Santorini
Santorini
If you follow a lot of travel accounts like I do, you have seen tons of gorgeous photos of the white buildings with blue domes overlooking the sea. In cases like this I tend to brace myself for an overload of tourists and avoid those areas. However, since this was my first big international trip in 1.5 years, we decided to go big and stayed in the most touristy part, Oia!
When I Went:
Mid-August 2021
Itinerary:
Athens (1.5 days) > Kefalonia (4 days) > Santorini (3 days) > Athens (1 night)
How long:
3 days in Santorini, 10 days in Greece overall
Notes:
I went for my friends’ wedding in Kefalonia. My sister also visited Santorini in June and said the weather was great and seemed like there were less people. Usually I avoid Europe in the dead of summer so that is something you can look into too!
How I got there:
I took a flight from LAX to London (LHR) to Athens (ATH). Unless you’re coming from select cities in Europe, you will most likely need to fly into Athens to get to Santorini (Thira, JTR). We were coming from another Greek island, Kefalonia, and had to stop by Athens first before our connecting flight to Santorini. Kefalonia is further north so the ferry didn’t make sense, but there will be other ferry options from closer islands like Mykonos, Naxos, etc.
You can take the ferry to Santorini from Athens but it could take 4-6 hours whereas a flight takes under an hour. When I was on my way home, I had to spend one night in Athens after Santorini and I stayed at the Sofitel at the Athens airport
How we got around:
We hired a private transfer from the Thira airport to our Airbnb in Oia. You can also get an Uber or check with your hotel/Airbnb to see if they offer transfer options. We saw many people on ATVs around the island. The roads on the island are a bit tight. There aren’t a ton of lights on the road either so visibility at night is not great. You can rent a car, but finding parking can be tough depending on what part you’re staying at. So for the most part, we walked and when we went to Fira, we took an Uber.
Weather:
Hot! Bring sunscreen, a hat, and water. It is pretty pleasant at night though!
Accommodations:
We stayed in the popular town called Oia (pronounced ee-yah). We decided to spend a little more money and stay in a traditional cave house called Aqua Terra Santorini. The location was great and in a private-ish area. It’s a short walk to a bunch of shops, restaurants, and attractions in the area. My only issue with it is that people were doing photoshoots early in the morning and were on nearby buildings they shouldn’t have been on.
Cash or Credit Card?:
Very credit card friendly. I don’t recall using any Euros, but it’s never a bad idea to have some on hand.
Activities/Sights To See:
To be honest, we took it really easy and didn’t do as many activities as we normally would. This was at the end of our trip and we wanted to go at a leisurely pace.
Eat & Walk Santorini Food Tour - the tour started in Fira and we had a little bit of everything. Coffee, desserts, apps, etc. It was nice to see this side of the island since we were staying in Oia.
Wake up at sunrise - I’m not a morning person anymore, but I woke up early every day we were here. It is very peaceful and it’s nice to wander the streets with less people. There will be other people going to some of the view points, but definitely not as many compared to during the day. The crowds die down at night too.
Catamaran Cruise - some friends in our group did this and they loved it. They have different options but they did the Standard Daytime Catamaran Cruise which included lunch.
Visit a winery / Take a wine tour - I’m not a wine drinker so I didn’t do this, but would if I did! There are many wineries on the island and they have a special dessert wine called Vinsanto.
Walk around Oia - visit the Windmill and Castle of Oia and walk around the side streets. I bookmarked some of the photo spots in the map above. As mentioned above, if you wake up early, you’ll have many areas to yourself or with minimal people around.
Food & Drinks:
So much good food in Greece! Reservations are always a good idea especially if you’re trying to eat during sunset.
What to eat & drink:
You can find these dishes in other parts of Greece too:
Tomato Gefthedes (Tomato fritters) - had these multiple times while in Santorini. You can find them all over Greece, but they originated here.
Saganaki (Fried cheese) - had many times while in Greece!
Greek Salad - refreshing and let me tell you, they don’t skimp on the cheese in Greece!
Zucchini fritters/balls (Kolokithokeftedes) - a tasty way to get your vegetables
Souvlaki - grilled meat skewers (usually pork and chicken)
Baklava - layered pastry consisting of filo dough, nuts, and honey. All the Greek pastries we saw looked tasty too!
Freddo cappuccino - did I have one everyday in Greece? Maybe… It’s a iced coffee drink made with espresso and frothed milk
Wine - I’m not a wine drinker so can’t speak to this personally, but there are many wineries on the island and Santorini is known for their wine.
Restaurants in Oia:
Karma Greek Restaurant - cute restaurant on a side street with a nice patio. We had just arrived in town and had trouble finding a restaurant with space, but this was a good find! We shared some apps and I had the Mousakas. I thought it was fine, but the apps and desserts were good.
Melenio Cafe - a cafe with desserts and drinks. They have a patio that has a nice view of the water. I had baklava and a Freddo cappuccino here.
Terpsi N Oia - rooftop patio where we had a tasty brunch. I had some pancakes and Freddo cappuccino. The reviews on Google for this place aren’t great, but we had a good experience when we went. Cannot speak for lunch or dinner.
Ammoudi Fish Tavern - right on the water with a covered patio. If you are in Oia you will have to take the stairs down or get a Uber to take you the other way. The stairs are the same ones the donkeys use so you know, you might encounter poop. Allow 10-15 minutes to get down the stairs. Not a bad idea to make reservations as well.
Strogili Restaurant - great sunset view while eating dinner! Food was fine, but it’s more about the view. Make reservations to assure you can get a spot on the roof
Yummy 'n Sunny - small cafe, but open very early for when you want to enjoy a coffee while watching the sunrise.
Restaurants in Fira:
Stoa Bar Santorini Fira - cute bar where we had an olive oil tasting.
Volkan on the Rocks - lovely outdoor patio where we had some apps and drinks. Great view of the sea
Iriana - the last stop on our food tour and we watched the sunset here. The rooftop was really nice and had a view of the sea and a nearby church.
Enough time?
Three days seemed like a good amount of time for us to take it easy. You could add another day or two to explore other parts of the island.
