Greek Islands and Turkey from Venice
Venice, Dubrovnik, Kusadasi, Santorini, Katakolon, Venice

Visually, Santorini is the most spectacular of the isles in the Cyclades. With its brilliant flooded caldera, high cliffs and charming villages, it is the Greek Isle of everyone’s dreams. Our tour will take us to Santorini’s highest peak, crowned by the Mount Profitis Ilias Monastery. At 883 feet, Mt. Profitis Ilias rugged landscape is largely composed of volcanic rocks as a result of hundreds of eruptions during the last two million years, some of them being large caldera-forming events. Here, in this remote spot, we’ll have an ideal photo opportunity to capture the beauty of this ancient island.

We’ll discover the village of Pyrgos, which was the capital of Santorini until 1800. Here we’ll be able to admire the beautiful old houses and the Venetian Fortress crowned by several churches.

Our half-day tour then takes us to one of the island’s most famous traditional wineries. Viniculture is an ancient art in Santorini, and the fact that vines thrive at all is amazing considering the fact that the island has limited water resources. But the volcanic soil is an excellent medium for producing grapes, especially the Assyrtiko grape – a rare, white variety.

After our visit, we’ll drive through the countryside to visit Oia. This traditional Greek village of whitewashed cubes is perched impossibly high on cliffs at the north west tip of the island. Here, take in the stunning views of the island from one of the charming cafés or stroll above the rooftops of the homes carved into the cliffs and gaze into the deep blue waters of the caldera far below.

From Oia village, we’ll return to the cliff top town of Fira. Our tour ends here.