Santorini

When to go

June and September are the island at its best: warm sea, long light, and the cruise crowds thinner than in July and August. May is lovely and cheaper but the water is still cool. Winter, much of the caldera-edge accommodation and restaurants simply close.

Getting around

Buses run from the hub in Fira to Oia, the beaches and the port — cheap, frequent in season, and standing-room-only at sunset. An ATV or small car gives you freedom but caldera-edge parking is a nightmare in the evening. Pre-book an airport or port transfer for arrival; taxis are few and vanish when the ferries dock.

Where to base yourself

Oia has the postcard view and the sunset scrum. Fira is louder and more central, best if you're relying on buses. Imerovigli, on the ridge between them, keeps the caldera view and loses the crowds. For the sunset without the Oia crush, walk the caldera path from Fira toward Imerovigli in the last hour of light.

Beyond the caldera

The famous villages are the west edge; the rest of the island is quieter and worth a day. Ancient Akrotiri is a Bronze Age town buried by the eruption and remarkably intact. The black-sand beaches at Perissa and Kamari are for swimming and long lunches. A boat trip to the volcanic islets and the hot springs is touristy but genuinely good.