Private Excavations of Akrotiri

Tour Details

Explore a Minoan settlement and Akrotiri's modern sites on this private cultural tour in Santorini. Your tour includes an expert guide and private vehicle ride to Fira and transportation to Akrotiri, where you'll get 1.5 hours to see the many remnants of an ancient Akrotiri, including furniture, frescoes and other artifacts from the Minoan Bronze Age. Have free time to spend the way you want exploring the modern village of Akrotiri, making this tour perfect for history buffs who want a little flexibility to plan a part of their itinerary.

Begin your private, half-day tour by tendering ashore from your ship to Fira. From here, your local guide will take you to a cable car which will take you to your private vehicle. Take a quick, scenic and panoramic 20-minute ride to your first leg of the tour: ancient Akrotiri, a famous archeology site with recent excavations that date to the late 1960s. Before the middle second million B.C., scholars believe Ancient Akrotiri was a former Minoan settlement that thrived during the Minoan Bronze Age. But this ancient Cycladic archeological site became covered with a blanket of lava when a huge eruption from a volcano took place.

While the Minoan settlement met a tragic end, the ash and lava worked to preserve the site well. Today, you can see the remnants of this catastrophic event and wonder at the marvels of volcanic soil's ability to keep frescoes, furniture, pottery and other artifacts in such pristine shape as you explore the excavaction site. The early excavations also uncovered three-story buildings and an advanced drainage system, which is an indication of the Minoan settlement's thriving culture at the time.

Continue to see Akrotiri's modern village where you will be provided some free time to explore the city sites for approximately one hour. This quiet village is home to whitewashed buildings and a former Venetian castle that sits on a hilltop. From the top of the hill you can catch panoramic views of the town and the Caldera. Stroll through its quiet streets, admire the architecture and enjoy the laid back atmosphere as you find handcrafted items to take home from your trip. Meet with your guide as arranged and travel back to Santorini's capital of Fira, where your guide will share instructions on how to catch a cable car back to your port before ending your excursion.

Whether you're looking for a chance to explore Ancient Akrotiri or a quiet stroll through the modern village, this tour gives you the best of both worlds by giving you a "past-meets-present" view of Akrotiri. Experience all that this Southern Santorini village and prehistoric excavation site has to offer and book this exciting private guided tour today!