Santorini: the island that actually looks like the postcards

Santorini is the kind of place you’ve probably seen on a postcard: blue-domed churches, whitewashed walls and sunsets that almost look too perfect to be real. But beyond the postcard clichés, the island is one of the many gems in Greece and has plenty to explore if you know where to look.

It’s not surprising that Santorini is a honeymoon destination. The blue and white streets have an effortless romantic feel, the people are friendly and almost everything is geared toward welcoming visitors. Nevertheless, for travelers like us who want to see what all the hype is about but aren’t fans of queueing up for Instagram-famous spots, it can be hit or miss.

Plan to visit during the shoulder season and keep in mind that some restaurants and hotels only open at certain times of year. Keep reading for a bonus Santorini experience and whether we found the place overrated or worth the hype!

Good to know:

• Official language: Greek, however English is widely spoken.

• Currency: Euro's (EUR)

• High season is June to August

• Credit cards are widely accepted.

• Santorini's population permanent population is about 15,000 and annually there are 2-3 million visitors.

• Best season: late April - May, September - October. It is possible to explore in the winter but many hotels and restaurants close for the season.

• The best way to travel around the island is by motorbike/scooter.

Top sites to visit:

• Oia

• Ammoudi Bay (Oia)

• Agios Nikolaos Islet (Oia)

• Fira

• Skaros Rock

• Pyrgos

• Megalochori & Heart of Santorini

• Akrotiri Lighthouse

How to get around:

• Scooter/motorbike

• Walk

• Taxi (expensive)

• Bus

It is possible to get a rental car but we wouldn’t recommend it as it will be challenging to find parking in Oia and other touristy spots.

Where to stay:

When you start looking into where to stay in Santorini, you’ll quickly find yourself choosing between Oia and Fira. Oia is the most famous and the most touristy, which means higher prices and bigger crowds. If you want that classic Oia view without staying right in the middle of it, Imerovigli is a great alternative.

We stayed in Fira, the island’s capital, due to its proximity to the airport, easy access to other parts of the island and it has plenty of restaurants and shops.

Once you’ve picked your area, it’s time to choose your hotel. The most expensive but also the most spectacular are those facing the caldera. If you’re wondering what that means, the caldera view overlooks Santorini’s volcanic crater and faces west, giving you those iconic sunset views the island is known for. The open sea view faces east and tends to be quieter and usually more affordable.

Belvedere Suites Santorini (130 EUR/night) - this hotel is located in Fira and we stayed in a room with a beautiful caldera view. The design is clean and elegant, perfectly complementing the surroundings. Breakfast is made to order instead of a buffet and is served outdoors by the pool, overlooking the caldera. The staff are very friendly and if you arrive before check-in there are proper bathroom facilities to shower and get changed.

The highlight of the hotel is definitely the swimming pool and sunbeds. It’s an ideal setup for relaxing and taking in the views. One tip: some rooms have balconies that aren’t very private, so it’s worth requesting a room where you’ll have more privacy.

Day 1: Oia

Located at the northwestern tip of Santorini, Oia is the island’s most photographed and iconic village. The whitewashed houses, bright blue domes and bursts of colours from flowers spilling over the walls makes it feel as if you’ve stepped straight into the movie Mamma Mia.

We ended up visiting Oia twice: once for sunset and once early in the morning to see it without the crowds. Even in shoulder season, sunset in Oia is busy. The streets are narrow and everyone ends up queuing for the same viewpoints, trying to capture that perfect shot as the sun casts a beautiful orange and pink hue onto the buildings. It’s absolutely worth seeing!

The next morning felt like a completely different place. We arrived before 8:00 and the streets were quiet. The light was soft and golden and we had many of the most photographed corners all to ourselves.

The best spots in the morning:

📍 Blue domed church viewpoint (3 domes viewpoint)

📍 Church of Agios Nikolaos

📍 Amoudi Bay (you can get here on foot by descending down 300 steps just below Oia Castle or in our case we took our scooter down a road 36.4613038, 25.3696445. Access is restricted between certain hours and there is a barrier in use so we would not recommend coming down with a rental car)

The best spots at sunset:

📍 Castle of Oia

📍 Windmills of Oia

We loved photographing Oia but aside from that, we didn’t find there to be a whole lot to do. Spending one to two days here is plenty of time to explore the village without feeling rushed.

