Santorini Highlights Half Day private tour

Santorini Highlights Half Day Private tour

• Oia
• Firostefani
• Blue Domed Church
• Pyrgos Village

This tour is the perfect way to discover the treasures of Santorini.

Oia

The tour starts with a drive to Oia (pronounced Ia), which is the most famous of all villages of Santorini. It is known throughout the world for its beauty, the incredible sunset and some amazing hotels. It is certainly the most beautiful and picturesque village of Santorini (and some say of Greece). The village is situated on top of an impressive cliff and offers a spectacular view over the volcano and the island of Thirassia.

Oia is a traditional village with charming houses in narrow streets, blue-domed churches, and sun-bathed verandas. Its streets have plenty of tourist shops, restaurants, cafes, and other shops. Oia is quieter than Fira and the busiest area is the main pedestrian that runs along its length. At the entrance of the village there is a car park, where visitors can leave their vehicle and enjoy long walks in the picturesque paths. The volcano from here is much less imposing but you can still get some gorgeous views. Many artists fell in love with the area and settled there. For that reason, the village of Oia has many art galleries.

Firostefani

The walk from Fira to Firostefani through the old cobblestone path is the best way to visit this picturesque settlement, enjoying the magnificent view to the Caldera.
The blue dome of Aghioi Theodoroi church (Saints Theodore) is featured in many photos of Santorini. Should you find it open, take a look at the old icon on its chancel screen. Two smaller Catholic chapels, dedicated to Panagia (Virgin Mary) and Aghioi (St) Theodoroi used to stand at this very point, in the past. In 1570, a sailor brought back from Russia an icon depicting Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. In order to honour it, the Catholics built a big church in the place of the two smaller chapels, and soon people spread the word that the icon was miraculous.
As you are walking in Firostefani with your local tour leader, you will also come across the church of Aghios Gerassimos and the square, a meeting point for locals and tourists.
The settlement has luxurious hotels, rooms to let, restaurants, cafes, mini markets and other shops.

Blue Domed Church

Pyrgos Village

Its steep, medieval alleys are home to wine bars and tavernas, galleries, and boutiques.

Pyrgos village with the narrow paths and the traditional stone houses is a must see of Santorini!

Private Tours are personal and flexible just for you and your party.

Inclusions:

According to searches and excavations on Santorini, the first human presence on the island dates back to the Neolithic Period. Santorini hosted an important civilization around 3600 BCE. Discoveries made in an important city near Akrotiri and the famous Red Beach show the existence of an ancient Minoan colony. The city was very similar to those found in the island of Crete, with many wall ornaments and pottery showing naturalistic landscapes of animals and humans of the same ancient Minoan style. In ancient times, Santorini Island was known as Stongili, which means round in Greek. Strongili was the victim of an enormous volcanic eruption in 1,500 BCE.

The eruption was so huge that many consider it to be the main cause of the destruction of the great Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, situated 70 nautical miles away. Specialists believe that the explosion was so great that it created gigantic waves that reached the shores of the surrounding islands and Crete. After the explosion, the centre of Santorini sank, and the many earthquakes that followed destroyed a big part of the rest of the island. Many studies and research have been presented about the volcano of Santorini, including a series of documentaries by National Geographic. In some ancient myths, the destruction of the island is closely associated to the legend of Atlantis. According to history, Phoenicians settled on ancient Thera around 1,300 BCE and stayed for five generations.

Then, around 1100 BCE, the island was occupied by the Lacedaemonians. Around 825 BCE, the inhabitants of the island, then named Thera, were using the Phoenician alphabet. In the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, Thera had commercial and trade relations with most of the islands and cities of Greece. During the Hellenistic Period, Thera, because of its central position in the Aegean, became an important trade centre and an important naval base, due to its strategically perfect position. Between 1200 AD and 1579 AD, the island was under Byzantine rule and the church of Episkopi Gonia was founded. In 1204 AD the island is surrendered to the Venetian Marco Sanudo and becomes part of the Duke of the Aegean. The name of the island was given by the Venetians after the Santa Irini, the name of a catholic church. During that time there is a strong battle between Venetians and pirates. During the Turkish rule (1579-1821) the island succeeds in trading development with the ports of Eastern Mediterranean. The period that follows is quite prosperous.

Due to the wars of the 20th century, Santorini’s economy declines and the inhabitants abandon the island after the catastrophic earthquake in 1956. The tourist development in Santorini begins in the 1970s and today it is one of the best tourist destinations in the world. Over the years, Santorini has also developed as a wedding and honeymoon destination, while many international meetings and conferences take place there in summer, at the Nomikos Conference Center or in luxurious hotels.

Firstly and most importantly, ALL CANCELLATIONS MUST BE CONFIRMED BY Olive Sea Travel.

Regarding Day Tours, Cancellation 24 hours before your service date is 100% refundable.

Policy:

• As Licensed Tour Guides and Hotels are external cooperators, they have their own cancellation policy.
• Apart from the above cancellation limits, NO refunds will be made. If though, you fail to make your appointment for reasons that are out of your hands, that would be, in connection with the operation of your airline or cruise ship or strikes, extreme weather conditions or mechanical failure. You WILL be refunded 100% of the paid amount.
• Let it be noted that, if your cancellation date is over TWO (2) months away from your reservation date, It has been known for third-party providers such as credit card companies, PayPal, etc. to charge a levy fee usually somewhere between 2-4%.
• Olive Sea reserves the right to cancel your booking at any time, when reasons beyond our control arise, such as strikes, prevailing weather conditions, mechanical failures, etc. occur. In this unfortunate case, you shall be immediately notified via the email address you used when making your reservation and your payment WILL be refunded 100%.