Akrotiri Santorini Prehistoric City: All You Need to Know
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Written By: Pavlos
The Ancient Akrotiri Prehistoric ruins is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece and definitely the most significant cultural attraction in Santorini. This is one of the most important prehistoric settlements of the Aegean that dates back to 4000 BC and flourished till the eruption of the Santorini volcano somewhere between 1650 and 1550 BC. Akrotiri Prehistoric Ruins is a beautiful excavated and preserved archaeological site that sits very close to the Red Beach of Santorini.
Akrotiri Prehistoric City is considered Greece’s Pompeii and for many, this was the lost city of Atlantis; make no mistake this is the top cultural attraction in Santorini and a must do while on the island.
Akrotiri Prehistoric City Tickets Prices: Full (12€) , Reduced (6€) – for Senior EU Citizen over 65 years old and Students outside of the EU, Special Package Ticket (15€ Full) – for 3 days 1 access only to all of Santorini’s archaeological sites including Akrotiri, Ancient Thera and the Museum of Prehistoric Thera
Free Admission to Akrotiri: under 18 years old, EU Students, on the specific dates 28th of October, 6th of March, 18th of April, 18th of May, the last weekend of September every year and every first Sunday of the month from 1st of November til 31st of March every year
Online Tickets: you don’t have to pre-book your tickets online and there is barely any lines or queues in the ticket office at the entrance even in July and August; just show up and pay for the ticket. There is always availability.
Akrotiri Prehistoric City is CLOSED on: 1 January 25 March 1 May Greek Easter Sunday 25 December 26 December
Parking: there is a pretty big free parking lot just opposite the main entrance so that’s not an issue; expect it to be very busy in July and August though so the earliest you visit the better it would be
Best Time to go to Akrotiri Prehistoric City: it’s never very crowded and the bioclimatic roof offers very good ventilation so even on the hot summer days it’s very comfortable inside; overall I would suggest it’s better if you visit early in the morning around 9-10 so that you can continue your day to a nearby beach (Red Beach is in walkable distance)
How to Get to Akrotiri: the “Akrotiri Bus” from Fira will take you there in about 20 minutes (check the Santorini buses)
Best Thing to bring with you on your visit to Akrotiri: a bottle of water! There are a few vending machines in the area and some small kiosks selling snacks and drinks but you should better bring your own water; you will definitely need it in the summer
Where to Eat after your Akrotiri visit: there are only a few options just down the small beach from Akrotiri: Melina’s Tavern, Cave of Stolidas and Cave of Nikolas restaurants with Melina’s being my personal favourite (they are all good!)
AKROTIRI SANTORINI PREHISTORIC CITY ENTRANCE AND TICKETS
It’s very easy to go to the Akrotiri Prehistoric City Archaeological Site as there is a direct local bus from Fira (20 mins drive) but you can also take a taxi or you can even drive with your own car.
The parking lot just outside of the Akrotiri Prehistoric City Entrance which is also where the local Santorini Bus will drop you offThis is the main entrance of the Archaeological Site (yes, stray dogs and cats will be around and they are very well treated and taken care by the Museum staff)This is the ticket office of the Akrotiri Prehistoric City Archaeological Site; there are barely any queues even in the busiest of times in July or August so it’s really not necessary to book anything online in advance You can find the latest details for the tickets and the opening hours just posted on the ticket office itself, so please check before buying any tickets to see how many you need (children and Seniors over 65 go for free for example)The outdoor area of the Archaeological Site is really well maintained with plenty of space and dedicated pathsThere is even a vending machine with drinks and cold water but I having your own drinks and water is highly advisable as I cannot guarantee these will be working when you visit There is even a local WiFi that you can use around the areathere are lots of available toilets and amenities in the site and they are all very clean and accessibleThis is the main entrance of the archaeological site itselfSome super (and not prehistoric) dogs are around that are taken care by the staff of the museum
THE HISTORY OF THE EXCAVATIONS IN AKROTIRI
Archaeological excavations in Akrotiri started in 1867 when some locals found some artefacts in the area. The main excavation though was initiated by the visionary Greek Archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos (died in 1974) and his assistant Christos Doumas who is still the main Lead Archaeologist in the ongoing Akrotiri excavations.
Photo from the main Akrotiri excavations in 1967-1974 (yes, these were found during the military Junta in Greece; Spyridon Marinatos was a supporter of the regime)Spyridon Marinatos in 1971 posing with his camera on top of the freshly excavated ruins of prehistoric AkrotiriChristos Doumas (on the left and Marinatos on the right) took over the responsibility of Director of Akrotiri Excavation till today. He is at the moment the single most knowledgeable person for Akrotiri on earth. Here is a great mini-documentary (in Greek) for him. A maps showing exactly how the area looked back in the day is available in the site
INSIDE THE AKROTIRI SANTORINI PREHISTORIC CITY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
The main archaeological site in Akrotiri is covered in an impressive bioclimatic roof that has recently transformed the whole area. The new roof was installed and is in operation since 2012. It was built to replace an old and rusty roof that was originally installed in the 70’s.
