Santorini is a Greek island worth mentioning in its own post here. So much to do for families!! It is the most photographed island of Greece ( if not the most photographed island in the world!). 
It’s historic volcanic eruption reached South America even and has created the breathtaking caldera views. There are so many excursions to enjoy on Santorini. A recommended stay of 4 days will give you the opportunity to do it all!
Click on Irinis Villa recommendation: http://www.elounda.com/en/hotels/europe-greece-cycladesislands-santorini-imerovigli/irinisvillasresort.html
Also, Chromata is a recommended Santorini villa.
Besides the fulfilling shopping, eating and sightseeing, Santorini offered specialty excursions like:
- sailing out to the active volcano,
- swimming in the hot springs,
- riding donkeys,
- parasailing,
- going to a winery,
- museums,
- scuba diving,
- beaches,
- Akrotiri museum (a buried city) was thrilling.
The everyday views and observations made us fall in love with this island. I have flown to the island and I’ve ferried there. The high speed ferry is a great option!
http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/santorini.html
Project for the kids : http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/buildavolcano.htm
As touristy as Santorini is, we still saw local residents living among the luxury and posh clifftop villas. Who can resist visiting with a local? It enhanced our stay as we were on a break from visiting relatives in Athens and my father’s village.
An excerpt from my book, A Magic Carpet Ride:
“People gathered around dusk to watch the sunset and capture it on film. There we were, tourists and locals gathered together, waiting pensively for that moment when something incomprehensible like the sun works its magic in the form of a sunset. It’s a rhapsody and a kaleidoscope all in one. Like the starlight and moonlight of so many other nights I’ve enjoyed while traveling, it brings me back to the epiphany again, that we all share the same moon… the same stars. This cliffside view of the caldera has beauty that is ironic. The volcano that was so disastrous all those years ago, reached distances clear across the world. Yet, here in Santorini, all you see is beauty in the horizon. It’s hard to equate that something so disastrous and naturally violent can originate from a place of such beauty and calm…. Far out on a promontory, there was a couple getting dinner served to them. We saw a group of people assembling to watch the famous sunset. The sun was still shining on the side of a church so we posed for a family shot. We drove back to Fira and had dinner at Naoussa Restaurant, which was recommended to us.”
Hotel recommendation: Irinis Villa in Imeroviglio (which used to be a pirate look out point) or Chromata.
Restaurant recommendation: Naoussa and every single restaurant, actually!
Oia: drive up to Oia, the whitewashed clifftop village to watch the world famous sunset, shop in artsy boutiques and have dinner or dessert. Click on link below to order my book.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/069271393X/ref=cm_sw_su_dp
I highly recommend Santorini! I’ve been four times and I still want to return. Stories and recommendations on international travel can be found in my book:
A Magic Carpet Ride by Gina Michalopulos Kingsley. Proceeds will be donated to charity.
photos by Gina and Patrick Kingsley (except for those from internet)
Follow the lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family:
*The suggested reading books I’ve included on most countries’ posts are for children and/or parents to read. Some parents have told me that reading a children’s book on a country gives gave them a simple “bird’s eye view” into what could otherwise be a complicated or complex history in adult versions.
© Gina Kingsley. This lesson plan and others are copyrighted in the book A Magic Carpet Ride.