To swim in the volcano, to run in the caldera: the Santorini Experience that changes the island’s season

I arrive in Santorini in mid-October and the island feels different. The sun is less vertical, the sea still warm, the alleys quieter, as if they have just taken a deep breath after the summer. There are no more hurried crowds or endless queues. There is space to see, to walk, to observe. And within this more human version of Santorini, something completely unique unfolds: the Santorini Experience.

I was invited to this year’s event, which marked its 10th anniversary, and very quickly I realized that what happens on the island during these October days is not “just another race.” It is an entire way to rediscover Santorini, to experience it through sports, gastronomy, hospitality, and local community, at a time when the traditional tourist season has essentially ended.

An island full of athletes – and not only
From October 9 to 13, the island was filled with more than 3,500 participants, aged 10 to 74, from 40 countries and 4 continents. At the hotel breakfast, next to the Greek “good morning,” you could hear Spanish, Japanese, English in every accent, Italian, French. At the same table could sit an Olympic swimmer and a guy who decided for the first time in his life to run 5 kilometers with the Caldera as a backdrop.

Source: Santorini Experience 2025

Perhaps the greatest “chapter” of the Santorini Experience is this mix. Professionals and amateurs, families with children, locals participating for free, people who would never come to Santorini in October if not for this reason. And so, thousands of overnight stays fill hotels, taverns, bars, and shops during a period when the island would previously gradually turn off its lights.

Swimming with “the volcano on your back”
On the day of the swimming race, the scene is breathtaking on its own. Boats head toward the Volcano, the sun plays on the glossy surfaces of the life vests, swimmers wear numbered caps, making those small movements of tension and focus just before the start.

The route from the Volcano to the old port of Fira is 2.4 kilometers, but in your mind, it feels much longer. Swimming in deep black waters, next to volcanic cliffs that seem to watch you from above, with the whole Caldera standing as a natural grandstand. It is one of those moments when you understand why sports tourism is not simply “doing a sport in a beautiful destination,” but becoming part of the landscape.

Safety is another aspect that stands out in this event. A safety buoy for every athlete in collaboration with SIXT, lifeguards, the Port Authority, a union of boatmen, Lifeguard Patrol, volunteers, and organizations working in harmony to make the race happen properly. It is not a detail; it is a prerequisite for someone to come from the other side of the world and feel that they are participating in an event of international standards.

Running on the “eyebrow” of the Caldera
The next day, attention shifts to the trails. The 5, 10, and 15-kilometer routes stretch like a line above the Caldera. Oia, Imerovigli, Firostefani, dirt paths, stone-paved alleys, narrow streets that almost pass through the courtyards of houses. Walking part of the route before the race, I catch myself stopping often, not from fatigue, but from the need to look around.

Santorini Experience 2025: 3,500 professional and amateur athletes, aged 10 to 74, from 40 countries and 4 continents, hosted by Santorini

The air smells of sage, the sea stretches like a flat blue sheet, and suddenly you understand why the Mayor of Thira, Nikos Zorzos, talks about a “God-built” trail. His statement puts into words what you experience up there.

“The Santorini Experience,” the Mayor tells TN, “is an initiative that started in 2015, during my first term, aiming to highlight pillars such as sports tourism and education, the natural beauty of our land, and Santorini’s ability to host international-level events. Since then, it has evolved into an institution.

An institution in which we offer free sports and educational activities to our citizens and bring young and old into contact with Olympians and top sports figures, who share with them knowledge, experiences, and secrets from basketball, football, and many other disciplines.

Central to the Santorini Experience are the two emblematic activities:
Swimming, with the uniqueness of the landscape that swimmers face and a route that stands out for its natural character and imposing location.
The running event on the Fira–Oia trail, which Aris Konstantinidis would call ‘God-built.’ Running on the Caldera’s edge, one comes into direct contact with Santorini’s geological wonder and better understands the form and birth of the land.

Equally important were the parallel activities of the program, through which students had the opportunity to be trained and inspired by personalities who have left their mark on sports and society.

Particularly significant was this year’s collaboration with the American NFL team, the Los Angeles Chargers, for the presentation of the first event of the upcoming Olympic sport flag football in our country, ahead of its inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. This collaboration also contributed to promoting sports tourism of our island on the U.S. West Coast.

Santorini has proven it can host global sports events. Initiatives like the Santorini Experience contribute significantly to extending the tourist season and strengthening the local sports culture.

Sports are not only competition and performance. They are also education and character building. And if we return to their origin, one of their highest purposes is to highlight beauty—a foundation of the Classical Ideal. We continue to offer sports opportunities to our citizens, bring young people closer to the sporting ideal, and showcase our land through initiatives that honor Santorini’s history and future.”

And here is the essence. When a destination consciously invests in sports, we are no longer talking just about tourism, but about a living ecosystem.

Flag football, NBA legends, and 1,500 children with shining eyes
At another part of the island, during the same period, 11–13-year-olds try flag football with the Los Angeles Chargers for the first time, others attend basketball clinics with Evina Maltsi and Joe Arlauckas, others listen to Kostas Katsouranis speak about values in the locker rooms of local teams.

Over 1,500 children enter courts, listen, ask, laugh, try. Meanwhile, experts talk to students about road safety, financial literacy, integrity in sports. It is as if the Santorini Experience extends its “tentacles” far beyond a finish line and embraces an entire island.

