If there’s one island I can never get enough of, it’s certainly Santorini. This ultimate guide to Santorini, Greece is just a taste of the incredibly beautiful this place is. There’s plenty to do and see or for those who want to bask in the sun, this is the spot to be.
The tall cliffs overlook the caldera, creating the ultimate place to escape to in Greece. The warm hospitality, white-washed walls of Oia, and the golden sunsets are highlights of a stay in Santorini.
The Ultimate Guide to Santorini, Greece
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Good to know before visiting Santorini
- You can arrive by direct flights from Athens or island ferries.
- The island is very seasonal, for instance, October is windy and hotels start to shut down for the season.
- If based in Oia or Fira, you can easily pass on a car. Parking is often limited in the main towns, so I’d recommend being based centrally.
- With banking, I would arrive with money in hand and pass the lines at the ATM machines.
- 3-4 nights is a great amount of time to enjoy the island. It’s a very peaceful place to just hangout.
- For more things to do in Greece, check out this page.
Where to Stay in Santorini
The debate on whether to stay in Oia or Fira is always a good one. I often suggest splitting the stay to get two different feels as the views are different. Fira tends to be busier with where the cruise ships dock, but there some incredible hotels off the path.
Oia tends to be better in terms of scenery and sunsets, but I’ve found the restaurants to be a bit more touristy. You can easily visit either by taxi as well. Here are my favorite hotels in Santorini:
- Katikies Hotel (Oia)
- Grace Santorini (Fira)
- Astra Suites (Fira)
- Mystique Santorini (Oia)
- Kirini Suites (Oia)
Airbnbs in Santorini
What to do in Santorini
See the Sunset: Catch the sunset from Oia overlooking the ocean — it’s a must-do at least once.
Sailing Day: Head out on a boat to sail the Aegean waters. Your hotel can help arrange an excursion like this.
Take a Hike: One of the more popular hikes in Santorini is along the Santorini Cliff Road. Another great hike is out to Skaros Rock.
Go Wine Tasting: Santorini is home to many local wineries that you can opt to go visit while there.
Explore Amoudi Bay: Make the walk down to pop into the bay for local fish restaurants and continue on to take a dip in the sea.
Explore Oia: Take in the views from Oia and get lost along the winding alleys. You can also take a day trip to the black sand beach or the red rock beach across the island.
Where to Eat in Santorini
- Skizma in Oia: Come here to get some incredible baklava.
- Rastoni in Fira: Head here for one heck of a view and incredible black ink pasta.
- Aktaion Taverna in Firostefani: A rustic and traditional Greek taverna in Firostefani.
- 1800 in Oia: Come here for the rooftop views and a drink.
- Naoussa Restaurant in Fira: This place has one incredible view and the fresh seafood is always incredible.
- Katina’s Taverna in Ammoudi Bay: Always packed, it’s some of the freshest seafood and worth the wait.
- More restaurant recommendations for Santorini.
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7 Comments
You’ve really managed to capture Santorini in a fresh light. As arguably the most famous island destination in Greece, the travel blogging sphere is over-saturated with Santorini content, but your photography is just sublime. You’ve re-sparked my interest in traveling there! What time of the year would you recommend for visiting?
http://www.thegingerpassports.com
Dani, thank you so much for the kind words!! It means the world. I’d recommend going in late May or early September. The island kind of shuts down from October-April as the winds can get pretty bad.
I recently saw a video on Instagram of someone staying in Santorini and the most amazing and beautiful sunset I think I’ve ever seen in my life, it moved very quickly up my bucket list.
It always looks so awesome, but so expensive and on my current budget travel adventure, it may be one of those places I have to save up for and treat myself!
http://www.bodywithmind.co.uk
It’s definitely a splurge trip and I would recommend definitely going!!
Hi Jessica! This is such a great piece! My husband and I are doing Greece his coming June. We are taking a cruise and then plan on staying about 5-6 days in either Santorini or Mykonos. Would you recommend splitting the trip and doing both or picking one? We never get to relax so we will be doing more relaxing then trying to hustle around seeing everything. We were just going to do one but after reading your posts I’m so torn!! Thank you!
Your pictures are so beautiful! I can’t wait to visit Greece!
Santorini, is a dreamy place. There are several heavenly place in Greece, but this might be one of the best. I always travel to taste the food first ( I am a food lover). And when it meets with dreamy blue water and the view from up hill, just feels like heaven.