Greece - Korina Miller [345]
Franco’s Bar ( 22860 24428; Marinatou) Check your cuffs for this deeply stylish and ultimate sunset venue where music means classical sounds only. Expensive cocktails match the sheer elegance and impeccable musical taste.
Entertainment
After midnight Erythrou Stavrou fires up the clubbing caldera of Fira.
Koo Club ( 22860 22025; Erythrou Stavrou) Several bars with variable moods rise through the levels here. Sounds are soft house, trance and Greek hits, and you’re never alone.
Town Club ( 22860 22820; Erythrou Stavrou) Still clinging defiantly to stylish kitsch, Town Club has faux-Classical facades, in lilac, to go with its gleaming whiteout interior. Modern Greek music and mainstream are just right for this upbeat place.
Tithora ( 22860 23519; off Danezi) Fira’s big rock venue ‘underneath the arches’, where you can bliss out to big sounds.
Enigma ( 22860 22466; Erythrou Stavrou) A full-on dance venue when it gets going, this is the catwalk clientele’s favourite spot amid coolness and floaty drapes. House and mainstream hits fit the style.
Shopping
So much shopping, so little time for the flood of cruise-ship passengers who forage happily through Fira’s glitzy retail zones. You can get everything from Armani and Versace to Timberland and Reef – at rather glitzy prices, too.
Fira’s jewellery and gold shops are legion. The merchandise gleams and sparkles, though prices may dull the gleam in your eye.
New Art ( 22860 23770; Erythrou Stavrou & Fabrika Shopping Centre) Forget the standard painted-on T-shirts. If you want quality to take back home, the subtle colours and motifs of designer Werner Hampel’s Ts have real style.
Leoni Atelier ( 22860 23770; Firostefani) For art lovers, the studio and gallery of the internationally acclaimed artist, Leoni Schmiedel, is a worthwhile visit. Here, the artist creates her nuanced and multilayered collages that are inspired by Santorini’s geology, natural elements and intense colours. The studio is reached by heading north past the windmill in Firostefani and then by following signs to the left.
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AROUND SANTORINI
Oia Οα
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The village of Oia (ee-ah), known locally as Pano Meria, reflects the renaissance of Santorini after the devastating earthquake of 1956. Restoration work and upmarket tourism have transformed Oia into one of the loveliest villages in the Cyclades. Efforts are under way to introduce schemes that will ease the serious overcrowding; the price Oia pays in high summer for its attractiveness. Built on a steep slope of the caldera, many of its dwellings nestle in niches hewn into the volcanic rock. Oia, believe it or not, gets more sunset time than Fira, and its narrow passageways get very crowded in the evenings.
ORIENTATION & INFORMATION
From the bus terminal, head left and uphill to reach the rather stark central square and the main street, Nikolaou Nomikou, which skirts the caldera.
Atlantis Books ( 22860 72346; www.atlantisbooks.org; Nikolaou Nomikou) A fascinating and well-stocked little bookshop run with flair and enthusiasm by an international group of young people. Cultural events are sometimes staged here.
ATMs On Main St, outside Karvounis Tours, and also by the bus terminus.
Karvounis Tours ( 22860 71290; www.idogreece.com; Nikolaou Nomikou) For obtaining information, booking hotels, renting cars and bikes, and making international calls. It’s also a wedding specialist.
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
The maritime museum ( 22860 71156; adult/student €3/1.50; 10am-2pm & 5-8pm Wed-Mon) is located along a narrow lane that leads off right from Nikolaou Nomikou. It’s housed in an old mansion and has endearing displays on Santorini’s maritime history.
Ammoudi, a tiny port with good tavernas and colourful fishing boats, lies 300 steps below Oia at the base of blood-red cliffs. It can also be reached by road.