4 Best Sights in The Cyclades, Greece

This is the treasure house that displays frescoes and other artifacts from the famed excavations at Akrotiri. Many of the finds have been sent off to the Archaeological Museum in Athens, but the most charming fresco remains here: a colorful depiction of women in dresses, gathering saffron from the stamens of crocuses. Also in this small collection are fresco fragments with the famous painted swallows (the island's favorite design motif) that still flock to Santorini to roost on the cliffs. The fossilized olive leaves from 60,000 BC prove the olive to be indigenous.

To peer into a live, sometimes smoldering volcano, join one of the popular excursions to Nea Kameni, the larger of the two Burnt Isles. After disembarking, you hike 430 feet to the top and walk around the edge of the crater, wondering if the volcano is ready for its fifth eruption during the last 100 years—after all, the last was in 1956. Some tours continue on to the island of Therassia, where there is a village. Many operators on the island offer volcano tours.

The modern Greek Orthodox cathedral is a major landmark. It's worth a look inside for a view of the frescoes by local artist Christoforos Asimis. You'll quickly note how the local priests, with somber faces, long beards, and black robes, look strangely out of place in summertime, tourist-jammed Fira.

Upper Fira's exhibition hall, named for the famous ship owner, hosts many international conferences as well as concerts. Visitors can admire acclaimed seasonal exhibitions that reflect the culture and nature of the island through painting and sculpture.