Cruises in Thera

Santorini's life at sea converges below Fira. Directly under the town lies the old port of Gialos — a quay with no road to it at all: you get there by cable car, on foot down five hundred and eighty-eight steps, or by donkey. Boats to the volcano leave from here, and here too the tenders of cruise ships come alongside, the ships themselves anchoring out in the middle of the caldera because the water by the wall is too deep to moor. It is worth understanding this geography in advance: the journey from your hotel to the quay is sometimes longer than the crossing itself.

The classic route from here is volcanic. The boat runs half an hour to Nea Kameni, lands you for the climb to the crater over black scree, then shifts to the warm springs of Palea Kameni, where you swim straight off the side. The long version adds Thirasia — the fragment of the old island opposite, with three villages and no tourist bustle — and closes with the sunset off Oia.

The sailing side keeps a different timetable. Catamarans go out twice a day: the daytime run lasts five or six hours with a barbecue on board and swimming stops at the Red and White beaches; the evening one comes with dinner and returns after dark. There are private versions where the route is arranged around you, motor yachts for those who want speed, and a small boat with no crew that you handle yourself.