Vourvoulos – village character and a beach on Santorini

Vourvoulos is a small, agriculturally oriented village with views over the plain. The village’s churches are Agios Efstratios and Agios Panteleimonas. When choosing a holiday apartment, Vourvoulos therefore offers a different focus from a purely beach-oriented setting: the emphasis is on village character, views across the plain, and a beach that is easy to reach from the village.

Village character and beaches

Vourvoulos Beach is easy to reach from the village; it has black sand and black pebbles. Columbo and Pori are also easy to reach from Vourvoulos. When choosing a beach, you can therefore complement Vourvoulos’s sand-and-pebble beach with two other accessible destinations.

Santorini: landscape and contrasts

Santorini is the southernmost island of the Cyclades. The Santorini island group is shaped by a landscape of active volcanoes; the caldera was formed by a massive eruption around 1600 BC. At Vlychada Beach on Santorini, wild, pale cliffs form a distinctive lunar landscape—a different coastal impression from the black sand and black pebbles of Vourvoulos Beach.

Culture and events on Santorini

On Santorini, Pyrgos is a cultural and historical landmark. The village was designated a protected settlement in 1995. The ecclesiastical collection at the Profitis Ilias Monastery in Pyrgos opened as a permanent exhibition in August 1997. Akrotiri preserves remarkably well-preserved Minoan frescoes and buildings that were buried beneath volcanic ash.

The Ifestia Festival takes place on the third Saturday in September and depicts the volcanic eruption with fireworks. Santorini Experience is organised every year by the Municipality of Thira, its Department of Culture and Sports, and Active Media. The two events offer different points of reference for planning your season: a fixed September date and an annual event. Check the programme dates for your year of travel.

Walking routes on the island

Walking routes on Santorini connect Pyrgos with Profitis Ilias, Emporio and Ancient Thera. A route along the edge of the caldera runs from Imerovigli to Oia and offers views of the sea, the caldera and the volcano. You can choose between walking routes with several named destinations and a caldera route whose course and views are the main focus.

Santorini cuisine

Santorini Fava is a PDO product made from the cotyledons of the legume Lathyrus clymenum L., which grows exclusively in Thera’s volcanic soil. The Santorini tomato is also a PDO product and has been cultivated since the early 19th century. The white Santorini eggplant has a sweet aroma and juicy flesh that does not absorb oil when fried. Local chefs make tomato fritters called Tomatokeftedes with PDO cherry tomatoes. Chloro is a creamy goat’s cheese produced in very limited quantities on Santorini.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Karterados, Éxo Goniá, Oía, Agia Theodoti, Agkali, Megalochori, Perissa, Akrotírion.

Back to the main travel guide: Santorini.