent volcanic activity, its near-vertical cliffs thrust hundreds of feet out of the sea, and now the perch on which several whitewashed villages in Santorini rest. One of the islands, Nea Kameni, emerged from the sea after one of the Santorini eruptions, while part of the original volcano sank below the waves.
The west coast of the island faces the caldera, including the island’s main town – Fira – and several of its villages – Oia, Imerovigli, Megalochori and Akrotiri among them. Many Santorini hotels overlook the caldera, as do several of the other main landmarks in Santorini.
Thinking about a caldera cruise? This Santorini cruise takes you to three caldera islands including the beautiful village of Thirassia, and includes a bus to Oia for the sunset finale. And this Santorini volcano and sunset cruise takes you to two of the islands and you get to enjoy the sunset on board the boat.
Oia Windmills
The Oia sunset is one of the most famous sunsets in Europe. The last light of the day dusts the sky orange, then red, and the village in the foreground of your view, with its skyline of 18th-century windmills and a church dome, make it one of those must-sees people travel all the way across the world to see.
The three windmills in Oia are no longer in operation – indeed one of them, The Sunset Windmill, serves as villa accommodation sleeping six people. But what a sight they make.
The one drawback is that everyone knows about them – so much so that the prime sunset viewing spot with the with at least one windmill on the skyline – the Byzantine Castle – is crammed with hundreds of people every night. So arrive early, pick your spot, plug in your headphones, paly something magnificent and shut it all out. It always works a treat for me!
Many Santorini tours culminate with an Oia sunset, as does this Santorini highlights tour. It also includes visits to Perissa and Red Beaches and Megalochori village.
Three Bells of Fira
The Three Bells of Fira is one of the most recognisable Santorini landmarks, a simple whitewashed church with a triple bellcote, a blue dome, and that caldera backdrop.
It’s one of the best places to watch a Santorini sunset, the sun turning the church gold, orange then red before smouldering into the Aegean Sea, a sight fit for the ancient gods.
Surprisingly, it’s far less crowded that the Byzantine Castle in Oia, where hundreds gather every evening for the famous sunset behind the windmill (see above). I watched two sunsets from the church, and both times no more than 20 to 30 people were there.
But it’s one of the most beautiful Santorini sights at any time of day.
Getting there: The Three Bells of Fira’s name is a little misleading, as it’s just to the north of Fira, in Firostefani. It’s easy to reach on foot, and very close to Firostefani bus station and the nearby central square. From the bus station, cross the road, and follow the slightly uphill road to the left until you reach the Santorini Palace Hotel – around 200 metres. Continue up the hill to the right and you’ll reach a car park. Head for the wall, and you’ll see the Three Bells of Fira right there.
Blue Domes of Oia
The blue domes of Oia’s Agios Anastasi Church are possibly even more widely known than the Three Bells of Fira, as they’re right on the Santorini beaten track as opposed to slightly off it. The domes are one of the most famous landmarks in Santorini, and one of the signature sights in the Greek Islands, indeed, for that matter, the whole of Greece.
Much of the church, as is the local custom, is whitewashed, and there are two large blue domes and a smaller cupola atop a turret. The church also has a distinctive pink bellcote at its southern end. Unfortunately it isn’t normally open, like numerous other churches in Santorini – a real pity.
The Anastasi Church isn’t the only blue domed church in Oia. If you walk down the main street, Nikolaou Nomikou, you’ll reach another church, this time with a single blue dome – this is Agios Spyridon Church, and it’s next door to Aloia Villas Hotel. Just beyond this, an alleyway to your left leads to the viewpoint for the image above, with the island of Thirassia in the background.
There are also more viewpoints of the blue domes in the immediate vicinity. The stepped alleyways have no names – just wander. Some areas are private property – don’t be tempted, just respect the requests not to enter the property.
One of the closest places to stay to the blue domes is Bluedome Cavehouses by Otium Villas, which is right next door to the iconic blue domed church. This is ideal if you want to get up early to capture the magical first light on the domes.
St John The Theologian Church, Fira
It’s believed that this church – Ekklesia Agios Ioannis Theologos – is one of the oldest churches, indeed oldest buildings on Santorini.
