Santorini Caldera - How To Reach, Best Time to Visit, Tips & More

Santorini is an island which has three different parts to it. The amalgamation of Santorini caldera, the beaches and the rest of the island is what makes it so beautiful. Santorini is known for its amazing view of the sea and nature, making Santorini stand out from the rest of the islands in Greece. Santorini Caldera of all places is known for its stunning view and its ease of hiking. A caldera is a volcanic feature formed by the collapse of a volcano into itself, making it a large, special form of a volcanic crater. Santorini is an active volcano, though currently dormant. It’s the effusive eruptions that built the dark-coloured lava shields of Nea and Palea Kameni inside the caldera. The last eruption was in 1950 and has been dormant since then as most of the activity happens within the crater now, so nothing to worry for travellers from a safety point of view.

Santorini map — Image source: Google Images

About the Santorini Caldera

Santorini is one of the best-known places in Greece for its cluster of small islands. It first got its popularity from the picturesque half-moon shape of the island, and later for its famous caldera view. The Santorini Caldera alone measures 12 by 7 km and has steep cliffs which measure about 300-meter high.

Attractions

The view of the caldera from the island and discovering the caldera itself are the two most famous attractions that you can look forward to doing in Santorini. You can simply enjoy a day at the beach or hike to find the best Santorini Caldera view or even take a walk in Caldera to make it exciting. Given that Caldera most consists of a series of small mountains, some even prefer to take a Caldera hike with their Santorini holiday packages.

How to reach Santorini Caldera in Santorini

One major issue that you might face during your travel to Santorini is transportability as Greece has only one international Airport, which is in Athens. So, you can either take a 2 stop flight from your home country or make your way to either the port of Piraeus or Rafina to find a ferry to Santorini. You can also look to stay for one night in Athens, rest for a while and then take your flight to Santorini if you are not comfortable with taking a two-stop flight. Another issue that has to be kept in mind is that ferries are only available from the months of April to October. Ferries don’t operate during the rest of the year because of high tides, you will have to take an internal flight instead so its advisable to travel to Greece in general during the summertime rather than the winters.

Best time to visit Santorini Caldera

It’s generally not suggested to hike the caldera in the evening as it can get a bit risky, stick to taking these hikes in the morning or early afternoon. The more important factor is that the view from the top would be much clearer if you take the hike in the morning rather than late in the night. There are no limitations in timings as such but earlier the hike, better the experience is the common feedback we get from the thousands of clients who booked their Santorini tour packages with us here at Pickyourtrail.

Tips for Hike To Santorini Caldera

If your main aim is to have a caldera view while visiting Santorini then make sure you look at the room type of the hotel you choose, it should have been specifically mentioned as caldera view rooms.
Given that most will be visiting the island during summers, always carry adequate water with you while you go for activities because getting it anywhere in between can be hard.
Littering on the island is a punishable offence, so don’t get yourself into a dicey situation by doing this.

Well, then what are you waiting for? Put on those hiking shoes and visit the Santorini caldera. Book your Greece packages or Greece honeymoon packages right here and you sure are going to live your dream!