Guide to Santorini (With Pictures)
Two million visitors travel to the Greek island of Santorini each year to experience the dramatic views, whitewashed homes, and blue domes. It is one of the most visited and photographed destinations in the world.
What to See
The Sunset. Watching the Santorini sun reflect off the whitewashed villages and gracefully sink into the water is absolutely incredible. The good news is that there are plenty of places to watch it. The bad news is that everyone else wants to see it too and you may have to fight for an unobstructed view.
Drinking Tourist Tip: Find a place to stay where you can enjoy the sunset from a private deck or balcony. Most blogs will tell you to watch it in the village of Oia (which is also really nice; pictured above), BUT you will be shoulder to shoulder with thousands of other tourists. A private view (like ours below in Imerovigli) may be a little more expensive but worth every penny.
If you wanted to watch the sunset from a restaurant, check out the roof deck bar at Pelekanos. Located in the heart of Oia, they have an incredible 360 degree view and serve up phenomenal traditional Greek food and drinks.
Vineyards. There are 13 vineyards on Santorini, which is remarkable given that it rains less than an inch per year. The grape vines thrive in the dry volcanic rock of the island and produce wine that is 100% unique to the region. Also, the Santorini wine contains less tannins than most other wines, which is what causes hangovers if you drink too much. So basically, you can’t get a wine hangover in Santorini so drink up!
The two most popular vineyards are Santo Wines and Venesantos. Even if you don’t like wine, the view from either vineyard is pretty incredible.
There are many wine tours available on Santorini that go to 3-4 vineyards and the average cost is around $150. If you’re more adventurous or price-consciousness, you can grab a taxi (for under 20 euros) and check out Santo and Venesantos on your own. The vineyards are about a 10 min walk apart and there is no reservation required for a tasting. From a cost perspective, a tasting of 10 wines at Santo was 31 euros.Also, Venesantos had some of the best food we had in Greece!
Hiking. The 6 mile hike between the villages of Fira and Oia takes about 4-5 hours to complete. It is a relatively easy hike with most parts of the trail being paved and it showcases beautiful panoramic views of the caldera (volcanic crater, now filled with water). There are parts of the trail that are uphill where the path is made of loose rock so be sure to wear athletic shoes.
If you’re not interested in making the entire 6 mile trek, there is a short walk from Fira to Imerovigli that only takes 30 minutes to complete. It’s really nice because it leads you by shops, restaurants, Greek churches and ‘cave houses’. Try walking down one of the random offshoots of the path that peaks your interest and you might find yet another stunning view.
Shopping. The best place to shop is Fira. Don’t be tricked by all the touristy souvenir shops or vendors selling natural sponges and soaps. These areas are packed with tourists, extremely overpriced, and crowded to the point where it is tough to walk comfortably. Walk further south into Fira where the pathways open up and the prices start dropping. There you will find the reasonably-priced and picturesque boutique shops. The high-end shopping (think Armani) is on the main walking path in Oia.
Drinking Tourist Tip: Santorini is by far the most expensive Greek island and the touristy souvenirs you may be tempted to buy there are sold cheaper almost everywhere else in Greece. 
Greek Food. It’s amazing. Fresh seafood, blocks of Feta cheese, and olive oil galore. The best part is that anywhere you choose to experience these traditional culinary masterpieces probably also has an incredible view as well. Feast your eyes.
Other Helpful Tips
Getting Around. You can get to Santorini by ferry boat, cruise ship, or plane. Whichever entry route you choose, it is imperative to arrange transportation to your accommodations ahead of time. There are two reasons for this:
- There is no Uber/Lyft on Santorini. Without prearranging a transfer, your options would be a taxi (which are infrequent and expensive) and the public bus which doesn’t have AC.
- Almost all of the hotels, AirBNBs, resorts, etc are built into the side of a cliff. When you first arrive, you’ll have all of your luggage with you and will most likely have to go down several flights of steep, narrow stairs to get to your accommodations. If you pre-arrange a transfer, they will help carry your bags and guide you to your paradise home.
Once you’ve dropped off your luggage, walking or taking the public bus (2 euros/ride) are your best options for getting around. From one side of the island to the other is only a 35 minute drive. There are also plenty of places to rent a car, quad or motorbike as well.
If you do choose to walk, make sure to stay on the walking path I mentioned previously. On the main road, there are no sidewalks at all and it gets pretty tight in some spots so best to just avoid in general.
Water. Depending on where you stay in Santorini, be mindful that the tap water might not be good to drink. For example, at our ABNB, the water was only good for showers and washing dishes. Also, it gets pretty hot so make sure to load up on the bottled water and stay hydrated.
When to Visit. The Summers in Santorini are high season and it gets slammed with visitors. Upwards of 5 huge cruise ships dump thousands of tourists daily onto the island. The best time of year to go is during shoulder season months (May, June, September and October) when the temperature is still nice and cruise ship traffic has slowed.
So, that’s it. My advice is to eat all the food, drink all the wine, watch the sunset, and walk around enjoying all the views that Santorini has to offer.
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