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Beaches on Thira, to the east and south, are bizarre - long black stretches of volcanic sand which get blisteringly hot in the afternoon sun. They're no secret, and in the summer the crowds can be a bit overpowering. Closest to Fira, MONOLITHOS has a couple of tavernas but is nothing special. Further south, KAMARI has surrendered lock, stock and barrel to the package-tour operators and there's not a piece of sand that isn't fronted by concrete villas. Nonetheless it's quieter and cleaner than most, with some beachfront accommodation , including Hotel Nikolina (tel 02860/31 702; ?24-33), with basic but cheap rooms towards the southern end of the beach, as well as the White House (tel 02860/31 441; ?43-58) and the friendly Sea Side Rooms (tel 02860/33 403; ?24-33) further along the beach. Rose Bay Hotel (tel 02860/33 650; ?73 and upwards) is a far pricier option, with a pleasant pool setting, set back away from the noisy beach thoroughfare. Kamari Camping (tel 02860/31 453), a fifteen-minute walk on the road out of Kamari, is a small municipal-run site with limited facilities and no points for a warm welcome. Psistaria O Kritikos , a taverna-grill frequented by locals rather than tourists, is one of the best places to eat on the island. It's a long way out of Kamari on the road up to Messaria, and too far to walk, but the bus stops outside. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants behind the beach, though many are expensive or uninspired. Saliveros , in front of the Hotel Nikolina , has taverna food at reasonable prices, and Almira , next to Sea Side Rooms , is a smarter restaurant and only a little more expensive. Kamari is a family resort with little in the way of clubs and nightlife, but there is a good open-air cinema near the campsite, and in summer buses run until 1am, so there's no problem getting back to Fira after seeing a film. Things are scruffier at PERISSA , around the cape. Because of its attractive situation and abundance of cheap rooms, it's noisy and crowded with backpackers. Camping Perissa Beach (tel 02860/81 343) is right behind the beach and has plenty of shade but is also next to a couple of noisy late-night bars. There is also a youth hostel on the road into Perissa: Anna (tel 02860/82 182; ?10 per person) has dorm beds as well as a few simple studios closer to the beach. There are plenty of cheap rooms in the same area and some upmarket hotels behind the beach; the modern Meltemi Hotel (tel 02860/81 325; ?24-72) is a sensible choice. The beach itself extends almost 7km to the west, sheltered by the occasional tamarisk tree, with beach bars dotted along at intervals; Wet Stories , about ten-minutes' walk from Perissa village, has a fun atmosphere and a varied snack selection. Kamari and Perissa are separated by the Mesa Vouno headland, on which stood ancient Thira (Tues-Sun 9am-3pm), the post-eruption settlement dating from the ninth century BC. Excursion buses go up from Kamari (?15), staying two hours at the site (ask at Kamari Tours behind the beach) but you can walk the cobbled path starting from the square in Kamari by the Argo General Store. The path zigzags up to a whitewashed church by a cave , containing one of Thira's few freshwater springs, before crossing over to meet the road and ending at a saddle between Mesa Vouno and Profitis Ilias, where a refreshments van sells expensive drinks. From here, the path to the site passes a chapel dating back to the fourth century AD before skirting round to the Temenos of Artemidoros with bas-relief carvings of a dolphin, eagle and lion representing Poseidon, Zeus and Apollo. Next, the trail follows the sacred way of the ancient city through the remains of the agora and past the theatre. Most of the ruins (dating mainly from Hellenistic and Roman times) are difficult to place, but the site is impressively large and the views are awesome. The site can also be reached by a path from Perissa, and either way it's less than an hour's walk. Inland along the same mountain spine is the monastery of Profitis Ilias , now sharing its refuge with Greek radio and TV pylons and the antennae of a NATO station. With just one monk remaining to look after the church, the place only really comes to life for the annual Profitis Ilias festival, when the whole island troops up here to celebrate. The views are still rewarding, though, and from near the entrance to the monastery an old footpath heads across the ridge in about an hour to ancient Thira. The easiest ascent is the thirty-minute walk from the village of Pyrgos. PYRGOS itself is one of the oldest settlements on the island, a jumble of old houses and alleys that still bear the scars of the 1956 earthquake. It climbs to another Venetian fortress crowned by several churches and you can clamber around the battlements for sweeping views over the entire island and its Aegean neighbours. By way of contrast MESSARIA , a thirty-minute stroll north, has a skyline consisting solely of massive church domes that lord it over the houses huddled in a ravine.
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