The archaeological site is one of the most impressive in Greece with wide wooden dedicated pathways and a massive bioclimatic roof.Once you get in, you will see lots of groups from guided tours and I highly recommend you get on one guided tour such as this one.There is also a miniature model that shows a complete overview of how the whole excavation site looks like There is also lots of pics showing the history and the progress of the excavations in AkrotiriThis is the Akrotiri Excavations Lab where restorators work on a daily basis to collect, categorize and store all the artefacts and pieces of prehistoric ruins that are found on-site during the excavations. The dedicated path for the visitors is wooden and very smoothThe findings are impressive as this is a small city that flourished and it was one of the richest in the Meditteranean sea back in the day (1600 BC)There are lots of rooms from buildings of the town; most of them were rebuilt after several earthquakes and volcanic erruptions.The Akrotiri prehistoric city is believed to have had at least 30000 people with excellent urban design, storage buildings, a complete drainage system and paved roads and streets. The main building materials were stone, clay, hay, wood and gypsumThere were 2 and 3-storey buildings that were decorated with impressive colourful frescoes that evidently showed this was an elegant society fully appreciating art and luxury The most interesting fact is that no human remains were ever found in the excavation which led the Archaeologists to believe there was a catastrophic event that made people get on the nearest ship and abandon their city; this event was believed to be one of the biggest volcanic eruptions ever happened in human history, that occurred in Santorini around 1500 BCEverything was pretty much covered in volcanic ashes and the archaeologists had to invent new methods in order to make sure the findings were not damaged There are lots of clay pots that were mostly used for storage of flour, oil, olives, weed and other edibles There were lots of storage rooms because Akrotiri was flourishing as it was one of the largest ports in the area at its timeYou awill be getting very close to all the artefacts and findings but you won’t be able to touch or get very close to them as they are extremely sensitive.The city itself had lots of squares and impressive roadsThe House of Ladies is one of the less stable at the moment and it is the one where some of the most impressive frescoes of the excavation depicting the women’s life in the Minoan culture and society The excavation is still on going and you may see people working on some of the rooms when you visitYou will see lots of supporting beams as most of the buildings are very unstable and the slopes need additional supportThe buildings of the city are still impressive as we are basically talking about a city that flourished 1500 years before the Roman Empire for example. These are some of the oldest buildings in the world ever found.These are believed to be prehistoric beds and furniture.
THE AKROTIRI PREHISTORIC CITY SHOP
The Akrotiri Prehistoric City site has a small but lovely shop that sells books and copies of some of the artefacts found in Akrotiri.
The Museum Shop in Akrotiri is small but interestingThe shop is open at the same opening hours as the archaeological sites The shop sells copies of some artefactsThere are some impressive copies that you can buyThe shop also sells books about the excavation in AkrotiriSome of the copies are extremely detailedAs you get out of the Akrotiri Prehistoric Site you will see a small kiosk selling books and souvenirs. This is set up by the people who are actively working in the excavations and are supporting them and their work directly (yes, the Greek State is not funding the excavations enough and it is a fact that these people working there are paid peanuts, so please support these teams as much as possible) The kiosk is run directly by the people who work in the excavations. The museum shop and the archaeological site itself are run by the Greek Ministry of Culture.
NEARBY RESTAURANTS AND CRUISES FROM AKROTIRI
There is a small beach a few meters down the road as you exit the Akrotiri Archaeological site.There is a small port from where you can get a boat to other islands and to some of the main beaches of Santorini Directions from Akrotiri are clear…You can get a small cruise boat to these areas from AkrotiriJust outside of the ticket office you will find all the details about the available tickets and the opening timesThe small beach with a few fish restaurants just meters away from Akrotiri Prehistoric CityMelina’s Tavern is one of the best restaurants in Akrotiri
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“Better than a travel guide!”
ABOUT ME:
My name is Pavlos and I come from the beautiful country called Greece. You can follow me on Twitter here and I will try to do my best to respond to you personally. This is my blog to help you plan your next holidays to Greece and the greek islands, whether it is Santorini, Mykonos, Crete or even Athens. I was actually born in Athens and I have been to almost all of the greek islands and pretty much most of mainland Greece. I know the ins and outs of my country and hopefully my travel blog will help you make the most of your holidays.