The church stands a short distance down the hill from the Metropolitan Cathedral in Fira, and its simple dome crowned with a cross makes for one of the most evocative sunset subjects in Santorini, with the island of Nea Kameni the distant backdrop.
The church dates from the 17th century, though it may have been founded and begun as early as 1537, before the Venetians were forced from the island. It isn’t open often, a great pity as its iconostasis is stunning. When we visited, I noted several people climbing onto the roof of the church, next to the dome, for a more elevated view of the sunset. I don’t recommend doing the same for your own safety, and besides, the view of the sunset is better with the dome in it than without it.
Metropolitan Cathedral, Fira
The Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral in Fira is one of the most striking landmarks in Santorini, a large complex comprising church and courtyard at the top of the caldera rim.
It was built in 1827, and dedicated to the Presentation of Christ. However, much of the Cathedral was badly damaged during the 1956 Santorini earthquake, and it was decided to rebuild it.
It’s by far the largest of the churches in Santorini, and the interior is well worth seeing for the frescoes, depicting various Biblical scenes, by Santorini artist Christoforos Asimis. The partly shaded courtyard, surrounded by plants, is a lovely oasis of calm away from the oblivious crowds just a few metres away.
Red Beach Santorini
One thing sets Santorini Red Beach apart from its counterparts around the island – its sand is a rare red, rather than the black or pencil grey sands you’ll find elsewhere.
And Red Beach – Kokkini Paralia – is some sight, with its cliffs a matching shade of burgundy red. It’s one of the standout landmarks in Santorini, and well worth the short trip to Akrotiri village and the south coast to get your photos of it.
However, I don’t recommend setting foot on the beach unless you arrive by boat – and even then, don’t venture close to the cliffs. That awesome red cliff is slowly crumbling in places, and nobody knows which part is going to break off next. There are multiple warning signs advising visitors not to go further than the viewpoint form which I shot the images above.
When I visited, I was in the cautious minority, with most people ignoring the warning signs. However, the evidence of rockfalls was plain to see on the beach, so my advice is that if you don’t want a rock falling on your or a family member’s head, steer clear.
Getting there: Regular buses run from Fira bus station with the stated destination of Red Beach. The stop is around 500 metres from the beach, and close to both Akrotiri Beach and the Akrotiri archaeological site.
Tours: This beaches and caldera catamaran cruise includes swimming stops at Red Beach, the otherwise inaccessible White Beach, the volcanic islands in the caldera, and the superb Mesa Pigadia (Black Beach) on the south coast of the island.
Vlychada Cliffs
Vlychada Beach is one of the quieter Santorini beaches. The south-facing, black sand beach is only developed at both ends – Vlychada to the east, and a small section known as Eros Beach to the west, with a kilometre of empty pencil-grey sands and a line of stunning weathered cliffs in between.
The cliffs are volcanic rocks, including compacted pumice and ash – eroded by the wind, rain and sea over millennia. My son’s initial reaction to them was,” Wow! It’s like an alien planet!” and I couldn’t disagree with him. The rocks have been weathered and contorted into all kinds of shapes, and they are ideal for science fiction or indeed many other film projects.
It’s a 15-minute walk along the sands and cliffs from one end of the beach (and the bar at each end!). Alternatively, Vlychada Beach is the highlight of this Santorini horseback tour which also includes a ride across the island’s countryside.
Perissa and The Santorini Black Sand Beaches
The Caldera is far and away the number one sight in Santorini, but many are also drawn there by the unusual volcanic black sand beaches in Santorini.
Before you set foot on one, the black (or pencil grey) sand and pebbles mean that the Santorini seawater is remarkably clear. The one drawback is that if you walk barefoot on black sand, it absorbs heat and is searingly hot. So if you’re venturing off the wooden walkways you see on some Santorini beaches, wear water shoes to protect your feet.
Most Santorini beaches are on the east and south coasts of the island. The most popular are the joined beaches of Perissa and Perivolos, and just beyond Mesi Vouna mountain to the north, Kamari. These three beaches are very popular, with full umbrella and sunbed setup (you pay around €10 for an umbrella and two adjoining beds).
