SANTORINI
History Tour Highlights
Museum of Prehistoric Thera,
Archeological site of Ancient Thera, Archeological site of Akrotiri
11:00 am
Morning Tour – Time Indicative
4 hrs
Half Day / 1 April – 15 November
from €800
Private – 2 Initial Participants
Tour overview
This tour will get you back thousands of years to the first groups of people that have ever lived on the island of Santorini. You will have the opportunity to visit the 3 most important archeological sites of the island, understand the history and importance of Santorini as a place and introduce yourselves to ancient Greek history.
Santorini has been known since ancient times, and throughout the millennia has been inhabited by many civilisations. The south of Thira is home to two ancient cities, dating from different eras.
When the volcano erupted and obliterated Santorini around 1600 BCE, the Minoan cities were buried under volcanic pumice and ash — much like Pompeii — and incredibly well preserved. The entire city of Ancient Akrotiri is covered with a giant canopy, so it can be comfortably visited even during the hot summer months. Visiting the archeological site of Acrotiri, we will have the opportunity to learn and understand these devastating events.
Fira has two different history museums: the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, the one we are visiting, which tells the story of the ancient Bronze Age settlement at Akrotiri, and the Archaeological Museum of Thera, that has a collection of pottery, amphora, and figures from the beginning of the Proto-Cycladic period of the 3rd millennium BC and continues on to the Classical period.
The archaeological site of Ancient Thera is our third stop. It is the second most important archaeological site in Santorini after Ancient Akrotiri. It was uncovered during large-scale excavations between 1896 and 1902 by German archeologist Friedrich Hiller von Gaertringen. The ruins on the NE and NW slopes were excavated by N. Zapheiropoulos between 1961-1982. All the way long to and from the Archeological Site, you will enjoy beautiful panoramic views.
Let’s make the experience even better
Santorini’s volcano is the most active in Greece and one of the most powerful caldera volcanos in the world. During the past 400,000 years, it has produced 12 explosive eruptions.