New Airline Company "Germania" flies direct to Greek Islands from Switzerland and Germany

Pontikonisi

Germania Flug AG is a new Airline Company, headquartered in Glattbrugg near Zurich was founded in August 2014. The goal was to introduce a high-quality product that meets the needs and requirements of the demanding Swiss market. The Germania Fluggesellschaft mbH has been known in the German and other markets for almost 30 years for its premium service, excellent quality and high level of safety and reliability. The same concept of values is important for Germania Flug AG in the Swiss market.

Both Companies serves direct flies mainly to Crete/Heraklion, Corfu, Kos, Rhodes and only from Hamburg Airport there is a direct fly to Santorini - Thira.  For more information I provide you below the flights per departure airport! Enjoy and do not forget to compare prices at Skyscanner.com

Germania Flug AG offers direct flies to Greece. Here are the details:

From Zurich Airport (ZRH) direct flies to:
1. Crete/Heraklion (HER)
2. Kos (KGS)
3. Rhodes (RHO)

Germania Fluggesellschaft mbH offers direct flies to Greece. Here are the details:

From Bremen Airport (BRE) direct flies to:
1. Corfu (CFU)
2. Crete/Heraklion (HER)
3. Kos (KGS)
4. Rhodes (RHO)

From Dresden Airport (DRS) direct flies

Greece among the top countries of the Trip Advisor Travelers Choice 2016 Awards!

Again this year Greece is among the top 10 countries based on the Trip Advisor Travelers Choice 2016.

More specifically here are the categories:

1. Top 10 Islands — World: Santorini holds the 2nd position. 

Some things to do in Santorini:

1. Hiking Trail Fira - Oia

2. Visit Akrotiri Archaeological Site
3. For those who loves wines do not forget to visit Santo Winery
4. Eat fresh fish at Amoudi Bay (under Oia)
5. Visit the Red Beach (Akrotiri Area). Take with you good shoes - no flipflops!

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2. Top 25 Beaches - Word: Elafonissi Beach (Crete) holds the 13th  position

Some things to do in Elafonissi Beach:
1. Visit the Chrisoskalitissa Monastery
2. Suitable for those who loves serf!
3. Elafonissi Island is a Natura 2000 protected area.
4. Ideal for children. Near the “breaking” point of the peninsula, the water does not exceed 1m, creating a small lagoon.

Elafonissi is located 76km west of Chania and 5km south of Chrysoskalitisa Monastery, in the southwesternmost point of Crete.

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3. Top 25 Hotels - World. In this category there are 2 Greek hotels:

On the 5th place is the "Achtis Hotel".
Achtis Hotel is a boutique hotel in Afytos village, Halkidiki - Kassandra area. The space is dominated by stone constructions with traditional materials and fine furniture’s. The design of the facilities and the range of services aim to comfort convenience and relaxation for vacation. The hotel is available 24 hours, offering information about accommodation and movement.

To find the best prices for booking a room in Achtis Hotel click here


On the 12th place is the "Canaves Oia Hotel". Canaves Oia Hotel is in Santorini - Oia village. Ir is one of the most luxury hotels in Santorini. Inviting, inspiring and elegantly classic suites and contemporary facilities, entice guest to experience luxury accommodation beyond comparison in the best luxury hotel in Oia Santorini. All hotel suites are freshly renovated and elegantly decorated in a dazzling white, minimal manner, featuring private verandas, al fresco dining areas and breathtaking views to the Caldera and the Aegean Sea.

To find the best prices for your accomodation in Canaves Oia Hotel click here

GREEK ISLANDS IN THE TOP 10 OF EUROPE

Three Greek islands, Rhodes, Corfu and Santorini are among the top 10 islands in Europe, according to the hotel price comparison website http://www.trivago.gr/.

More specifically:

• Rhodes:The island of Rhodes, which belongs to the Dodecanese, has everything you need to describe idyllic. Those visitors wishing to vacation of rest and relaxation, you should definitely visit the exotic beaches of Kalithea. Rhodes offers great beaches and a more beautiful underwater world, which is particularly prominent among the submersible. A well-known attraction of Rhodes are the Butterflies: a protected area known as the Valley of the Butterflies, which is visited every summer many butterflies. The city of Rhodes is one of the parties to each visitor of the island worth seeing: The palace of the Grand Master, the Road Knights and the medieval town are separate jewels of the island.
• Corfu:Corfu is one of the most famous Greek islands, which was characterized as a paradise by the poet Homer. Because of the abundant vegetation and is known as the «green island». The lower part is decorated with olive trees that reach up to 20 meters. Corfu offers all kinds of beaches for all tastes. One of the most beautiful and exotic beaches are next to the lake Korissia, in north-western part of the island. Jewel of the island is the capital of which the architecture is in Venetian style. In the idyllic Paleokastritsa marine bays and the Monastery are a magnet for many visitors.
• Santorini:The Greek island of Santorini, which is the result of volcanic eruptions have created spectacular landscapes. Typical of the Cyclades island of Santorini is the white houses with blue windows, built on steep slopes. One of the most spectacular sights is the dormant volcano and the excavations in the ruins of old Kammena, where visitors can admire the ancient Greek history. The tourists have the opportunity to walk among the inactive craters and enjoy the view of other Cycladic islands. The magical landscape of Santorini is number one destination for couples.
  

Santorini Museums

• Archaeological Museum of Thera (Fira): It was built in 1960 by the Ministry of Public Works in order to replace the old museum (built in 1902), which had collapsed during the earthquakes of 1956. The Museum contains the following collections:
  1. Sculpture, ranging from the Archaic to the Roman period.
  2. Inscriptions, ranging from the Archaic to the Roman period.
  3. Vases and clay figurines, dating from the Geometric to the Hellenistic periods. (click here for more info:)
• Museum of Prehistoric Thira: The Museum of Prehistoric Thera houses finds from the excavations at Akrtotiri, conducted under the auspices of the Archaeological Society at Athens, the earlier excavations at Potamos, made by members of the German Archaeological Institute at Athens, and rescue excavations at various other sites on the island, carried out by the 21st Ephorate of Antiquities for the Cyclades and Samos, as well as objects discovered fortuitously or handed over. (click here for more info:)
• Museum of Minerals & Fossils: The Museum of Minerals & Fossils of the Cultural Society of Thira was founded in 2006 and is located in Perissa, close to the Church of the Holy Cross. Display cases include minerals and fossils from Thira, the rest of Greece and abroad. Amongst the exhibits is an invaluable rich collection of minerals from Lavrio. Mr. Nikos Sigalas is President of the Cultural Society of Thira and responsible for the museum.
• Megaro Gyzi Cultural Center: The Cultural Center 'Megaro Gyzi' was founded in 1980, the main purpose being spiritual development and the cultural improvement of the residents, as well as the promotion of Santorini. The main purpose of the Cultural Center is the spiritual development, the cultural improvement and the advancement, of Thira and its residents for the main part, but also of the whole Cycladic area in general. Within the dictates of this purpose, particularly during the tourist period, organizes painting exhibitions, concerts and musical recitals, theatrical performance, photographic exhibitions, lectures, traditional dances, film showings and other events ...
• Icons & Relics Collection Pyrgos: The Icons & Relics Collection of Pyrgos houses a collection of priceless hagiographies, wooden sculptures, metal art works & other items for ecclesiastic use. Most of the exhibits date back to the 17th & 18th century. It also hosts displays on shoemaking, printing, candle making, wine making and typical local food. The museum can be found in Agia Triada, originally a Catholic church belonging to a small convent. It had been completely abandoned, and in the early seventies only the north wall and part of the Sanctum were standing. Under the 'Association of Pyrgos Residents in Thira' initiative and Mrs. Liza Patiniotis, president of the Association at that time, efforts were made to rebuild the church in 1975 in order to house the collection. Mrs. Patiniotis had the foresight to gather the items of the collection immediately after the 1956 earthquake. The second Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities with the cooperation of Thira's Holy Metropolis and the community of Pyrgos, managed in 1997 to exhibit once again the collection that had been remained closed for so many years.
• Wine Museum: The Wine Museum is an extraordinary natural cave, 6 meters below ground and 300 meters long. It presents the history and life of wine from 1660 to 1970 ...The Wine Museum of Santorini along with Koutsogiannopoulos winery that produces Volcan Wines, and the vineyards are situated in the area of Vothonas, on the way to Kamari beach. A small family business, established in 1880 from brothers Gregory and Dimitris Koutsogiannopoulos, four generations later, George Koutsogiannopoulos is the new owner.
• George Emmanuel Argyros Mansion - A Stately Home: The Argyros Mansion is one of the most distinguished recent monuments of the island of Santorini and occupies an important place within the Messaria community, as it is significant for its morphological and its architectural value. It combines the traditional architecture of Santorini with elements and influences of eclecticism. Many morphological elements decorate the building's facets and there are ceiling paintings of exceptional art in its interior. All the furniture and utensils on upper floor are conserved and attended to as in a museum. This way, the visitor can get acquainted with the residence of a 19th century landowner of Santorini.
• Lignos Folklore Museum:The Folklore Museum is housed in a cave house built in 1861 in Kontochori - Fira. The museum is an old winery with workshops for carpenters, barrel makers, shoemakers and tinsmiths and an art gallery. There is also a library. Within the grounds one can discover the chapel of Agios Konstantinos with its belfry and festivities room. The garden and courtyard offers seating areas amongst trees and flowers. The Folklore Museum was founded by Emmanuel A. Lignos, laywer, journalist and Director of the monthly newspaper ¨Theiraic News¨.
• Naval Maritime Museum: In Oia, the picturesque traditional town on the northwest coast of Santorini, an 19th century mansion has been restored and converted into a museum that houses the Maritime History of Thira. Rare figureheads, Seamens' Chests, old maritime equipment, carrening drawings and patterns, models of old and new Thiran ships, acquarelles featuring old sailing vessels as well as rare photographs and a library, all register year by year the contribution of the Thirans to the glorious history of the Hellenic Navy. Oia reached the peak of prosperity in the late 19th & early 20th century. Its economic prosperity was based on its merchant fleet which plied trade in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially from Alexandria to Russia. Hence the two-story captains houses built on the highest part of the village which are a reminder of the village's former affluence ...

