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A few information boards are dotted around the site which give you some basic information about what youre looking at. The first difference between Pompeii and the Akrotiri archaeological site is their age. As indicated by the pottery that was discovered, the residents of Akrotiri had trading relations with Crete, the Dodecanese, Greeces mainland, Cyprus and probably Egypt and Syria. Every first Sunday of the month from November 1st to March 31st.

Your email address will not be published. But if you want to get more of an insight into Akrotiri its worth hiring a guide you can pre-book an hour-long tour* with an archaeologist, or otherwise there are usually guides gathered at the entrance.

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If you dont want to pay for a tour, it appears that you can hire a guide upon arrival at Akrotiri for 10 euros per person, plus the 12 euro entrance fee. Get in touch with our travel specialists and design the trip of your dreams! Read More:Essential Greece Packing List: What to Wear & Pack for Greece. Were Santorinis leading marketplace to explore and book unforgettable travel experiences. Even though it was discovered over a hundred years ago, the work is still ongoing (and Balkan bureaucracy is likely not speeding up the process!). But whats ground level for us is roof height in Akrotiri. Or at least thats what its known as now. A pathway leads down through some of the reconstructed houses, where you can see details like an original Minoan toilet and a stone bathtub. Since then around 40 buildings have been identified but theres a long way still to go. Archaeologists have found a variety of vessels made by locals, in all sizes, shapes and colors, for both domestic and aesthetic use. How Many Days Do You Need in Santorini? TheMinoan people decorated Akrotiri with elaborate painted frescoes, made their own wine and crafted furniture, pots and sculptures. Our servers run on Microsoft's Azure Cloud platform. We love the peace of mind it gives us in case of emergencies, accidents, illnesses, theft, or trip cancellation or disruption. A water bottle with a filter. Blogs are great, but a combination of a blog and a guidebook is key to having the best access to information easily at your fingertips. After research from archeologists, evidence of human habitation at the historic site of Akrotiri, dates back to the Neolithic Age (4500 BC), when the village started to grow from a small fishing and farming village that it was, to become very important in the trading business in the Aegean. Amazing when you think this was during the Bronze Age, when people in Britain were still living in huts and building stone circles. While Santorini is safe, theres always a risk inherent in everyday travel like pickpockets or injury, so its better to play it safe. I recommend adding value to your visit to Akrotiri with a guided tour the simplified transportation and the added historical context offered a fantastic value.

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The eruption was so strong that changed the morphology of the island of Santorini and connected it with the myth of Lost Atlantis, something that has not been proved scientifically though.

Some small-scale digs took place but the remains stayed where they were for another hundred years until excavations began in 1967.

But things were put on hold at the site in 2005 after the roof of the previous building collapsed and killed a British tourist, and it took seven years to repair and reopen the site.

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I loved that it made seeing all of those sights in a single day without a car extremely easy, and after seeing Santorini roads, I wouldnt have wanted to drive much there anyway! Sofia Adventures is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. We had about 45 minutes to explore Akrotiri, which was ample time for me. But the big difference atAkrotiri is that no human or animal remains were found here. For one, Akrotiri is a far more ancient civilization than Pompeii.

They both had to be meticulously excavated from the ash, and huge remains of entire cities were found. this is the affordable group tour I did and loved. First read our guide toplanning a trip to Greece, which covers visas, budgets, vaccines, and much more. Entrance to Akrotiri costs 12 adults/6 concessions.

Some famous wall paintings can also be admired in the National Archaeological Museum, in Athens. You may hear only 5% excavated and assume theres nothing interesting to see at Akrotiri but youd be dead wrong. People lived in two- and three-storey houses which had balconies, underfloor heating, hot and cold running water and some of the first indoor toilets. Violent earthquakes proceeding the eruption tipped people off, and historians believe they fled in boats.

Book your group tour to Akrotiri & southern Santorini today!

*, Off-season in Ios, Greece: Visiting in spring and autumn, One day in Reykjavik, Iceland: A 24-hour itinerary. WHAT A REVELATION SINCE MY VISIT !. In order to properly preserve the findings of Akrotiri, several of the most beautiful highlights of the archaeological site have been moved to places where they are less vulnerable to the elements.

This 1.5-hour tour is private and more in-depth than the tour I did, but youd have to sort out transportation yourself.

Akrotiri and Pompeii are frequently compared, and its not surprising why when you look at their histories. It was a wonderful day trip, covering basically all of southern Santorini in one hassle-free (but admittedly long) day.

Akrotiri had its heyday in the 2nd millennium BC (around 1650-1550 BC), before the Minoan eruption one of the largest recorded volcanic events in history completely devastated it. Santorini Nightlife: The Best Bars, Nightclubs & Tips from the Locals!

