HALF DAY BUS TOUR AKROTIRI
Description
Our professional and well experienced guide will welcome you on the bus at the time of the pick-up, either from your hotel or the cable car station in Fira town. We will start our excursion by driving through the traditional village of Pyrgos, the most preserved medieval village of the island at the foot of Mt Profitis Ilias, where you will be able to admire its blue domed churches. We will head towards Mt Profitis Ilias, Santorini´s highest pick (565m), named after the Monastery with the same name which is at its top. In earlier times it possessed considerable wealth; it even had its own ship which conducted trade for the benefit of the monastery. From this vantage point you will have an amazing panoramic view of the entire island, shaped like a half moon, with its black sandy beaches, its vineyards mostly in its interior, the neighbor island of Thirassia and the volcano as well as nearby islands such as Ios where Homer, the great epic poet, is said to be buried. Make sure you have your camera at hand to capture amazing panoramic pictures.
Afterwards, and in order to get to Akrotiri, we will head south and drive through Megalohori, one of the most picturesque villages on the island. Home to historical mansions, old traditional houses, pirate hideaways and vineyards, it has a history of merchants and wealthy land barons exporting Vinsanto wine that the island still produces.
The village of Akrotiri and its prehistoric site will be waiting for you for your great delight. There you will be able to see and visit the excavations of the best preserved of all the prehistoric settlements discovered in the Aegean, famous for the abundance of finds brought to light from the ruins of the Late Minoan town which was buried under thick deposits of volcanic material produced by a massive eruption in the 17th or 16th century BC. This was one of the most violent eruptions known in History! Enjoy walking through the street of this “prehistoric Pompeii”, and discover the great remains of an advanced and wealthy civilization. You will be amazed by the quality of the town´s planning, architecture and painting as they show that the Santorinians of that period were superb builders, engineers, masons and artists! It will be, indeed, a visit you will never forget, really one of a kind!
Our last stop will be at the Caldera of Akrotiri so that you can take photos of the breathtaking view of the Caldera and the volcano islands from a different angle!
Return to your hotel or to Fira town.
What is Included
- Pick up & drop-off at your Santorini Hotel or Fira town (Cruise port)
- Luxury Bus or Mini Van (Fully airconditioned)
- 4-Hour private tour in Santorini led by a professional and expert guide (English - Spanish - Portuguese)
- Entrance fees to visit Akrotiri Archaeological Site (12€ per person)
- All taxes.
Additional Information
Tour available from April until October.
Duration: 4h.
Bring comfortable shoes, a small bottle of water, and a camera to take amazing pictures.
In case of Shorex (passengers coming from a cruise ship) it is highly possible that you find a long queue at the cable car to go up to Fira town. If you wish to avoid this situation, it is possible to book a private tender from the Old Port of Fira to Athinios Port. Please contact us for more information.