Admittedly, I did not see the appeal; overcrowding, overpricing, etc. But back in July 2021, our trip was extended and came across some very cheap flights from Athens to Santorini. Before I realized, we got to experience 48 hours in one of the most popular destinations in the world – quietly. So with that in mind, I share what I continue to believe are the must-see spots, but understand that this cycladic island is much busier now.
But then again, it has every reason to be:
LOGISTICS
GETTING THERE:
Santorini, being the popular island that it is, is quite accessible from most of Europe. Being close to Athens, there are a few ferry routes – each with their own duration and prices. This is a great option for those that would want to island hop between some of the Cycladic islands.
However, there is also an airport that has flights to / from other European cities, making seamless to reach. In our case, we opted for a low-cost airline (< €20/ticket) – the flight itself was quick and having minimal luggage wasn’t a problem since the trip was for 3 days only, and did not allow for island hopping.
In other words, based on what your travel time is, and your preferences, you can opt for different means of travel.
GETTING AROUND:
In terms of getting around the island, I highly recommend getting a quad, bc:
✔️explore on your own time
✔️cheaper than taxis
✔️easy parking
✔️ride at night and see the most amazing stars
💲€30-€40/day + €20 to fill the tank
❕car rental is cheaper (mad), BUT it’s so much more fun to not look for parking
🏍: @motomanossantorini in Perissa
WHERE TO STAY:
We stayed in Perissa, but if I were to give a suggestion for others travelling with similar preferences, I would recommend Kamari
✔️nicest beaches (black sand beach too)
✔️close to airport
✔️reasonably priced
EXPLORE
Lolitas, gelato
This was the first question I asked when arriving: Go to @lolitasgelato in Oia, they had the BEST gelato on the island.
Spiridakos, sailing trip
One of the most common recommendations was to get a boat around the island. We found a half day boat trip with <20 pax (including the most friendly staff). Apart from the fact that the sunset was amazing, and you could hear all the neighboring boats cheering when the sun dipped, the trip gave us the opportunity to see all the volcano spots, sulphur springs, coastline, different color beaches etc. And included dinner, drinks, towels and lifts.
Akrotiri, red beach
For those who’ve scrolled through Santorini content will be familiar with the ‘volcanic red’ beach. While it is a site worth visiting, I will say that a lot of the photos have been overly saturated – the sand isn’t as bright and vibrant as posted about online. But go take a look and decide
Oia, town
Where all the iconic little white buildings are: Oia is a very busy and touristy spot but walking through the town is a must. There’s quaint shops, a beautiful church and some bars with jaw-dropping views (tap post below to see some of the town scenes).
Oia, sunset spot
We came across a lady offering a free glass of wine and a spot to watch the sunset, with the condition that you bought a €10 bracelet (in retrospect, this sounds sketchy, BUT bars are really expensive and full). There was a deck on top of her shop, facing the horizon, with only 3 other people – an incredible find! We don’t have the actual name of the shop but it was
📍: between the two windmills, next to the blue church in Oia
Perissa, beach strip
Quite touristy, but then again: the whole island is, and for good reason. We stayed in Perissa and the strip along the coast has a lot of restaurants and stalls to see. The beach itself has beautiful views of the cliffs and is worth a trip!
Cinekamari, open cinema
Admittedly, we didn’t get to experience this because it was such a short trip, but if you have a spare night, maybe check out the open air cinema in Kamari. The tickets seem to be under €10, with a snack bar on site for movie munches.
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