Akrotiri, the Bronze Age city on Santorini buried by a volcanic eruption more than 3,600 years ago, is welcoming visitors again after the 2025 earthquakes.
Often called the “Minoan Pompeii”, the prehistoric town on the island’s southwestern coast preserves multi-storey houses, paved streets and painted walls beneath volcanic ash. For travellers, Akrotiri offers one of the clearest views of daily life in the Aegean before the classical age.
Greek City Times first reported on new finds at the site in 2018, when archaeologists uncovered 3,600-year-old marble treasures at Akrotiri. Since then, the site has closed and reopened, and the city’s story has grown richer.
Akrotiri reopened after the 2025 earthquakes
In early 2025, a long sequence of earthquakes shook the Cyclades and forced the closure of 20 museums across the islands. Staff dismantled exhibitions to protect the objects and then put them back before the tourist season, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades said.
Akrotiri reopened last, on 11 April 2025. Its large shelter over the ruins had to meet strict safety rules first, the Ephorate said. After checks, Greece’s Technical Chamber cleared visitors to return, according to the Ephorate’s notice.
The Akrotiri shelter, designed by architect Nikos Fintikakis, protects about three acres of the excavated city. Visitors follow set walkways with viewing stops above the streets and buildings.
A city of more than 30 buildings
People first settled at Akrotiri around 4500 BC, according to the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades. It began as a small village of fishers, farmers and herders on a narrow peninsula. Over the following centuries, it grew into one of the busiest ports in the Aegean.
By the Late Cycladic period, Akrotiri had paved streets, open squares and a working sewage system. More than 30 multi-storey public and private buildings have been uncovered, many with built-in earthquake protection.
Trade linked the town with Crete, mainland Greece, the rest of the Cyclades and the eastern Mediterranean. In particular, its painted walls, imported goods and well-stocked storerooms point to a wealthy, seafaring society.
An earthquake struck the city at its peak. Residents began to rebuild and set up a temporary camp on the edge of town. However, the volcano erupted some weeks later, probably at the end of the 17th century BC, the Ephorate said. Ash and pumice buried everything.
Once the volcanic deposits covered it, Thera remained deserted for centuries, according to the Ephorate. As a result, the buried streets kept a picture of Bronze Age town life that few places in the Mediterranean can match.
Excavations under Spyridon Marinatos and Christos Doumas
Professor Spyridon Marinatos began systematic excavation at Akrotiri in 1967. Professor Christos Doumas continues the work under the Archaeological Society at Athens, the Ephorate said.
The ash preserved far more than walls. Archaeologists at Akrotiri have found complete pots, often with their contents. In addition, they recover the shapes of wooden furniture by pouring plaster into the hollows the wood left behind.
The 2018 season produced a marble female figurine placed in a small clay chest, along with marble jars and an alabaster vase. Then, in January 2020, the Ministry of Culture reported more finds from the site. They included bronze double axes, necklace beads, shell-shaped pottery and an ink inscription in Linear A, Archaeology magazine reported.
Researchers also continue to study the city’s wall paintings. In July 2026, Greek City Times reported on a study linking frescoes from Santorini to early trade with India.
Planning a visit
Many of the finest wall paintings are no longer on site. Some from the building known as Xeste 3 are on display at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira. The famous Spring Fresco, with its lilies and swallows, hangs in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
Opening hours at Akrotiri change through the year. On Mondays and Thursdays, the site opens from 8:30am to 3:30pm, the Ephorate said. On other days, it opens from 8am to 6:30pm until 15 October, then from 8am to 6pm until 31 October. Last entry is half an hour before closing.
The ruins lie near the modern village of the same name, on the island’s southwestern coast. Because the site sits under a single roof, it stays shaded in the summer heat. Even so, visitors should check the Ephorate’s website before travelling, since hours and access can change at short notice.
Source: Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades
The post Akrotiri, Santorini: The Bronze Age City Frozen in Ash appeared first on Greek City Times.