Vourvoulos Santorini – Village, Beach and Sunrise

Vourvoulos Santorini: The Village Between Fira and the Sea

Vourvoulos Santorini sits about two and a half kilometres north of Fira and the same distance east of Imerovigli, on the shoulder of land between the caldera ridge and the eastern coast. It is a working farming village with its own beach below it, and it is five minutes from the busiest place on the island. Book with Santorini Tours, a licensed local operator.

Almost nobody stops in Vourvoulos Santorini. The road to Oia runs along the ridge above and the coast road runs below, and Vourvoulos Santorini sits between the two with a couple of tavernas, a few shops, some quiet lanes and a view east over the Aegean that costs nothing.

That is the trade Vourvoulos Santorini offers. There is no caldera panorama here – you walk five minutes up the hill for that. What there is instead is the sunrise, a beach with nobody on it, and prices that belong to a Greek village rather than a resort.

Where it is

Two and a half kilometres from Fira, the same from Imerovigli, fifteen minutes from Oia, ten from the airport, fifteen from Kamari. The village beach is about a kilometre downhill on the east coast.

Why go

For the beach, the lanes, the war memorials, and dinner at a third of what the caldera charges five minutes away.

What to See in Vourvoulos Santorini

The village lanes

The lanes of Vourvoulos Santorini are whitewashed, narrow, level in most places, and empty. Twenty minutes covers them. The houses are a mix of built and rock-cut, as everywhere on this island, and several old yposkafa – rooms dug horizontally into the pumice – are still in use as stores and homes.

The war memorials

There are two: one in the centre of the village and one at the entrance. The second marks the place where villagers were executed during the occupation. This is not a tourist monument and it is not explained on a board; it is a village remembering its own, and it is the most serious thing in Vourvoulos Santorini.

The church and the square

The centre of village life, with cafés around it and a view out over the eastern plain. Open through the winter, because the people using it live here.

Vourvoulos beach

A kilometre downhill: dark grey sand and pebbles, low cliffs behind, a taverna or two, and effectively no development at all. There is a small anchorage used by the village fishing boats. In June you can have a long stretch of it to yourself.

The view east

From the edge of the village the land drops away to the Aegean, with Anafi on the horizon on a clear day. Vourvoulos Santorini faces the sunrise rather than the sunset, and almost nobody on this island is awake for it.

The vineyards

They start where the houses stop. This is farming country, and the basket-trained vines run right up to the lanes.

The History of Vourvoulos Santorini

Vourvoulos Santorini was inland by design. Like every old settlement on Santorini, the village was built back from the water. The Aegean was raided from the sea for centuries, and a farming community with a small anchorage kept the anchorage and put the houses out of sight of it.

Farming and fishing. Vourvoulos Santorini lived off the land above and the water below – vines, tomatoes, barley and a handful of boats. It was never a wine-merchant village like Megalochori and never a captains’ village like Karterados. It was, and largely still is, a village of people who work.

The occupation. The memorials in the village and at its entrance record the villagers killed in and after 1940, including those executed at the entrance to the village. Santorini was occupied through the war and the islands paid heavily; here it is marked in stone in two places rather than written up anywhere.

1956. The Amorgos earthquake, magnitude 7.7, damaged buildings across the island. The villages on solid ground away from the caldera rim came through better than those on the cliff, but emigration followed here as everywhere.

Now. A small resident population, a few hotels and rooms, mini markets and tavernas open all year, and a beach that has never been developed. Vourvoulos Santorini is what most of this island looked like before 1980.

Vourvoulos Beach

One kilometre below Vourvoulos Santorini, and one of the emptiest beaches on Santorini.

What it is. A long stretch of dark grey sand and pebbles under low cliffs, with a small anchorage for the village boats at one end and a taverna or two behind it. No sunbed rows, no bars, no music.

The water. Clear and deep fairly quickly, which suits swimmers more than paddlers. The east coast catches the meltemi, so on a windy day it can be choppy here when Perissa on the south coast is flat.

Who goes. Residents of Vourvoulos Santorini, a few people staying nearby, and almost nobody else. This is the beach five minutes from Fira that the guidebooks do not mention.

What to bring. Everything. There is very little shade, no reliable umbrella hire and no shop.

Getting there. Five minutes by car down from the village with parking at the end of the road, or a walk of around twenty minutes down and rather more back up.

Compared with the famous beaches. Kamari and Perissa are longer, blacker and far better organised, with everything you might want and several hundred people. This is the opposite proposition. Kamari · Perissa.

Staying in Vourvoulos Santorini

What you get. Five minutes from Fira at village prices, a beach a kilometre downhill, mini markets and tavernas open all year, easy parking and flat ground. A handful of small hotels, rooms and villas.

