Santorini Tomato Museum: All You Need to Know

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Written By: Pavlos Inglesis

It may come as a surprise but Santorini had one of the largest tomato production lines in Greece and in Balkans back in the 20th century. The economy of Greece was very different before the 1980s when tourism barely existed on the island of Santorini and the money were basically coming from agriculture, fishing and shipping. The largest factory of its kind in Greece, has now been transformed into the Santorini Tomato Industrial Museum which is also hosting lots of cultural events for the island every year along with the Santorini Art Factory and local Festivals in a beautiful fully restored space. Along with the Santorini Wine Museum, this is definitely worth your visit while on the island of Santorini.

santorini tomato museum
Santorini Tomato Museum is located in Vlychada in a beautiful restored building that (obviously) used to be an old tomato factory

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santorini tomato museum
This used to be one of the largest tomato factories in Eastern Europe back in the 1950s

VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW

  • Santorini Tomato Industrial Museum Tickets Prices: Full (10โ‚ฌ) , Reduced (6โ‚ฌ) – for Children 12-18 years old, Unemployed, Seniors Over 65 years old, Disabled people with their escorts
  • Free Admission to Santorini Tomato Industrial Museum: children up to 18 years old
  • Online Tickets: you don’t have to pre-book your tickets online as there is never a queue or large crowds; the museum does not have that many visitors as not that many people know about it
  • How long does it take to visit the Santorini Tomato Museum: you need at least 1 hour to see the whole factory
  • Opening Hours April, May and October:
    CLOSED Monday
    10:00-16:00 Tuesday
    10:00-16:00 Wednesday
    10:00-16:00 Thursday
    10:00-16:00 Friday
    10:00-16:00 Saturday
    10:00-16:00 Sunday
  • Opening Hours June, July, August and September:
    CLOSED Monday
    10:00-18:00 Tuesday
    10:00-18:00 Wednesday
    10:00-18:00 Thursday
    10:00-18:00 Friday
    10:00-18:00 Saturday
    10:00-18:00 Sunday
  • Santorini Tomato Industrial Museum is CLOSED on:
    1 January
    25 March
    1 May
    Greek Easter Sunday
    25 December
    26 December
  • Last Entrance: it’s always 45 minutes before closing
  • Best Time to go to the Santorini Tomato Museum: anytime is fine to be honest so if you are in Vlychada you can just pop in and learn a bit about the tomato production of the island; you may also want to combine your visit with one of their cultural events that mainly happen in the summer months of June, July and August
  • How to Get to the Santorini Tomato Museum: the “Vlychada Bus” from Fira will take you there in about 20 minutes (check the Santorini buses)
  • Where to Eat after your Santorini Tomato Museum visit: there are only a few options just down to Vlychada small harbour such as: To Psaraki (my personal favourite with some of the best seafood on the island), To Steki tou Psara and Aura

SANTORINI TOMATO MUSEUM

It’s very easy to get to the Santorini Tomato Industrial Museum as there is a direct local bus from Fira (20 mins ride) but you can also take a taxi or you can even drive with your own car.

santorini tomato museum
The Tomato Museum is in the old D. Nomikos factory and has a lovely terrace and cafe.
vlychada beach santorini
The Santorini Tomato Industrial Museum is a few meters away from the lovely Vlychada beach which is one of the best beaches in Santorini.
santorini tomato museum parking
As you arrive in Santorini, you will find a large space to park your car; it’s never busy and it’s free
santorini tomato museum
There are 2 main buildings in the Tomato Museum: the main Museum itself and the Santorini Arts Factory (SAF) opposite the main building which hosts cultural events and workshops
santorini tomato museum
There are lots of handmade baskets all over the place, a reminder of how the tomatoes were actually collected and stored back in the day
santorini tomato museum
the opening hours of both buildings of the Museum are posted just outside of the main building
santorini tomato museum
The handmade baskets were very popular all over Greece back in the day and were also used to collect the olives from the olive trees (been there, done that at my wife’s village!)
santorini tomato museum
The main building of the museum has all sorts of machinery that were fully operational back in the day
santorini tomato museum
I am not going to lie to you and say this is the most exciting museum in the world; it’s just an old tomato factory
santorini tomato museum
There are lots of tools in the Santorini Tomato Museum
santorini tomato museum
santorini tomato museum
The old tomato factory of D. Nomikos was transformed into a museum in 2014 offering an opportunity to the public to see first hand how the small-fruited (cherry) tomato of Santorini was processed and canned
santorini tomato museum
Some of the machinery of the Tomato Museum date back to 1890
santorini tomato museum
The Museum offers an audio-visual guide with stories from people who used to work in the factory
santorini tomato museum
These were the first cans ever produced; Santorini cherry tomato is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product since 2006 which basically means it is a unique product that only exists on the island of Santorini.
santorini tomato museum
The Museum (through SAF) offers lots of activities and workshops to the local community
santorini tomato museum
Pretty much all schools of the island visit the factory frequently
santorini tomato museum
There are lots of kids’ workshops in the Museum (and the SAF); they are all promoted through the main website of the Museum
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AUTHOR
Pavlos Inglesis
Greek, born and raised in Athens. I have been to almost every greek island and pretty much in every region of mainland Greece. I have also been eating souvlaki and gyros since the 80s. I love being a dad to my 2 beautiful daughters and also taking great photos of the places I visit. This is my blog to help you out explore the places I have visited with my inside tips as a Greek, knowing the ins and outs of my country and culture. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section under the post you are interested in and I wIll try my best to respond asap.

๐Ÿ›๏ธ Booking.com is the website with the most available rooms and Private Villas in Athens, Santorini , Mykonos & Crete (more than Airbnb!)

โ›ด๏ธ Ferryhopper is the best website to book your ferry tickets or check the timetables for Santorini, Mykonos , Crete & all greek islands

๐Ÿบ Get Your Guide has the best and largest variety of Tours in Athens and the greek islands (Santorini, Mykonos, Crete etc)

๐Ÿš™ Rentalcars is the easiest way to rent a car or a quad for Greece with thousands of available options

โœˆ๏ธ Booking.com Flights has all the available flights to and from the greek islands

๐Ÿš• Book Your Driver (Taxi) directly with booking.com's large and safe platform of available certified drivers

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