Fira (santorini) 

Just assumed that visiting Santorini requires a lot of patience, tolerance (because of the crowd of tourists anywhere) and adaptability (because of the strange moorings available), we suggest to visit the city of Fira, the county seat of the peninsula (also known as Santorini).

A possible solution is to moor at Vlichada marina, rent a car and make a complete tour of the island; as an alternative (a little more complicated but more charming) is to reach Fira directly on boat and try to find a place in the quay which represents the "harbour" of the city ( Fita has a real harbour but it is exclusively reserved for ferries).

As already said, a great deal of patience is required: Fira has a wonderful location over the sea and the flooded caldera; it's a sort of balcony with a breath-taking view.

Opposite Fira, ferries and cruising ships generate a very intense traffic situation.

The other problem is represented by tourists: they are simply too many during all the high season. If you want to have a chance, we suggest a visit of the city in spring or in September, when you can fully enjoy all what the city can offers starting from a wonderful climbing from the sea to the city centre.

After a terrible earthquake in 1956, Fira was completely destroyed and rebuilt almost like the original city: white houses, churches with blue domes, Cycladic architecture. The city also offers an archeological and prehistoric museum hosting some interesting remains from Akrotiri and the old Thira, a beautiful archeological site with well-preserved graffiti and mosaics, located on Mesa Vouno, little far from Fira.

All this, of course, only if you are successful in finding a mooring place. Sailing near the volcano and the volcanic islands is charming but be careful when you approach the city, since traffic is really intense there.

The "harbour" of Fira is made up of just a single quay, carved into the rock, with no shelter from southern and western winds. Bottom is too deep, so the best solution is to moor directly at the quay.

Breakwaters are exclusively reserved for tourist boats, so you have to moor on the right side of the quay. Mooring buoys are very few here, so if a boat wants to leave before you, you have to sail off, let her go out and moor again.

The quay offers no services, except for fresh water.

Draught is excellent near the quay (about 5 metres).