Are Santorini and Mykonos safe from fires? Travel advice for Kos, Zante and Crete

Many tourists will be wondering which parts of Greece can travel safely amid the ongoing wildfires that have hit the country. The fires, which started after Greece was hit by a long spell of extreme heat, caused catastrophic damage in holiday hotspots and forced thousands of residents and tourists to flee.

Santorini is an island in Greece, where catastrophic forest fires have affected several regions.Is it safe to travel to Santorini? Different areas of Greece have been zoned according to fire risk, ranging from low to extreme.




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Santorini is not, at the time of writing, very high risk and travel to and from the island continues. The UK government website notes that “no trip can be guaranteed safe” and urges UK nationals to check with their tour operator or hotel before travelling. Tourists are also advised to follow the advice of local authorities at all times.

Is Mykonos safe to travel?

Mykonos has not, at the time of writing, been considered a high risk for wildfires. Likewise, no wildfires were reported on the popular islands of Zante and Kos. Zante, however, is in the Ionian Islands, which have been upgraded to a very high wildfire risk. There are no travel restrictions to the island, but tourists should be aware of fire hazards and stay in contact with their vacation providers.

The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Britons. It said: ‘If you are a British national affected by forest fires in Rhodes near Kiotari, Pefkoi, Lindos and surrounding areas, please follow the advice of the emergency services. “Call the Greek emergency services on 112 if you are in immediate danger. ”




The Foreign Office added:

“If you are planning to visit Rhodes, please check with your tour operator or hotel before travel that the area you plan to visit is not affected by the current wildfires. . “The situation can change quickly, so you should keep up to date with official advice, follow 112 Greece on Twitter for official updates (you may need to translate tweets into English). “Make sure you have emergency alerts enabled on your phone to receive text updates from Greek Civil Protection.” The Greek government has also set up a crisis management unit to respond to the situation in Rhodes.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged holidaymakers to keep in touch with tour operators before going on holiday. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “The safety of British nationals is our top priority. I encourage those in Rhodes, as well as those who have family and friends there, to continue to check FCDO’s travel advice for updates.”

Where are the fires in Greece?




Rhodes and Corfu have been badly affected by the fires as danger continues to plague Crete. In Rhodes, at least 19,000 locals and tourists have been saved from the wildfires, many of them Britons. On the island of Corfu, residents of the regions of Santa, Megoula, Porta, Palia, Perithia and Sinies have also been asked to leave following an SOS alert.




According to firefighters, nearly 2,500 residents and tourists were evacuated from Corfu overnight. In Crete, holidaymakers have been warned of an “extreme fire risk” and a “Level 5” alert has been issued. The areas designated as at risk were the holiday areas of Rethymnon, Heraklion and Lasithi. All civil protection services have been placed in “a state of preparedness/increased alert provided… due to the increased risk of occurrence and spread of forest fires”, according to the ministry.

The Greek government has also issued a “very high fire risk (category 4)” warning for many parts of the country.

This included the regions of Chania in Crete, central and western Greece, Attica, northern and southern Aegean, Thessaly, Peloponnese and the Ionian Islands.