Sports tourism as a “serious business”
On the numbers and strategy side, Akis Tsolis, CEO of ActiveMedia Group, explains precisely why such events are not a luxury but a necessity for a mature destination like Santorini:

“The Santorini Experience has evolved into one of the top sports tourism events in Greece, highlighting Santorini as an international destination for authentic experiences,” Mr. Tsolis tells TN. “For us at ActiveMedia Group, Santorini is not just a unique landscape; it is a place that embraces sports, culture, and hospitality.
Every year, through the Santorini Experience, we create a strong reason to visit outside high season, supporting the local economy, hotels, restaurants, and businesses. At the same time, we offer a multi-layered experience to athletes and visitors from around the world, who experience Santorini from a different perspective. The inclusion this year of flag football and its connection not only with the U.S. West Coast but also with the NFL audience—which totals over 410 million fans worldwide—is a prime example of how a sports tourism event can, at the end of the tourist season, prepare the ground for the next year. And it does so in the most direct and pure way: through the power of sport.

Simultaneously, the local community participates not only in sports but also in educational programs, road safety actions, initiatives for diversity and the environment. This way, we provide inspiration, direction, and meaningful experiences to the younger generation.

Sports tourism now accounts for 10% of global travel expenditure and grows at 17.5% annually. According to Hilton’s 2025 Trend Report, 45% of travelers plan vacations around sports or entertainment events, a trend confirming the sector’s international momentum.

The Santorini Experience thus serves as a model for how a destination can connect with the global travel market through sports while enhancing sustainability, extending the tourist season, and promoting Santorini’s identity internationally.”

And I, somewhere between numbers, percentages, and theories, think of the simplest thing. In an era where anything can be “sold” as an experience, here you have something truly authentic: swimming next to the volcano, running on the edge of the Caldera, drinking Assyrtiko while watching the sun disappear in one of the world’s most famous sunsets, without feeling like you are in a theme park.

NO?S Santorini: when the hotel becomes part of your story on the island

My base throughout this journey was NO?S Santorini, part of Donkey Hotels, a resort you don’t just call a “hotel” but a self-contained little world. NO?S is one of those places you experience not only with your eyes but with all your senses. The island’s largest pool—almost 1,000 sq.m.—spreads like an artificial oasis, surrounded by low, earthy buildings, mimicking the lines of the Cycladic landscape. The design details capture all of Santorini: the “burnt” black wood reminiscent of lava, woven shades like modern versions of traditional vines, the colors of the Black, Red, and White beaches reflected in fabrics and surfaces.

The rooms are filled with contemporary design icons, artworks by Greek creators inspired by volcanic landscapes, furniture balancing minimalism and warmth. It is the kind of design that doesn’t demand attention but makes you feel good without knowing why. The NO?S Spa is a chapter on its own: a huge indoor pool, relaxation spaces, and treatments designed exclusively for the hotel, playing with the idea of regeneration after the “fire,” just as nature does after a volcanic eruption. The new Yoga & Pilates space fits perfectly into an event like the Santorini Experience, being the best for your body after days of races, walking, and intensity.

Food, cocktails, and Santorini as you truly want to experience it
No sports event is complete without good food—and in Santorini, the Santorini Experience has ensured this.

In Fira, Rizes Gastro Taverna functions as much more than just another “nice restaurant.” With a clean farm-to-table philosophy, Alexandros Makropoulos, Maria Sylla, and Eleni Mania’s team play creatively with ingredients from the Greek land. Every dish feels like a small story. It is one of those places where you realize they are not trying to “reinvent” Mediterranean cuisine but to respect it and take it slightly further. All this against the backdrop of the Caldera and a sunset that comes together with a glass of wine as the final punctuation in a story of flavor.

Esperisma: the sunset in the foreground
Next to Athina Luxury Suites, Esperisma is one of those spots where you understand why Santorini has become a global social media clich?. But here the clich? is justified. The view of the Caldera is almost unreal, yet the menu and bar are not just props.

The kitchen, led by Head Chef Andreas Mara, creates a menu with Greek and Mediterranean references, dishes with clear structure, clean flavors, and fresh ingredients. At the bar, Panagiotis Papavramopoulos crafts cocktails that genuinely converse with the surroundings: Assyrtiko as the sun dips into the Aegean, Vinsanto when the day becomes a memory and you start talking about your race experience.

Nectar & Sandblu: the sea on your plate
On the southeast side, Sandblu Resort, elevated with Aegean views and close to Kamari’s black beach, hosts Nectar. A specialty restaurant modernizing Greek seafood cuisine without losing its essence: blue crabs, octopus, fresh catch of the day, all served in an environment blending the sea’s saltiness with the rhythm of the resident DJ. It is the kind of dinner that fits perfectly after a day full of action.

Marilyn Bar: where the day ends properly
At night, in Fira, Marilyn Bar becomes my little sanctuary. Minimalist in d?cor, serious about drinks, Panagiotis Papavramopoulos serves cocktails with technique and imagination, without chatter. The Sunday Santorini Experience party also passed through here, with DJ 2Noicy raising the tempo late into the night.

Sitting at one of the tables, glass in hand, with Santorini turning off its lights one by one around the Caldera, I think how different it is to experience the island through such a lens. Not just as a tourist “consuming” views, but as a participant—or at least an observer—of an event that touches the body, the mind, and the community.

TornosNEWS was a communications sponsor of the Santorini Experience.