Santorini View is operated by Atlantis Software E-Services, a reliable travel agency licensed by the Greek National Tourism Organization with registry number It was christened Akrotiri after the nearby modern town of the same name, but its original name is just one of its mysteries.

Today, visitors can wander around the remains of the city, observe the narrow stone-paved streets and admire the ruins of the big squares, the houses that were made of mud and stones and the basements that were used as storages and workshops, while some of the significant objects that were found are exhibited at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira. The ancient city of Akrotiri is enormous. These range from drinking cups up to giant storage vessels decorated with geometric patterns. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I VAGUELY RECALL VISITNG ACROTIRI WHEN THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DISCOVERY HAD BEEN REALISED.

Read more, Domes and donkeys: The best things to do in Fira, Santorini, 8 of the best day trips in Santorini, Greece, Visiting Delos island, Greece: A great day trip from Mykonos. The ash has perfectly preserved the Minoan way of life, from painted frescoes to hundreds of pots. Looking for somewhere to stay in Santorini? I went to Akrotiri on a guided tour, and it was one of the best decisions I made on my trip.

Visit the Prehistoric site of Akrotiri and feel its unique majestic atmosphere while transferring yourself into the distant past!

But because it was positioned on the trade route between Europe and the Middle East, the money flowed in and it grew up into a big, prosperous port city. The excavations in Akrotiri brought to light one of the most important and impressive prehistoric settlements of the Aegean. Now theres a new destination how exciting, one day Ill be able to come a experience these historic sites. An alternative way of visiting this impressive settlement is by the many bus tours that are available on the island. Our guide was phenomenal and had a tablet on hand to show us renderings of what certain places must have looked like, as well as photographs of parts of Akrotiri which had been moved in other museums to be better preserved. We also strongly recommend travel insurance!

Travel safety items. It also set off a 100-metre-high tsunami that battered the coastline of Crete and reached as far as Egypt. This trading activity led the civilization to its growth, enhanced the citys prosperity and led the inhabitants to a flourishing way of life. But head south of famous Oia and Fira and youll find a different type of Greek settlement the ruined city of Akrotiri, Santorini. This includes the beautiful wall paintings, which indicate that Akrotiri was an incredibly rich and developed settlement. I was glad that I had a guide at Akrotiri because she informed us that many of the wall paintings had been moved to the Thera Gallery in the NationalArchaeological Museum in Athens, as well as the local Museum of PrehistoricThira (not to be confused with the Archaeological Museum of Thera, which is not even worth the 2 euro entry fee).

Pompeii was discovered nearly 300 years ago, so theyve had a lot longer to uncover the sight. However, excavations had already started in 1870 by the French geologist F. Fouque. There are over 15,000 pots, the remains of two skyscrapers which once formed the entrance to the city, and even one of the worlds oldest toilets (with functional plumbing, apparently!). To date, only 5% of the site has been excavated.

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Private Boat Tours & Cruises in Santorini, Private Boats for Parties and Events in Santorini, Striking images and wondrous places offer unforgettable experiences, Extraordinary landscapes compose unique settings, Exemplary landmarks revive a glorious era, A vast collection of the history, evolution and culture of the island, The original taste of Santorini in a glass, Best things and attractions you have to do when you visit Santorini island, Explore the picturesque villages of the island.

Walkways are suspended above the ruins and take you around the edge of the city. If you dont have a car there are regular buses from Fira bus station to Akrotiri, which take around 20 minutes and cost 2 one way. I'm Lucy, I've been travelling for over 25 years and share guides, itineraries and advice on my blog On the Luce to help you create stylish, affordable and sustainable travel experiences around the world. Pompeii, on the other hand, was destroyed in 79 BC, nearly 2,000 years later. Instead, we both carry the samePacSafe anti-theft backpack. I also found that having a guide at Akrotiri was essential to getting the most out of my time there, as a lot of the site was not explained, and the informational placards were fairly limited. Theyre located in the south of the island, 20 minutes drive from Fira.

But the buried city of Akrotiri was forgotten about until the 1860s. This will also come in handy on Greek ferries and other Santorini must-dos like a catamaran cruise! We think Santorini is safe to travel, but at the same time, it never hurts to be prepared! This is wildly different than Pompeii, which is 70% excavated nearly 15 times more completed! It has locking zippers, slash-proof construction with metal mesh hidden in the fabric, and tons of other smart security features all while being cute and stylish enough to be our everyday bag.

If youre a lover of archaeological sites, we also have guides to visiting Delos from Mykonos and visiting the Acropolis in Athens.

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