Santorini is one of the most famous and beautiful Cycladic Islandlocated in the Aegean Sea about 200 km south-east from Athens. In Santorini there are many things tosee and do which becomes the unforgettable and breathe taking experiences forthe tourists. Deep blue see, active volcano, volcanic landscape, delightfulsunny weather, delicious local wine, breath taking sun set, beautiful villagesand rich history are the few of the reasons that fame Santorini as the mostpopular holiday and vacation destination in all over the world.

 

The villages of SantoriniIsland are regarded as the mostbeautiful villages in Greece.Fira is the most beautiful and considered as one of the most important of allvillages with approximately 2000 permanent residents. Fira town is the capitalof Santorini Island which clings to the edge of acliff at a height of 260 meters and offers the most pictorial representation ofthe submerged volcano. Pyrgos was the capital of the Island,but early in the 19^th century the capital of island was moved toFira.

 

The Island of Santorini was greatly affected by a severe earthquakein 1956 that destroyed a large part of the Island.The effect of the earthquake was so stringent that a part of Fira town wasdestroyed completely, but fortunately few of the 18^th centurybuilding were saved.

 

Fira is a completely modern town and a typical Cycladic Village made of dazzling white painted houseswith blue color windows and doors separated from each other with steppedstreets. Not only the dazzling white houses but also some blue domed churchesand sun- bathed verandas offer an extraordinary view of the volcano and theunforgettable sunset.

 

Fira is the largest town on the island and visitors oftenprefer this place as it is in central position made easy for the travelers toaccess other parts of Santorini by rent cars and public buses. During summerand in its high season the central streets become more crowded, live and filledwith all kind and varieties of restaurant, cafes, shops, bars and night clubs.Besides all crowd one can find many places quite to relax and enjoy the greatview of island and surrounding areas.

 

 The town also containsmany churches and monasteries such as Panagia tou Rodariou, the cathedral ofHypapandi, the monastery of Panagia ton Dominikanidon, Agios Minas, thecathedral of Christ and the Catholic Cathedral. There is also Megaron Gyzi Museum, which has a greatcollection of valuable photos of Fira before and after the earthquake of 1956.

 

Fira is a nice town for shopping and in the main hub of thetown one can find huge range of jewelry shops and also you can find usualtourist style shops and smart boutiques. The town has a large number of hotelsand you can notice most of the hotels are offering swimming pools and verandasto attract their customers. In summer from early morning to evening the cablecar has facilitated the life of people, especially the tourists, but the mulescarrying tourists are still a vital point of attraction creating an originalexperience.

 

Communication to Fira

 

One can access to Fira by public bus, rent cars and privatevehicle. Fira is also connected with public busses to all villages andtouristic resorts of the Island

 

Fira has been attracting a large number of visitors from allover the world with various cultural and financial back grounds. It offersglamorous and luxurious hotels, restaurants, rented rooms, camps, bars, cafeteriaand night clubs for easy accommodation and entertaining visits of offshoretourists.