Santorini, is the volcano erupting?
 

I read there is a lot of seismic activity on Santorini. Is this something that happens regularly? Or should I be concerned about a trip I have planned for June.?

There has been a significant swarm of earthquakes, but the experts think it is more seismic activity than volcanic, but can't be certain.
As for June? That needs a crystal ball I'm afraid.

If only earthquakes and volcanoes had a "season."

In June, you will be fine.
In the Northern Hemisphere volcanoes tend to erupt during the winter months.

That is a serious misrepresentation of the statistics. Any volcano - anywhere on earth - is slightly more likely to erupt during the northern hemisphere winter months. Other than that there is no 'season' anywhere.

Don't tell me, tell the Smithsonian.

For me,300 years is too close for comfort .
My rule: an eruption in the past 50,000 years, I ain't going.

I agree with heti, as I don't see how we can predict what will happen in June. This is a tough call, but if you decide not to cancel, have a Plan B in mind. There are a lot of other beautiful islands in Greece.

As above. June is not yet season.
That means that last minute accommodation will be available at all other 60 or so Greek Islands (may be except Mykonos) with good beaches and regular ferries.
So don't worry and go to Santorini if possible
The second scenic Island with Cycladic architecture is Astypalea.

The Santorini volcano is NOT erupting. The epicenter of all the activity is more than 10 miles away from Santorini, towards Amorgos. The source is not a volcanic eruption, it's from techtonic plates shifting under water, out at sea.

It's my fault.
When we planned our first trip to Greece, the pandemic started and cancelled.
Now just planned the replacement trip and decided to fly initially to Santorini.

??? What could be the reason for this?

I looked it up and see that volcanoes all over the globe (not just the northern hemisphere) are 18% more likely to erupt in the northern hemisphere's winter months. Fascinating, but 18% isn't a big enough margin to assure someone it won't happen in June.

Right?! Both Stromboli and Edna erupted in June 2024. Not to mention that the most recent Iceland volcano, although started in a winter months, has had additional eruptions in March - June 2024. And it is recent enough, Eyjafjallajökull in March - June 2010, with the most significant eruption in June 2010. Mt. St. Helens also was in May (1980 ia still "recent" for seismic activity). Not to mention, Hawaii is technically in the Northern Hemisphere and well...

Regardless, geology is not the weather. You cannot really plan ahead for it.

And just because there are earthquakes does not mutually exclusively mean eruption. Can they be an indication? Yes. Mutually exclusive? No.

To OP or anyone else, get travel insurance if you're concerned about disruptions to your plans. Otherwise, go and enjoy the Cyclades.

I am booked at an expensive Airbnb. My understanding travel insurance does not pay for an act of God.

Depends on the policy as sometimes trip interruptions of significance, even an act of "god" might be covered, but the premium would be higher to account for that. It would be something you have to look into if it is that much of a concern to you.

At this point we are taking a wait and see approach for our to in May that starts in Santorini. Keeping up with the seismic news.

Airline tickets can be changed or cancelled for credit with our usual airline but changing now to avoid Santorini is higher price.
All hotels and Airbnb for Greece trip can cancel 21-1 day in advance.

If it settles down we will stay the course. If it worsens we will change the trip. We were in Thailand in 2004 when the Indian Ocean earthquake sent the tsunami. We were in the north, but when we transferred back to Bangkok, we really felt in the way of emergency workers and guilty for enjoying our hoiday while others were dealing with disaster. Our driver said to stay and continue our vacation, that our money was helping the families and they needed every tourist, but I would not want to be in a similar situation again.

Santorini is currently experiencing some geological activity, but there is no sign of a volcanic eruption.

All airbnbs are expensive and overpriced on Greek islands which is why we book directly with hotels and BnB’s. Many Airbnb listings are also available as hotel rooms and you’re not subject to Airbnb’s ridiculous cleaning fees amongst other issues. It’s funny you should mention travel insurance. I’ve been traveling for more than 35 years and NEVER bought travel insurance. That’s not to mean I never had issues whilst traveling but it was all worked out according to the EU laws concerning issues like this. Acts of god may not be protected under Airbnb rules BUT Greek and EU laws concerning these are very strict and if it comes to that you have leverage. I’m curious how far ahead of time you booked your expensive Airbnb.

The island is now almost empty of residents because of the continuous quakes, according to the NYTimes. Over 13,000 of 15,500 residents have left:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/w...smid=url-share

Maybe not the best time for that dream vacation.

In my answer above I said this is a tough call. I've changed my mind. I would not want to worry for the next several months about whether or not this trip will be possible. There are other places to visit, so I would save Santorini for another year.

it’s February right now. Those residents will all return once it’s deemed to be safe by the relevant authorities. Do you really think that the residents of Santorini want to be away from their homes and livelihoods for any longer than is absolutely necessary? I doubt it. Plus they’ve been through this before. June is a very long way away. If we canceled vacations because of things like this nobody would go anywhere.

Oh, gosh & golly, I never thought of that !!!

Unfortunately, along with a LOT of inaccurate information. :(

Press release from Greece:
Currently, special support measures have been introduced for businesses on Santorini and Amorgos, both of which remain under a state of emergency.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e056ad9d6f.jpg
Amorgos

Santorini is a volcanic island, so some seismic activity is normal. While there have been recent earthquake swarms, experts say they don’t necessarily indicate an eruption is coming. Things seem to be stabilizing now, and June should be fine for travel. If you’re visiting, just keep an eye on local updates.

I live on the island and honestly the situation was exaggerated things where not so bad