What to See at Akrotiri
The multi-storey buildings, the paved streets and drainage, the great storage jars, and the setting of the Theran frescoes — a concierge guide to the buried town.
The Archaeological Site of Akrotiri gathers an entire Bronze Age town, preserved by a volcanic eruption, in a compact excavation you tour on elevated walkways under a roof. The must-see features are the multi-storey buildings still standing to two and three floors; the paved streets and the advanced drainage system; the great storage jars, the pithoi, standing in their storerooms; and the named houses — the West House, Xeste 3 and others — where the famous Theran frescoes were found. The original frescoes themselves are displayed at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira. This guide walks you through the key features of the site and what to prioritise on a first visit.
What are the must-see features at Akrotiri?
The must-see features at Akrotiri centre on the sheer completeness of the town. From the elevated walkways you look out over a dense fabric of buildings, streets and squares, with houses still standing to two and three storeys — the single most astonishing thing about the site, and something you see almost nowhere else from the Bronze Age. Trace the paved lanes as they run between the buildings, note the windows, doorways and staircases preserved in the walls, and pick out the storerooms where the great storage jars still stand. The named houses, such as the West House and Xeste 3, mark where the celebrated frescoes were discovered. Walking the whole circuit, in the cool shade of the roof, is the essential experience of Akrotiri, best done at a quiet early or late hourly slot.
Beyond the headline sights, several details reward a slower look. The advanced drainage and water system built into the walls — separate pipes for fresh and waste water, and even lavatories connected to the drains — reveals a sophistication that surprises most visitors. Interpretive signs along the route help you read the different buildings and understand the town's plan and daily life. Remember that the original frescoes are not on the walls here but in the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira, so at the site the focus is the architecture and the setting. Our concierge recommendation is to follow the walkways through the whole town without rushing, using the viewpoints to trace the streets and storerooms, and allowing about one to one and a half hours for the visit.
What are the buildings and streets like?
The buildings of Akrotiri are the heart of the site and its greatest revelation. This was a substantial town of multi-storey houses, many still standing to two or three floors, built of stone and mud brick strengthened with timber framing — a technique that gave them flexibility against the earthquakes common in the region. From the walkways you can see doorways, windows, staircases and the divisions between rooms, and imagine the households that lived across their several floors. The larger, finely built houses, some of which held the frescoes, speak of a prosperous and cultured population, while humbler quarters show the range of the community. Seeing genuine Bronze Age architecture at this height and completeness is what sets Akrotiri apart.
The streets tie the town together and reveal how carefully it was planned. Narrow, paved lanes wind between the buildings, opening here and there into small squares, and beneath them ran the drainage system that carried water and waste out of the town. Walking above these streets, you follow the routes the townspeople used every day, past the fronts of houses and workshops. The layout is legible in a way that ruined open-air sites rarely achieve, thanks partly to the survival of the upper walls and partly to the clear vantage of the elevated walkways. Our concierge recommendation is to spend time simply reading the streetscape — the way the lanes connect the houses and squares — because it is here, more than anywhere, that Akrotiri feels like a living town rather than an archaeological site.
What are the storage jars and the drainage system?
Among the most memorable sights at Akrotiri are the pithoi, the enormous ceramic storage jars that still stand in rows in the town's storerooms, exactly where they were kept when the eruption came. Taller than a person in places, these great vessels held the oil, wine, grain and other produce on which the town's prosperity rested, and their number speaks of a wealthy community with surplus to store and trade. Seeing them in situ, rather than behind glass, is one of the things that makes Akrotiri feel so immediate — the town's pantry, frozen in time. Look, too, for the many other ceramics and everyday objects that survived, which flesh out the picture of daily life in the buried town.
