Vlychada

Vlychada (sometimes spelled Vlichada, Greek: Βλυχάδα) is a fishing village on the southern shore of Thira, the largest island in the Santorini archipelago.

Understand
Vlychada is the largest coastal settlement on the south coast of Thira, and it has the only marina of significance in the archipelago. Most of the vessels moored in the marina are small fishing vessels, which unload their catch and sell directly to the fish restaurants of Vlychada and its environs. The southernmost tip of Thira is a laid back village known as Exomytis. On clear days, Crete can be seen from the coast at Exomytis.

The area of modern-day Vlychada has been inhabited since antiquity, shown by the evidence of the remains of Ancient Eleusis. These rock carvings representing tombs are the third most important archaeological site of Santorini, after the cities of Thera and Akrotiri.

In the 20th century, Vlychada became an industrialised town when a tomato paste factory was opened. The factory ran on steam, generated in boilers of which the two chimneys still dominate the skyline of Vlychada. Later in the 20th century, diesel engines provided power to the factory. Vlychada didn't have a proper port at the time, and barrels with oil were just dropped overboard of cargo freighters. Oil is less dense than sea water, so the barrels floated and were pulled ashore by factory workers. Tomato farmers from the southern part of Thira came to Vlychada to sell their tomatoes, carried by donkeys, and returned with tomato pits that could be sowed the next season.

The acute scarcity of fresh water on Thira meant that the industry was dependent on sea water; even in the tomato factory, tomatoes were washed with sea water. Tomato paste was dried for multiple days in the sun on the roofs during summer months. Unfortunately, these practices were not compatible with increasingly strict food regulations, and the tomato industry gradually moved from Thira to the Greek mainland. The tomato factory has since been turned into an industrial archaeology museum and can be visited.

Little evidence of Vlychada's industrial heritage can be seen today, and the modern town has once again returned to a laid back fishing village with excellent sea food restaurants and accommodation that is much cheaper than other coastal towns on the Santorini archipelago.

Get in
There are no direct bus services from Fira or Perissa, instead, take the bus from Fira to Perissa and get off at Emporio. It's a half hour (2.5 km) walk downhill to Vlychada.

There are water taxis available from Akrotiri and Perissa, but these don't appear to have regularly scheduled services (as of Apr 2022).

Get around
There are no bus services in Vlychada. The town is small enough to get around by foot. E-bikes can be rented from near Exomytis.

Buy
There are no supermarkets or shops in Vlychada, the only shop is a mini market at the waterfront.

Go next

 * Akrotiri
 * Perissa
 * Kamari
 * Fira