What you give up. The caldera view. Vourvoulos Santorini sits east of the ridge and looks at the Aegean. Imerovigli, which has arguably the best caldera view on the island, is two and a half kilometres away – go there for the evening and come back to sleep.

Who it suits. Travellers who want Fira within five minutes without Fira’s prices or noise; anyone who would rather swim off an empty beach than a serviced one; families, because the ground is flat and there are no cliff drops; and people hiring a car.

Practical points. There is no proper bus hub here and services are less frequent than on the Fira–Oia road, so a car makes a real difference. Everything else is close enough not to matter.

Alternatives nearby. Karterados five minutes south, Firostefani and Imerovigli on the rim above, Fira itself two and a half kilometres away. Karterados · Firostefani · Imerovigli.

Eating and Drinking in Vourvoulos Santorini

Vourvoulos Santorini has a handful of places, cooking for people who live here, five minutes from some of the most expensive restaurants in Greece.

What it costs. Roughly 15€ to 25€ a head with wine for a full meal, against 45€ and up for the same plates on the caldera rim. Over a week that gap is larger than the cost of a private tour.

What to order. Fava, the yellow split pea purée with its own protected designation, warm with raw onion and capers. Tomatokeftedes, fritters of the small dense Santorini tomato. White aubergine, sweeter than the purple kind. Caper leaves, pickled. Chloro, the fresh goat cheese that never leaves the island. Fish, when the village boats have been out.

What to drink. Assyrtiko from the vines that start at the edge of the village – dry, mineral and high in acid.

When. From nine in the evening.

The cafés. Several with a view east over the plain and the sea, at two euro for a coffee rather than six.

Open all year. Unusually for Santorini, most of Vourvoulos Santorini trades through the winter, because its customers are residents.

If food is why you travel, our food tour visits producers on this island and finishes with a sit-down meal.

Getting to Vourvoulos Santorini

By car. Five minutes from Fira, five from Imerovigli, fifteen from Oia, ten from the airport, fifteen from Kamari. There is parking in the village, which on this island is worth stating.

By bus. Services pass on the main roads, but this is not a hub and the timetable is thinner than the Fira–Oia route. Check before relying on it.

On foot from Fira. Around forty minutes along the road. Flat enough, but it is a road rather than a footpath.

By taxi. Possible, though the island’s licensed fleet is very small and effectively fully booked in August.

On a tour. Vourvoulos Santorini sits directly on the route between Fira and Oia, so it fits into any northern itinerary. The north part tour and the full day tour both work this ground.

By transfer. Our private transfers run from the airport and both ports from 40€ per vehicle, with flights and ferries monitored.

What to wear

Ordinary shoes for the village, which is largely flat. Something with grip if you walk down to the beach, since the last stretch is loose.

Vourvoulos Compared With the Other Villages

Against Karterados. The closest comparison, five minutes south – both inland, both cheap, both five minutes from Fira. Karterados has the gorge and the captains’ mansions; Vourvoulos Santorini has the better beach and rather fewer people. More on Karterados.

Against Imerovigli. Two and a half kilometres apart and a different world. Imerovigli has the best caldera view on the island and the prices to match. Stay here, walk or drive up there for the evening. More on Imerovigli.

Against Firostefani. Same story: the rim view, ten minutes away, at three times the price for a room. More on Firostefani.

Against Fira. Five minutes and a completely different price level. Fira has the museums, the cable car and the cruise crowd. More on Fira.

Against Finikia and Baxedes. The equivalent villages at the northern end of the island, behind Oia rather than behind Fira. Same idea, further from everything. Finikia · Baxedes.

Against Oia. No comparison and no competition. Different holidays entirely. More on Oia.

When to Visit Vourvoulos Santorini

April and May. The best window for Vourvoulos Santorini. The plain is green, the walking is comfortable and nothing is busy.

June to August. Hot, though the village catches the meltemi off the east coast and is usually a degree or two cooler than the plain. The beach is at its best and still nearly empty.

September. Warm sea, harvest in the vineyards, and the best month of the year here.

October. Quiet, still swimmable, and the light at its finest.

November to March. Vourvoulos Santorini stays open, which most of the island does not. Mini markets, cafés and a taverna or two trade all year because their customers live here.

Time of day

Sunrise. The village faces east over the sea and this is one of the few places on Santorini where the morning is better than the evening. For the sunset, drive five minutes up to Imerovigli.

Photographing Vourvoulos Santorini

Sunrise over the Aegean. From the eastern edge of Vourvoulos Santorini, with the plain in the foreground. Nobody else will be there.