Just as striking, if easier to miss, is the town's water and drainage system, one of the clearest signs of Akrotiri's sophistication. Built into the walls and beneath the streets ran an organised network of clay pipes that carried fresh water and waste water separately through the buildings — indoor plumbing more than three thousand years old. Some houses even had lavatories connected to the drains. This level of urban engineering, unusual for its age, tells you that Akrotiri was no ordinary village but an advanced town with a real concern for comfort and hygiene. Our concierge recommendation is to look for the drainage channels and pipe-lines pointed out by the signs as you follow the walkways, because they turn the silent ruins into evidence of a remarkably modern-feeling way of life.
Where were the frescoes found?
Several of the buildings at Akrotiri are famous as the findspots of the Theran frescoes, and knowing which is which adds a layer of meaning to the walk. The West House, one of the finest dwellings, yielded the celebrated Fishermen and the miniature frieze of a great maritime procession of ships; Xeste 3, a large building thought to have had a ritual function, held frescoes of women and saffron-gatherers and other scenes; and other houses gave up the springtime landscape with swallows, the boxing boys and the blue monkeys. As you follow the walkways, the signs identify these buildings, so you can stand before the rooms where some of the greatest art of the prehistoric Aegean once covered the walls.
It is essential to remember that the paintings themselves are no longer here. To protect them, the original frescoes were detached and moved to museums — chiefly the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira, with several in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens — so at the site you see the architecture and the setting, not the art on the walls. This is why the town and the museum make such a natural pair. Our concierge recommendation is to note the fresco houses as you pass them at Akrotiri, then visit the Fira museum to see the genuine paintings, so that the vivid images and the rooms they came from connect in your mind. Seen together, the setting and the art give the fullest possible sense of this extraordinary town.
How should I plan a first visit to Akrotiri?
For a first visit to Akrotiri, the simplest plan is the best: book a quiet early or late hourly slot, arrive within your booked hour, and follow the walkways through the whole town at an unhurried pace. Because the site is roofed and shaded, you are comfortable throughout and can take your time reading the buildings, the streets, the storerooms and the drainage without battling the sun. Allow about one to one and a half hours for the circuit. Comfortable closed shoes for the ramps and steps, and water for the rest of your Santorini day, are all you really need. Listening to a short audio history beforehand, as our concierge service provides, helps the silent ruins make sense before you arrive.
To get the fullest experience, plan the visit as one half of the Akrotiri story and the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira as the other. Our concierge recommendation is to walk the roofed ruins first, to grasp the scale and layout of the town and note the fresco houses, then see the museum to view the original paintings and finds. With a car you can also add the nearby Red Beach and the southern lighthouse for a rounded half-day in the south of the island. Because entry is timed and the site is popular with tours and cruise groups, booking your slot in advance lets you build the day around the calmest hour on the walkways and reach the gate without queuing in the sun outside.
Frequently asked
What are the main things to see at Akrotiri?
The multi-storey Bronze Age buildings still standing to two and three floors, the paved streets and advanced drainage system, the great storage jars in their storerooms, and the named houses — the West House, Xeste 3 and others — where the famous frescoes were found. It is all toured on walkways under a roof.
What are the storage jars at Akrotiri?
The pithoi, enormous ceramic storage jars taller than a person, still standing in the town's storerooms where they held oil, wine and grain when the eruption came. Seeing them in situ is one of the most memorable sights on the site.
Does Akrotiri have a drainage system?
Yes — one of its great surprises. Clay pipes built into the walls and beneath the streets carried fresh and waste water separately, and some houses had lavatories connected to the drains: indoor plumbing more than three thousand years old, a sign of the town's sophistication.
Can I see the frescoes at the site?
No. The original Theran frescoes were moved to museums for protection — chiefly the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira, with several in Athens. At the site you see the buildings, such as the West House and Xeste 3, where they were found.
How long do I need to see Akrotiri?
Allow about one to one and a half hours to follow the walkways through the whole town at an unhurried pace. Because the site is roofed and shaded, you can take your time comfortably whatever the weather.
Is the site suitable for a relaxed visit?
Very much so. The whole excavation is under a roof and toured on firm elevated walkways in the shade, making Akrotiri one of the most comfortable and relaxed archaeological visits on Santorini, well suited to families and to hot or wet days alike.