Cruise ships make Santorini an automatic stop on the schedule. It does have an airport, 40 minutes from Athens, and is also accessible from several European cities. Regular ferry boats sail from Athens, Crete, and most of the Cycladic islands, the trip from Athens taking about 9 hours. This photo shows the entrance into Santorini's caldera as viewed from the almost vertical cliffs of the main town. The ancient city of Akrotiri is an important achaeological site on the island, said to be a key prehistoric settlement of the Eastern Mediterranean.