Tailor-Made Santorini Private Tours

Why are hiking trails a fantastic addition to private tours?

Hiking in Santorini becomes all the more popular. Recently 69 wooden poles with directional signs and local maps were placed at key points of the island, and there are 380 signs on stone. These are part of a new series of trails in Thira and Thirassia, allowing hikers to navigate comfortably. Walk parts of the old hiking trail along the caldera from Fira to Oia and gaze at the scenery’s beauty.

What makes the hiking trails in Santorini unique?

Cross the mountain Mesa Vouno on the hiking trail that connects Kamari and Perissa and discover the Chapel of Life with the only freshwater spring on Santorini. Include a walk to Skaros Rock in your tailor-made Santorini private tour and find old walls where the island’s capital used to be. Hike the fading path starting at the monastery of Profitis Ilias along the ridge down to Pyrgos and observe the captivating panoramic view of the whole island.

What foods should you try during a Santorini private tour?

Savor the Santorinian Salad – a salad with local cherry tomatoes, the Santorini cucumber ‘Katsouni’, chloro (local goat cheese), and capers as well as caper leaves. Sample Santorini Tomato fritters – a local delicacy made of local cherry tomatoes, onions, spearmint, basil, and flour. Relish our famous Fava Cream – humus made of dried Santorini Fava beans.

Don’t miss out on the famous Easter sweet called Meletinia (Sweet cream cheese pies), traditionally baked by the locals at the beginning of the Holy Week of Easter. Still, you can find it in bakeries all over the year. If you get the chance to attend a local wedding, try the Koufeto: white almonds are simmered in wild honey, ingredients that symbolize the newlyweds’ happy life and fertility.

Can you explore the Cycladic architecture during a private tour?

Get insights into all the Cycladic features and characteristics and, in particular, of the Santorinian architecture: Notice that all houses are built very low to keep the stability in times of earthquakes. Learn about the story behind the arched roofs and the tiny windows. Embark on a tailor-made Santorini private tour visiting the most incredible structures of the island. Find out why all the houses are painted in this shiny white color, and the wooden doors and windows give this beautiful contrast in blue.

Can you learn the history of the island with a tailor made Santorini private tour?

Acquire detailed insights into the volcanic and cultural history of this majestic island. Find out how, until about 4000 years ago, Santorini was a circular island. They called it “Strogili”, which means the round one. A sophisticated city developed next to a critical Mediterranean trade port close to today’s Akrotiri around 3000 B.C. It got destroyed by an earthquake in the 17th century B.C., and then the inhabitants built it up again.

Approximately at 1600 B.C., a massive volcano eruption destroyed the whole island and buried everything. This catastrophe formed the caldera and the three remaining islands around it, all featuring unique beauty and incredible geological treasures. In the 9th century B.C., Dorians from Sparta reinhabited the island in a settlement on the mountain Mesa Vouno named “Thera”, which is also the island’s official name. The Venetians named the island “Santorini” following the Crusades in the 13th century after Saint Irene’s church.

What parts of Santorini’s modern history can you explore?

During the Venetian reign, until the 16th century, Santorini suffered continuous pirate intrusions, and, during the Turkish rule, it developed commercial activity, followed by economic and cultural growth. In 1912 Santorini was integrated into the Greek State and enjoyed a thriving shipping trade until the Second World War.

A devastating earthquake in 1956 constituted the economic and social catastrophe for Santorini. It led to the island’s desolation until the end of the 70s when tourism developed and made Santorini one of the most popular holiday destinations worldwide. Learn more exciting historical facts and get the most out of a tailor-made Santorini private tour.

What local products should you try on a private Santorini tour?

Not many products grow on Santorini due to the heat and the volcanic ground. But the crops you can find here are of exceptional flavor and taste with the help of the Mediterranean climate and the quality of the soil.

Savor the unique Santorini cherry tomatoes. Their taste is one-of-a-kind and gives the famous Santorini tomato paste and the famous sun-dried tomatoes an extra special kick. Get to know the popular Fava Beans. They are considered the most traditional Santorini product: yellow peas that can grow exclusively on this island, counting more than 3.500 years of presence. The locals serve Fava, usually with seafood or fish.

Santorini also boasts the production of its own cucumbers. The locals call them “katsounia” and they are essentially very sweet. Find other unique products of the island, like the white eggplants and round zucchinis with a tailor-made Santorini private tour fitting your gustatory needs!

Encounter the wild-growing fig trees and caper bushes on your explorations. Find out how the locals pick and pickle the caper buds, and the caper leaves to flavor their salads. Santorini might not be famous for its olive oil; due to the dry and windy climate, olives don’t grow very well, but it is known for its pistachio groves.

Which castles can you visit on a Santorini private tour?

During Venetocracy, from the 13th to the 16th century, there was a lot of piracy in the Aegean Sea; that’s why the citizens had to move their settlements further inland. The Latin colonists started to build Castellis, where people would find shelter and protection. Every Castelli had his ‘Gulas’; the highest tower used to observe and defend. At the entrance of every Castelli, there was a church dedicated to Saint Theodosia, considered the protector of castles.

