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Top Ten Destinations of Greece - #4
The Island of Santorini (Thira, Fira)

By deTraci Regula, About.com

Banded cliffside at Santorini (Thira)

The vivid colors of the cliffs on the island of Santorini mesmerize visitors.

deTraci Regula
Atlantis legends, missing Minoans, a living volcanic legacy, swell sunsets, good local wine, fine restaurants, vampire stories, oodles of tourists. There's nothing like it. But rearrange your trip, cancel your tickets, do anything in your power to be able to arrive by sea, slowly crawling up the coast watching the banded cliffs of brown, black, and red crowned by snow-white tufa, a light lava which still clings to parts of the island like frosting on a cake. Signature sight of the once-buried city of Akrotiri is under a tin roof, gets extraordinarily hot - go early in the day. The hotels carved into the cliffsides are not for those with vertigo. Looking for activity, bustle, lots of restaurant choices? Stay in Fira. Want more of a retreat but still with all the amenities? Stay in Oia.

Find and compare hotel rates on Santorini: Santorini Hotels
Compare airfares to Greece here: Find Greek Airfares

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