Santorini Question

[Gabgab]

I will being going to Santorini in May 2007, trying to figure out what excrusions I want to book. The major problem is that Acrotiri (that is the archological site where they think Alantis might have been) is closed right now beacuse of a accident where the roof caved in killed a person in 2005. I am trying to figure out if the site will be open 2007, I have tried ask some local tour compainies and they say they don't know. Do any of you guys have any insight if the site will be open in 2007?

 

Second I heard that there are hot springs that u can swim in Santorini, are they good and worth the extra money?

[tom_uk]

Like you, I'm unclear as to when Acrotiri will be re-opened to the public. However, did you know that there is an excellent new-ish museum in the centre of Fira town, dedicated to the best findings from Acrotiri and from other, even older sites on the island? This was an unexpected highlight of my visit there last June. It's a very good museum: well organised, attractive displays, and the final few sections - the wall frescoes recovered from a couple of houses in Acrotiri - are truly stunning. Although for me, the highlight was a cup, complete with handle, more than four thousand years old, that would not have looked out of place on my breakfast table.... So the museum is an excellent place to visit and does a good job of telling the story of the earlier cultures on the pre-eruption island and in the surrounding region.

 

As regards the hot springs, I believe that they are associated with the excusion to the volcano in the middle of the caldera - I think it ends with an opportunity to swim in the sea in the area where these warm waters reach the surface. I also gather that if you do, you should wear a swimming costume that you don't mind being ruined, as apparently the minerals or whatever in the water can stain your clothes. And what it's doing to your skin I can't imagine. But that's just what I've heard - others will have better information.

[pcur]

We took the bus to the other side of Santorini, sat on the promenade looking at the ocean while the teens swam, we drank beer, and all had a wonderful day. They have outside umbrella seating next to the beach along this promenade. It's the beach where you can climb the rocks and jump in the ocean.

 

The bus was about 1 Euro each way, and there's a thread on this board about which bus number it is. Try a search on Santorini.

[CruiserPK]

In Santorini, we took the ship tender to the old port and then the cable car up to Santorini. From there we took a taxi to Oia and enjoyed spectatular views before all the tour buses arrived;) . After spending a few hours there, we took the city bus back (too hard to find a taxi) and enjoyed a coffee at one of the restaurants overlooking the bay. Finally, we walked down the donkey path (did not want to ride on one of those poor creatures) and tendered back. I loved the place and could enjoy another relaxing day there.

Cheers, Pam

[Globaliser]

As regards the hot springs, I believe that they are associated with the excusion to the volcano in the middle of the caldera - I think it ends with an opportunity to swim in the sea in the area where these warm waters reach the surface. I also gather that if you do, you should wear a swimming costume that you don't mind being ruined, as apparently the minerals or whatever in the water can stain your clothes. And what it's doing to your skin I can't imagine.

This is correct, although the staining is just from the fine mud in the area. I can't imagine any of that being particularly bad for your skin. After all, some people pay huge amounts of money for mud treatments to improve their skin! :D

[Sea Day Cruiser]

We were on the October 5th Golden Princess cruise and we missed Santorini. The morning we were to anchor and tender ashore the captain announced the winds were too high to use the tenders safely. So if you are really looking forward to this port, just be aware that it isn't a guarantee you'll get there. We ended up with an extra sea day.

[Globaliser]

So if you are really looking forward to this port, just be aware that it isn't a guarantee you'll get there.

This just illustrates that there is never any guarantee that a cruise ship will get to any port.

 

If you really, really want to go to Santorini, fly there.

[Bruin Steve]

Akrotiri was closed when we were there in August 2003 and it was closed again when we were there in July 2006...Seems to be an ongoing problem...

 

BUT if you enjoy visiting archaeological sites, Akrotiri is NOT the only major site on Santorini...

 

This most recent visit we rented a car and headed over to "Ancient Thira"...The site is on a mountaintop toward the far side of the island...The road up is a little scary..mostly one-lane for both directions and a multitude of hairpin turns...but it is not really all that undriveable...You take it slow and watch for vehicles coming in the other direction...it widens out at every turn...so, one car can always wait at the turn for the other to pass...

 

Anyway, when you get to the top of the road, there's still a little uphill walking to do...then you come to an ancient church...then a little further up, the ancient city opens up...and it is remarkably massive...there were several ongoing archaeology explorations going on while we were there...And the views are absolutely incredible...

 

Have fun...

[tom_uk]

BUT if you enjoy visiting archaeological sites, Akrotiri is NOT the only major site on Santorini...

 

This most recent visit we rented a car and headed over to "Ancient Thira"...

 

Many of the artefacts in the museum (in Fira town) are from Ancient Thira, as well as those from Akrotiri.

[edinburgher]

We also took the bus up to Oia, a really wonderful drive there and back and Oia is stunning. Not to be missed.

 

And on our return to Fira, like Tom, we visited both museums and were surprised by the quality and presentation of the exhibits. Well worth doing. I think (but am not 100% certain) that there was a combination ticket available, less than the cost of separate entries.

 

After that we strolled a little in Fira.

 

The ship offered the same as we did as an excursion, cost of course, was way, way more than we paid. Very easy to do this yourself, and very inexpensive.

[tom_uk]

The ship offered the same as we did as an excursion, cost of course, was way, way more than we paid. Very easy to do this yourself, and very inexpensive.

 

The only advantage of doing the ship's excursion to Oia (and this only applies to the morning excursion) is that you get taken in the tender to a different landing point and are met by a bus - you don't have to grapple with the donkeys or queue for the chairlift. As a result you'll probably get to Oia rather earlier. Certainly when I was there last June (on the excursion) I don't remember seeing any people other than our excursion party wandering around at that time. Downsides are the costs and lack of flexibility.

 

Here's a link to my Santorini pictures:

http://www.*****/travelpage/aspgallery/view_ad.asp?Ad_ID=2515

[mountainmare]

We also rented a car and ended up at Ancient Thira. It was off season so the drive, while daunting, was not too bad because there weren't other cars to deal with. The views were more than worth the trip--with the ruins being an unexpected bonus.

If you don't want to drive I believe that there are mini-buses to take you up in season.

 

I would tell anyone to rent a car and explore the island. The lighthouse is amazing, the wine country unlike any you have ever seen, the beaches are all different. Don't just get off the ship and go to Fira--you'll miss Santorini if you do.