(source: http://www.santonet.gr)

Transfers to Santorini

1. By Air: Santorini International Airport: search for the chippest flights to Santorini via http://www.skyscanner.com/

2. By SEA: Many ships and highspeed catamaran arrives at Mykonos throught Piraeus Port as well as from Mykonos, Crete, Ios, Paros, Naxos and many other islands.

2.1 Highspeed Catamaran: http://www.dolphins.gr/

2.2: Ships: http://www.bluestarferries.gr/ and http://www.dolphins.gr/

In order to see full time schedule with all shipping companies that have ferries schedule to Santorini visit http://www.gtp.gr and go to the section “Ferry schedules (domestic)”

Santorini Beaches

Santorini has not as many beaches as other islands, but each beach has a natural beauty with deep blue or black cold water…..As a result and because of volcano, Santorini offers some of the finest and unique beaches in the Mediterranean Area that are unforgettable!!!

I propose you to visit the following beaches of Santorini island:

• Perissa: Perissa is a long black sandy beach as well as a Santorini resort, located at the south-east side of the island. As it is one of the bigger beaches of Santorini island it is a very crowed beach especially in July and August. Anyone can visit Perissa and it is one of the Santorini beaches that are suitable for families with kinds. Perissa beach is next to  Emporio village as well as is the best protected beach from the Aegean winds during summer time.
• Red Beach:  I think that Red Beach is the most beautiful beach of Santorini with a spectacular natural beauty. Red beach is located near to Akrotiri village at the south-west side of the island capital – Fira. Behind the beach there are black and red volcano rocks and as a result many people visit the beach in order to see this view. Red Beach is a small beach that if you want to visit it go as early as you can!!!! To reach the beach you can take small boats from Fira, Perissa or Aktrotiri villages or by car until Akrotiri village and then by by foot (10 minutes walk from Akrotiri, you have to reach Agios Nikolaos church in Akrotiri next to the excavations area
• Vlychada Beach: Vlychada beach is the last beach in the row of Perivolos and just before the Aktrotiri . It is a long beach with the dark grey sand and during the summer is an organised beach. Behind the beach there are rock formations that you should see them!! Before Vlychada beach there is the small harbour, which is full with small traditional boats and you can sit there in order to eat something.
• Perivolos Beach: I think that Perivolos beach is the most and well organised beach of Santorini with restaurants, bars and fun activities. It is the longer beach of the Island with sun beds and umbrellas. Perivolos beach is located at the south side of the island between Vlihada and Perissa and can be reached by the car or bus. It has dark grey sand and it is ideal when north winds are blowing.
• Columbo: Columbo beach or Cape Columbo it is one of the most quiet beach of Santorini. It is located in the north-east side of the island and you could go there only with your own car. It is a long strip beach with dark sand as well as not organised. There is a tavern there in order to drink and eat something. Be careful when the winds are strong because the waves beat down on the beach. The nearest village is Finikia. East of the beach at a distance of 3 miles and underwater at a depth of 20 meters is located the omonymous crater of the volcano.  
• Pori beach: Pori beach is one more quite beach of Santorini, not at all organised, where the rocks are red like Red Beach. It is 10 km away from Fira (island capital), in the south of Columbo beach and there is a village with the same name. It is not suitable for families with children since you have to walk on 50 steps in order to arrive at the beach. The beach of Pori can be reached by private car / bike or by taxi…keep in mind that if you arrive with a taxi to arrange your return time!! There is no bus from Pori to Fira or any other island village. Pori beach Pori is a good option for people that want to escape the big crowds and prefer to have some more privacy.
