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Fira is the modern capital
of Santorini. It is a traditional settlement."Firá",
actually, is a different pronunciation of "Thira", the
ancient name of the island itself.
Fira is a town of white-washed
houses built on the edge of the 400 m high caldera on
the western edge of the semi-circular island of Thera.
The two main museums of interest are the Santorini
Archeological Museum, 30 m east of the cable car
entrance, and the Museum of Prehistoric Thera at the
southeast corner of the White Orthodox Cathedral (with
the Greek name meaning Metamorphosis), built on the site
of the Ypapanti Church, destroyed in the 1956
earthquake.
Access to Fira is mainly by
roads on its eastern side, climbing from its port via
the Z-shaped footpath on foot or on donkeys, or by
riding the steep cable car from its lower terminal by
the port. The central square of Fira is called Plateia
Theotokopoulou, with a bus and taxi station, banks and
pharmacies.
The narrow paths, lined with
all kinds of souvenir shops, jewelry shops, and
restaurants linking the upper cable car terminal and the
central square, are packed with tourists during the
Summer seasons.
The view from Fira is
magnificent, with a nice panoramic view of the 18 km
long caldera from southern Cape Akrotiri to northern
Cape Ag. Nikolaos, plus the volcanic island Nea Kameni
at the center with Thirassia Island in the distant west
on blue Aegean water. Big cruise ships can usually be
seen anchoring in the small harbor between Nea Kameni
and Fira. |
