Santorini is one of the most scenic and breath taking islands in Greece. It has white washed houses with blue highlights and ruby colored bougainvillea hugging the walls, who can resist?
Born out of a volcano, it has been filled with the Aegean Sea over the centuries… It has rugged black sand beaches that creates a gorgeous contrast with the blue domed buildings perched on the caldera, mouth of the volcano.
It’s known for its super romantic sunsets that paints the sky in every hue of pink and orange making for some jaw dropping photographs.
If you want to enjoy the best weather, blooming wildflowers and avoid hoards of tourists, the best time to visit is in Spring and early summer (April to June) or in Autumn (September – Mid Oct). August is the most popular month with high temperature, inflated prices, fewer hotel availabilities and countless tourists.
Santorini is made up of many villages. Oia is on the northern tip of the island and most popular village with tourists. It has gorgeous caldera village views, famous blue dome church, finest restaurants and art deco galleries.
Fira, western most part of Santorini, is a town on the caldera cliffs opposite to the volcano. It has many bars and cafés on the caldera and quaint cobbled streets lined with markets selling trinkets.
Imrevogili is the village between Fira and Oia. This village is the best location for honeymooners that want to enjoy the beauty of the island but away from all the traffic and crowds. The best hotel to stay here is the Afroessa hotel. It has cave style houses lined with fuchsia flowers that are quintessentially so Santorinish! The houses have the best views of the island and is absolutely perfect for the obligatory sunset viewing.
From here, you can walk to to Skaros Rock and the Chapel of Panagia Theoskepasti, one of the symbols of Santorini.
One of the best way to appreciate the beauty of this island is the hike from Fira to Oia. Start the hike early in the morning to avoid the noon sun. At a relaxed pace, you can complete the hike in 3-4 hrs., stopping for those Instagram envy photos and accidental detours along the way. It is a very rewarding hike because you get to see white washed villages dotted on the edge of the caldera, and endless miles of the sea on all the sides.
For the not so hikers, we recommend renting a scooter or a quad bike to cruise the island without getting stuck in traffic and also it’s a lot more fun in those retro helmets.
For the adventure lovers, does cliff jumping in to crystal clear Mediterrean waters fancy your senses? From Oia, take the big set of stairs to Amoudi bay and walk left along the cliff till you find loads of tourists frying on the rocks. You can either swim straight off the rocks or the brave souls can climb up the stairs of the massive boulder to dive in to the warm water.
You can also take a boat tour run by many companies. Just ask your hotel to book you one that leaves the Old Fira port and takes you to hot springs, red sand beach and the volcanic island of Nea Kameni. You can spend the day sun bathing on the red sand beach or hiking around the rim of an active volcano
In Oia, you can find the postcard perfect blue dome church. These iconic blue domes match the cobalt sky against the beautiful caldera in the Aegean Sea. We promise, this will be your pièce d’résistance of the thousands of photos you take on your trip and will be your screensaver and profile picture for months to come. If you want to get the right angle, you have to take correct alley!
For food lovers, definitely try the Santorini salad which is a divine mélange of flavors uniting capers, cucumbers, tomatoes and local cheese in perfect harmony. Chloro cheese which is more like a milder version of Feta, Domatokeftedes which are juicy tomato fritters, fresh fish from the island and Fava beans are a must! Quench the thirst of the afternoon sun with some Donkey beer and Vinsanto wine.
In the evening, Petra restaurant in Oia is the one of the best places for that romantic sunset dinner or bring a picnic and cozy up all the kids in one blanket watching the sky turn crimson.
Take a million photos but don’t forget to soak it all in!
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♥ SnapMy Trip
Must do list:
1. Go cliff jumping at Amoudi Bay and try some fresh fish at Ammoudi fish tavern
2. Sun bathe on the red sand beach in Akrotiri or the black sand beaches of Kamari or Perissa
3. Hike Fira to Oia, 3-4 hrs and visit the Chapel of Panagia Theoskepasti
4. Stay in a Cave house – Afroessa Hotel in Imrevogili
5. Rent a scooter or a quad bike and bring up the cool factor
6. Take a boat tour and jump in to hot springs, or hike around the rim of an active volcano in Nea Kameni
7. Take that perfect shot of the famous 3 blue domed churches in Oia
8. Wander in the cobbled alleys of Fira
9. Food – Feast on some Santorini salad, Chloro cheese, Domatokeftedes , Fresh fish , Fava beans and White aubergine at Thalami Tavern , Skala or Red Bicycle. Try donkey beer or vinsanto wine
10. Bring a picnic, find the perfect spot and get cozy watching the sunset
Blue dome church
Hike from Fira to Oia
3 Blue Domes
Mesmerizing Santorini Sunset
View from Oia Coffee Shop