Santorini once had five castells, the oldest of which was built on the Skaros Rock at the beginning of the 13th century. After its destruction by an earthquake, it was abandoned, and today it is hard to imagine that there once was an entire castle city.

The Akrotiri castle was built at the beginning of the 14th century and was called ‘La Ponta’, meaning ‘the peak’. The Castelli of Emporio and the castle of Saint Nikolaos in Oia were both built in the middle of the 15th century. Since the market of the island was located in Emporio, the Castelli was the most commercial one. Come upon the most visited spot of today’s island in the ruins of the castle of Oia. Here is where visitors meet at the time of the sunset to watch this famous spectacle.

Explore the “newest Castelli” of the island in Pyrgos, built around 1580. After the desolation of the Skaros Castle, Pyrgos became the capital of Santorini. You can find the only entrance of the Castelli , called ‘La Porta’. There was a hole above the ‘porta’ through which the locals could pour burning oil upon the intruders in the original construction.

How many churches can you see in a Santorini tailor-made tour?

Acquire knowledge about the Greek Orthodox religion in Greece. Find out why it is such a vital part of the locals’ life. Be amazed by the number of 650 churches and chapels you can find on the island – most of them in the Cycladic islands’ classic colors: white temple and blue domes.

Pay your respects to Panagia Episkopi in Mesa Gonia. It is the oldest church in Santorini. Visit Panagia Ypapanti in Fira, the largest church on the island, the orthodox cathedral of Metropolis. Pick the ones you wish to visit the most with a tailor-made Santorini private tour.

Which beaches should you see with a Santorini private tour?

Get to know the unique beaches of Santorini. Due to the volcanic history, all the beaches in Santorini are black. Yet, they are very different. Find secluded beaches like Katharos Beach, Baxedes, and Paradise Beach in the north of the island and understand what makes them unique.

Come across the Ammoudi Beach, which is located close to the Ammoudi port and is quite rocky – your perfect spot for diving off the stones. Stroll along the black sandy beach of Perivolos and Perissa in the south of the island and pick up the meaning “Party Beach”. Spend your day in one of the countless beach bars you can find there.

Explore hidden beaches like the Caldera beach, which only the local experts know. Visit the beach of Mesa Pigadia and gaze at its caves and its impressive rock formations. Don’t forget about the famous Red Beach, Scout out the stunning scenery for amazing pictures that will always remind you of your visit to Santorini.

Let us take you on a boat ride to the White Beach, named after the pebbles of white pumice stone covering it and the color of the limestone surrounding it. Find a well-organized promenade with shops and taverns on the Kamari beach, which has earned the “Blue Flag” award.

Drive through a fascinating landscape, which will remind you of the surface of the moon, in the south of the island, to find Vlychada Beach. Don’t forget to visit the small marina for catamarans and private yachts.

Which villages are must-visits in a Santorini private tour?

Megalochori

Explore with us the traditional villages of Santorini. Find Megalochori, the “Large Village” close to the ferry port Athinios. It is the center of the wine industry and surrounded by the unique vineyards of Santorini. Grab the opportunity to capture the famous bell tower spanning over the main street.

Emporio

Wander through Emporio, the “Pirate Catch”, one of the few non-touristic villages of Santorini. Scout out where the narrow labyrinthine paths used to lead intruders into their captivity. Indulge in tailor-made Santorini private tours and discover the traditional settlements the island is known for.

Pyrgos

Ascent to the center of Pyrgos, meaning “tower”. Find the old Venetian castle ruins and get lost in the stunning panoramic view of the island. Pyrgos is the highest village of Santorini, and it is renowned for its celebration of Good Friday during the Easter week. The whole village lights up with burning fire torches, through which the locals carry a wooden image of Jesus “towards his grave”.

Perissa

Be amazed by the most extended black, sandy beach from Perissa to Perivolos. Rest on the sun loungers and enjoy a lazy afternoon under the sun umbrellas listening to the many beach clubs’ music. Choose a tailor-made Santorini private tour combining quaint villages with other major attractions.

Kamari

Stroll through Kamari, the “youngest” village of Santorini built on the black volcanic beach after the devastating earthquake of 1956. Stretch your legs on the black pebbled beach and promenade the well-organized beach road. Discover Mesa Gonia, where the old cave houses were destroyed by the same earthquake and abandoned by their owners. Take the opportunity to savor some of the award-winning wines of Santorini in one of the numerous wineries around.

Fira

Amble through Fira, the capital and cultural center of the island. Roam through the narrow alleys with taverns and restaurants, jewelry and souvenir stores, as well as museums. Find the cable car and take a ride that leads down to the old port of the island. Come across Firostefani, the “Crown of Fira”, when traveling further north. Take out your camera when you catch sight of the famous, most photographed, blue-domed church in Santorini.

Oia

Drive through Imerovigli, which is the highest village at the cliffs of the Caldera. Find out why it is renowned for its breathtaking views of the volcanic islands and the sunset. Unravel the architectural artistry of Oia, built on the caldera cliffs, with cave houses unfurling one by one and the Venetian castle reflecting the glowing sunset. Stroll through the Cycladic alleys and gaze at the breathtaking views.