The lanes. Whitewash and blue shutters, empty at any hour.

The beach. Dark sand, low cliffs and the fishing anchorage, best in the first two hours of light.

The vines. Basket-trained and at ground level, starting at the edge of the houses.

The memorials. Photograph them quietly or not at all. They are not scenery.

Technical. Midday sun blows out white walls – expose for the walls rather than the sky. Nothing in Vourvoulos Santorini is crowded, so a tripod is no trouble to anyone.

Courtesy. This is a residential village. The lanes pass front doors and the courtyards are private.

Frequently Asked Questions About Vourvoulos Santorini

How do you pronounce it? Roughly “voor-VOO-los”.

Where is it? About two and a half kilometres north of Fira and the same east of Imerovigli, on the eastern side of the island.

Is Vourvoulos worth visiting? As a village, for half an hour. As a place to swim and eat away from the crowds, yes – it is five minutes from Fira and nothing like it.

Is there a beach? Yes, about a kilometre downhill: dark sand and pebbles, undeveloped, with a small fishing anchorage.

Is there a caldera view? No. The village faces east, towards the Aegean and the sunrise. Imerovigli is five minutes away for the caldera.

Can you stay there? Yes – a few small hotels, rooms and villas, at a fraction of rim prices.

Are there shops? Mini markets, cafés and tavernas, most of them open all year.

Is it good for families? Yes. Flat ground, no cliff edges, a quiet beach and cheap food.

How far is Fira? Two and a half kilometres, five minutes by car or about forty on foot.

Is it accessible? The village is mostly flat and easy. The last stretch down to the beach is not.

Is it crowded? No. Vourvoulos Santorini is one of the quietest inhabited places within five minutes of the capital.

What are the monuments? Memorials to villagers killed in and after 1940, including those executed at the entrance to the village during the occupation.

How do I get there without a car? Buses pass on the main roads but this is not a hub. A tour with pickup or a taxi is more reliable.

What is the best time of day? Sunrise, or the late afternoon before dinner.

Tours That Include Vourvoulos Santorini

We are a licensed local operator with guides who live on the island year round. Prices are per vehicle rather than per person, pickup is included from anywhere including both ports, and an 80€ deposit confirms the date.

North part tour – the northern half of the island, including the villages on this side of the ridge.

Full day tour – eight hours from 460€, the whole island with a traditional village stop.

Wine tour – four and a half hours from 650€, three estates with all tastings included.

Sunset tour – the village faces east, so if you want the sunset we will take you to the side of the island that has it.

Personalised tour – from 220€, built around whatever you actually want to see.

Every itinerary and all prices are on the santorini tours page. If you are staying in Vourvoulos Santorini, our private transfers cover the airport and both ports from 40€.

Is Vourvoulos Santorini Worth Visiting?

As a sight, Vourvoulos Santorini offers no monument to queue for and nothing on anyone’s list. As a place to spend an afternoon and an evening five minutes from Fira, it is one of the best-value decisions on the island.

A beach with nobody on it, a village where a coffee costs two euro, a taverna where dinner costs a third of what it costs on the rim, and the sunrise over the Aegean if you can get up for it.

Stay here and drive up to Imerovigli for the evening view. You will have both halves of Santorini and pay for one.

Send us your dates and party size and we will tell you honestly whether Vourvoulos Santorini suits your trip.

Everywhere We Can Reach From Vourvoulos Santorini

Any of these can be built into a private itinerary. Each has its own page with what to see and how long to allow.

Caldera villages: Fira · Firostefani · Imerovigli · Oia · Finikia · Baxedes

Inland villages: Pyrgos · Megalochori · Emporio · Mesaria · Karterados · Vothonas · Exo Gonia · Mesa Gonia · Pigadia

Beaches: Perissa · Perivolos · Kamari · Vlychada · Monolithos · Red Beach · White Beach · Agios Georgios · Agia Paraskevi

Sites and landmarks: Akrotiri · Ancient Thira · Akrotiri Lighthouse · Nea Kameni · Palia Kameni · Thirasia · Athinios Port

All our tours: All Santorini tours · Full day tour · Sightseeing tour · Personalised tour · North part tour · Horse riding · South part tour · Sunset tour · Shore excursion · Caldera tour · Food experience · Wine tour · Historical tour · Small group tour

Planning and services: Famous sights tour · Private transfers · Transfers to Oia and Finikia · Transfers to other villages · Villages of Santorini · History of Santorini · Tours near you · Languages we guide in · Food and fun tours · Gay friendly tours · Our tour buses · Daily tours · Day tours · FAQ · Gallery · Tour photo gallery · About us · Contact · Blog