My favourite Santorini black sand beach is remote Mesa Pigadia, hidden away down a dirt road in the southwest of the island, between Akrotiri village and the lighthouse.
Emporio Kastelli
Oia gets all the plaudits, but I’m going to stick my neck out and say that I enjoyed visiting the village of Emporio more. While Oia is cram-packed with people you’re likely to find a tiny fraction of them exploring Emporio – I probably saw ten people there in half a day. The village is a labyrinth of lanes with tiny Cycladic cave houses, and the best part of it is the medieval Venetian-built kastelli at the top of the hill.
The Castle was built in the 15th century to defend the village and island from pirate raids. There is a single entrance gate, after which you enter a rabbit warren of narrow lanes typical of villages in the Cyclades, with many small houses, some of which are 500 years old or more. People still live in many of these houses – it’s extremely rare to find anywhere in Europe like this, as inhabitants would normally have left fortresses like this centuries, if not decades, ago.
The alleyways of the Kastelli are a joy to wander. You’ll find a few sights to navigate by, including the prominent tiered tower of Panagia Mesani church, but it’s quite possible you might find yourself lost for a few minutes, just as it was intended for those raiding pirates to be 500 years ago. One of the most beautiful villages in the Greek islands.
Tour: This Santorini top sights day tour delivers what it says it will – including visits to Emporio and nearby Pyrgos village, as well as Perissa Beach, a winery and the grand finale of an Oia sunset.
You can stay in one of the suites at Emporio’s kastelli – check out this link to Exi Castle Suites for more information.
Skaros Rock
It’s hard to imagine now, but the precarious outcrop of Skaros was once the main settlement and ‘capital’ of Santorini. We don’t know the age of the rock formation other than it’s probably millennia old. But it was deemed a defensible site by the Byzantine occupiers, who built a fortress there early in the 13th century.
The Venetians expanded the site after taking over the island in 1336, and houses were built on the lower slopes of the rock, as was the Church of Panagia Theoskepasti. The Ottoman Turks occupied the island in 1566 and absorbed it into their Empire, and the town of Fira grew under their rule, at the expense of Skaros, which became largely redundant.
Earthquakes from1650 onwards wreaked greater damage, particularly the one in 1710, with many buildings collapsing, falling down the cliffs into the sea. Little now remains other than a few scant ruins of the fortress, but Skaros is an outstanding vantage point with amazing views over the coastline and caldera. This guided hike from Imerovigli to Fira visits Skaros, as well as other sights including the Three Bells of Fira.
Alternatively you could make a short detour to Skaros if you’re undertaking the Fira to Oia hike, or walking in the opposite direction.
Landmarks In Santorini – Final Thoughts
I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to the best beaches in Santorini and find it useful while planning your trip to the island.
If you’re thinking about spending just one day in Santorini, check out my suggested itinerary in the link in this sentence. My article on a Santorini day trip from Crete also cover the possibility of visiting Santorini from Heraklion and elsewhere on Greece’s largest island. To sum up, here’s what you can hope to see on a short trip to Santorini:
Villages
Churches
Sunsets In Santorini
Santorini sunset – the ten best locations on the caldera and rest of the island
Best Sunsets in Europe – over 20 fantastic locations around the continent
Santorini Beaches
Black Beach Santorini, also known as Mesa Pigadia
Caldera Beach – the only beach on the Santorini Caldera
Need more inspiration for your trip? You may enjoy my other Greece guides and travel resources:
- 30 Famous Landmarks In Greece
- Things To Do In Chania – the most beautiful city in Crete
- Things To Do In Heraklion – Crete’s greatly underrated but fascinating capital
- Balos Beach Crete – stunning remote lagoon beach on the west coast of Crete
- Elafonissi Beach – pink sand paradise in the southwest corner of Crete
- Hersonissos Beaches – the 15 best beaches around the busy Crete resort
- Malia Beaches – the complete guide to Malia’s famous beaches
- Voulisma Beach – gorgeous tropical beach near Agios Nikolaos
- Things To Do In Rethymno – Crete’s beautiful third city
- Bali Crete Beaches – all 5 beaches in this north coast seaside village