When you think of Santorini, most of us only have Oia and at most Fira in mind. But the volcanic island offers besides these two beautiful destinations many other opportunities to spend a dreamlike stay on site. Be it more beautiful cities, gorgeous views or beautiful sandy beaches. Santorini is a Greek dream.

The capital of Santorini is for many the first destination during their stay on the volcanic island. Due to its proximity to the new port, as well as the airport, Fira is perfectly located. Here you can also find accommodation for every budget, which is why the city is very popular with many visitors. The many houses along the cliff, all the good restaurants and bars make every stay in Fira an unforgettable experience.

Probably the most famous place on Santorini. Not least because of the many pictures on Instagram, Oia has gained incredible fame. In the north of the island is the beautiful place with a perhaps even more beautiful Kullise than in the main town. Since Oia is very famous, accordingly the nightlife and restaurants are a bit more expensive. An apartment directly in Oia remains a dream for many, as it can cost up to several hundred euros per night.

Just two kilometers outside Fira in the direction of Oia is Imerovigli located. At least as beautiful as the more famous places in Santorini, it shines in the tpyic white with the blue roofs. The big plus point is that it is much less touristy than Fira and especially than Oia, but you can enjoy the typical beauty of Santorini while having a delicious drink with a fantastic view.

A little further south below Fira is the small village of Megalochori. Due to its location it has remained very untouched, but is just as beautiful as many other places on the island. If you want to enjoy a typical village on Santorini, without numerous tourists around you, Megalochori is the perfect place.

Situated on a hill and in the immediate surroundings of Megalochori is the village of Pyrgos. Immediately after arrival, you can’t help but be amazed by its beauty. Many small stores and a few sweet bars and restaurants make your stay more enjoyable. Here we had a wonderful dinner in a restaurant with probably the best view in all of Pyrgos.

A wonderful change in Santorini is to go on a boat trip and visit three different destinations outside the main island. The first stop is the inactive volcano on Santorini, which is responsible for the current shape of Santorini. After that, the trip continues to a hot spring where you can take a short bath. The last destination is the secluded island of Thirasia, where you can swim in the beautiful crystal clear sea, or fill your stomach with delicious food and desserts. Or both.

At the westernmost point of the island is the Akrotiri Lighthouse. Here you can enjoy a beautiful view of the wide Aegean Sea. According to locals, it is worth coming here especially for the sunset to enjoy an epic moment that you will not forget so quickly.

About 5 – 6 km from Akrotiri Lighthouse in the south of the island is the famous Red Beach, or Kokkini Paralia, as it is actually called. This is easily accessible by quad bike. Buses also go here if you want to take public transport.

Also along the same coast is White Beach. There are several ways to get there. One of them is to approach the right promoter at Red Beach and go there by boat for $10 per person.

Probably the most beautiful beach on Santorini! Small black gravel, which stretches for about 7 km and sometimes gets quite hot under your feet. The perfect thing about this beach is that it stretches from Perivolos to Perrisa and you can find bars and restaurants almost everywhere where you can have something to fill your stomach.

Greece offers a very diversified and delicious cuisine. One thing can be said with certainty – in Santorini, or Greece, everyone will find something for his taste.

An overview of the restaurants that we have visited and found good.

• Aris (Fira) | Greek cuisine
• Magma (Fira) | Burgers and Shisha
• Nektar (Fira) | Greek cuisine
• Svoronos Bakery (Fira) | Perfect start into the day
• Yogi (Fira) | Greek fast food
• Peleope’s (Pyrgos) | Greek cuisine
• Demilmar (Perissa) | From Pizza over Nachos to Gyros
• Sea View (Perivolos) | Greek cuisine
• Avli (Thirasia) | Burgers and delicious desserts

To get to Santorini you have two options. The fastest way is to arrive by plane. Santorini has an international airport about 6 km outside the capital Fira, with which you can easily reach the island.

The second option to get to Santorini is to take a ferry from the mainland and enjoy the beauty of Santorini a few hours later. If you are already on the mainland or another island, the ferry is probably the better travel option. One-way tickets are available from around $40.

Probably the best and definitely the cheapest way to travel on the island is to take the local bus. The buses run several times per hour in high season and are charged by zone. The prices in our case were either $1.60 or $2.20 per ride for each person.

Quads are very popular on Santorini! Their popularity is also related to the fact that you can go everywhere with them independently, you can park even in any corner where it is not exclusively prohibited.

The offer of quads is very large and it is easy to compare prices. With our inquiries all were between $30 and $40 exclusive full insurance. If you have booked this in addition, you had to put about $10 more on the table.

Probably not the cheapest way to travel, but at least for one day an unforgettable experience.

Of course you can also rent a car like everywhere else to explore the island. In Santorini, parking is very limited and you can get around very cheaply by bus. But if you still want to book a car, you should check beforehand if you can park it for free at your accommodation.

We are not fans of cabs. It is an evil that costs way too much money and the price-performance ratio is often not guaranteed. But sometimes you have to rely on one. On Santorini, unfortunately, there are also no cheaper ride services like Uber, or similar.

Nevertheless, cabs are often our first choice when we arrive on site and are not yet familiar with how local public transportation works. Our cab ride from the airport to Fira, for example, cost us $20 and was organized by our hotel.

Summer

Of course, summer is the most popular time for a trip to Santorini. Warm temperatures and the bustling life are the best arguments for it.

What speaks against it is that in the high season the prices are of course much higher and thus the accommodation, as well as the everyday life costs more. The temperatures are also sometimes extremely high and can be exhausting if you want to experience more than just lying on the beach.

Spring/Fall

Spring and fall are perhaps not the most popular times to travel to Greece, but there is something to be said for it.

The local prices are cheaper in the off-season and therefore easier on the budget. Also, the temperatures are a bit cooler, which makes exploring Santorini enjoyable. Nevertheless, it is warm enough to dare a jump into the sea.

We stayed at the beautiful Kykladonisia Traditional Settlement and can highly recommend it.

Santorini is one of the most famous places in Greece. Due to this and the fact that it is an island, it tends to be more expensive locally than, for example, on the mainland.

The prices are per person, except for the accommodation and quad, which we rent for 2 people.

Accommodation: $59 / night

Restaurant: $9 – $25 / meal

Snack: $2 – $5 / meal

Pleasure: $4 – $16 / event

Quad: $30+ / day

Bus: $1.60 – $2.20 / ride

Activity: $6 – $31 / event

Can’t get enough of Santorini? Then check out our vlog.