Greece · Cyclades
Yacht Charter Santorini
A drowned volcano with the towns on the rim six hundred metres above the water.
Santorini is what is left of a volcano that blew itself apart around 1600 BC in one of the largest eruptions in human history — the caldera is the crater, flooded, and the cliff you moor beneath is the inside of the mountain. The towns sit on the rim three hundred metres up. Arriving by sea is arriving the way the geology intends: from below.
The caldera
The water inside the crater is three to four hundred metres deep, which is too deep to anchor: boats take mooring buoys, and it wants arranging ahead. The cliff face above is banded in black, red and white where the eruption laid its layers down.
Nea Kameni, the black island in the middle, is the volcano still growing — you can land and walk to the crater, and the hot springs at Palea Kameni next to it turn the water rust-orange.
Above and below the rim
Oia at the northern tip is the sunset everyone comes for and is correspondingly full by six; Fira is the larger town and Imerovigli the quieter one between them. The cable car from the old port saves six hundred steps and the donkeys that use them.
Akrotiri on the southern end is a Bronze Age town buried by the eruption and excavated with its streets and two-storey houses standing — a Minoan Pompeii, seventeen centuries older.
Practical notes
- The caldera is three to four hundred metres deep: mooring is on buoys and wants arranging ahead
- The cable car from the old port to Fira saves six hundred steps
- Oia fills by six for the sunset; Imerovigli between the two towns is quieter
- Akrotiri is a Bronze Age town buried by the eruption, excavated with its streets standing
Reached from: Athens
Where to dine
A table by the water
Selene
PyrgosInland in the old capital, cooking Santorinian produce — fava, white aubergine, capers — grown in volcanic ash.
Ammoudi Bay
AmmoudiAt the bottom of the cliff below Oia, three hundred steps down, with the fish tied up in front of the tables.
Metaxi Mas
Exo GoniaAway from the caldera on the eastern side, and where the island eats rather than where it is photographed.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The caldera
A flooded volcanic crater three to four hundred metres deep, with the cliff banded in the layers the eruption laid down.
Nea Kameni
The black island in the middle, the volcano still growing, with a walk up to the crater and hot springs beside it.
Akrotiri
A Bronze Age town buried by the eruption and excavated with streets and two-storey houses standing.
Oia
The northern tip, and the sunset the island is known for — full by six, and better from the water.
The fleet
Yachts available for Santorini
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Santorini
- Can you anchor in the caldera?
- No — it is three to four hundred metres deep. Boats take mooring buoys, and in season those want arranging ahead of arrival.
- What is Akrotiri?
- A Bronze Age town on the southern end, buried by the eruption around 1600 BC and excavated with streets and two-storey houses standing. A Minoan Pompeii, seventeen centuries older.
- What does a yacht charter to Santorini cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter at Santorini
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.