• Ammoudi Beach: Ammoudi beach is located on the foot of Oia Village and this beach take her name from the small and fishing village Ammoudi. It is a very small beach with clear blue and green water…but you should to descend and to ascend 200 steps from Oia village in order to go there. So it is not suitable for families with children but the beach attracts many visitor. So i suggest u to go there early in the morning. In addition it is accessible by car through an old road…but ask the local people to explain you how to get there by car…..but maybe you faces parking problems at the beach. 
• Karterados Beach and Exo Gialos Beach - The beaches of Karterados / Exo Gialos are situated on the east side of the island of Santorini between the beaches of Vourvoulos and Monolithos. It is about six kilometer distance from the capital Fira and four kilometer away from the village of Karterados itself. The beaches are quiet and have black sand and small pebbles. At the beach of Karterados sometimes a small cantina is opened and there are accommodations nearby. You can reach the beach by car but there is also a connection by bus. The beach is organized and there are umbrellas and sunbeds for rent. In Exo Gialos there are square storage areas cut into the rock which are used to house the wooden fishing boats during the winter time.
• Monolithos Beach – Monolithos beach is close to the airport. Here it is more quiet than on some of the nearby other beaches. There are a few hotels in the area, but unfortunately although the beach is nice, there is very often a strong wind blowing here. Monolithos Beach has fine black sand and it is shallow, so it is also suitable for families with small children. Monolithos Beach is an organized beach with facilities and there are sunbeds and umbrellas for hire. There are tavernas and there are possibilities for all kinds of watersports on Monolithos Beach. For the people that love the shade but don't want to immediately rent an umbrella there are also some trees on the beach you can lie under.

Santorini Island – Overview

Santorini (Greek: Σαντορίνη, pronounced [ˌsa(n)do̞ˈrini]) is a small, circular archipelago of volcanic islands located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km southeast from Greece's mainland. Santorini is also known as Thera (or Thira, Greek Θήρα [ˈθira]), forming the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km² (28 mi²) and a 2001 census population of 13,670. Santorini is composed of the Municipality of Thíra (pop. 12,440) and the Community of Oía (Οία, pop. 1,230, which includes 268 inhabitants resident on the offshore island of Therasia, lying to the west). These have a total land area of 90.623 km², which also includes the uninhabited islands of Nea Kameni, Palaia Kameni, Aspronisi, and Christiana (all part of the Municipality of Thira).

Santorini is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion, destroying the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island, and leading to the creation of the current geological caldera. Its spectacular physical beauty, along with a dynamic nightlife, have made the island one of Europe's tourist hotspots……read more at Wikipedia

(Source: Wikipedia)

Greek Islands Overview

This is a list of islands of Greece. The Greek Islands are a collection of over 6,000[1] islands and islets that belong to Greece. Only 227 of the islands are inhabited, and only 78 of those have more than 100 inhabitants.

The largest Greek island by area is Crete, located at the southern edge of the Aegean Sea. The second largest island is Euboea, which is separated from the mainland by the 60m-wide Euripus Strait, and is administered as part of the central Greece periphery. After the third and fourth largest Greek Islands, Lesbos and Rhodes, the rest of the islands are two-thirds of the area of Rhodes, or smaller.

The Greek islands are traditionally grouped into the following clusters: The Argo-Saronic Islands in the Saronic gulf near Athens, the Cyclades, a large but dense collection occupying the central part of the Aegean Sea, the North Aegean islands, a loose grouping off the west coast of Turkey, the Dodecanese, another loose collection in the southeast between Crete and Turkey, the Sporades, a small tight group off the coast of Euboea, and the Ionian Islands, located to the west of the mainland in the Ionian Sea (one of these islands, Kythira, is off the southern tip of the mainland, but still considered part of the Ionian Islands).

(This article is from Wikipedia.....read more)