Day 2: Fira & Skaros Rock

Fira stretches along the edge of the caldera with whitewashed buildings, winding streets and incredible sea views. One of our favorite things to do was walking along the caldera path between Firostefani and Fira. It’s an easy 10 - 15 minute stroll and every few steps there’s another perfect photo opportunity. Along the way, you’ll pass quiet terraces, cozy cafés and endless views of the Aegean. The late afternoon light is especially beautiful and at sunset.

A little further north from Firostefani is Skaros Rock, a rocky outcrop that was once home to a medieval fortress. It’s one of the best viewpoints on the island and a nice bonus hike. To get there, head to Agios Georgios Church in Imerovigli. The path starts right beside the church and leads down a long staircase toward the rock. The walk takes about 20 - 30 minutes, depending on how far out you go. Make sure to bring some water and good shoes (sandals aren’t recommended). If you continue past the rock, you’ll be rewarded with stunning views of the deep blue sea on a clear day and you’ll also see the charming blue-domed Holy Church of Panagia Theoskepasti.

Day 3: Pyrgos, Megalochori & Akrotiri Lighthouse

Our day began in Pyrgos, the highest village on Santorini. For a panoramic view of the island, make your way to the old castle at the top. If you’re visiting around Easter, you might be lucky enough to see one of the village’s unique fire traditions, where small metal cans filled with flames light up the streets, creating a magical atmosphere.

After that, we drove to Megalochori, a village that dates back to the 17th century. It’s a much quieter village with the typical whitewashed houses, small squares and quaint churches. We would recommend stopping by, as it offers a different pace while still offering the classic Santorini architecture. Just nearby, you can explore the Heart of Santorini, a short trail that leads to a natural cave with stunning views over the caldera and a small church tucked along the path. In case you’re wondering why it’s called the Heart of Santorini is because when photographed from the “ right” angle it looks heart shaped. For us it ended up looking more like a bubble but it was still pretty!

Finally, we made our way to the Akrotiri Lighthouse at the southern tip of the island. The drive down reveals dramatic cliffside views and the lighthouse itself is a secluded spot with a beautiful view on the sea. It was a great place for yacht and boat watching, little did Qiao-An know she would be on one the next day!

Day 4: Boat trip to hot springs, Oia and Agios Nikolaos Islet

We got to be captains for the day! Oleg booked a boat rental through SamBoat with Seascape Santorini as a birthday surprise. You don’t need a boat license to rent a small boat and Elliana and her team take the time to explain everything, give you a short test ride and share tips on where to go. We started at White Beach, which is only accessible by boat. We arrived early and had the place completely to ourselves, so we dropped anchor and went for our first dip of the day. After that we made our way to the hot springs (yes there are hot springs in Santorini!), tied the boat to a buoy and followed a warm stream between the rocks where the water is full of orange mineral sediment. Locals love it for its health benefits, just keep in mind that light coloured swimwear can get stained. The highlight of the day was seeing Oia from the water, with its colourful houses sitting high on the red/grey cliffs above the sea. We stopped at Agios Nikolaos Islet and climbed up to the small chapel. This area is great for cliff jumping and we even had some fun jumping off the lower rocks into the sea. The water was incredibly calm which made the whole trip feel easy and being the captain gives you so much freedom on where to go and how long to stay. If you’re looking for a private experience that feels both luxurious and adventurous we would recommend this over booking the catamaran trips. They advertise small group catamaran trips but you’re still sharing the boat with 16-20 people.

For the foodies:

Friendly tip: most of the better food isn’t on the caldera side, where restaurants can be a bit overpriced. It’s worth visiting one night for the sunset view, but most of our recommendations are either sea-view spots on the other side or hidden gems in town, and they’re truly amazing. Make sure that if you’re planning your visit in the winter to check whether these places are open because the majority of our recommendations will not be open year round.

Breakfast/coffee

• Volkan on the Rocks - Firostefani (we ended up here because we arrived too early to check into our room. The savoury breakfast pancakes with the caldera view were a highlight. We would recommend skipping the overpriced coffees. They also do an outdoor cinema every day where they screen Mamma Mia -of course!)

Lunch/snacks

• Golden Grill House - Fira (it looks like a simple roadside restaurant but don’t let appearances fool you because the food here is genuinely amazing. The pita and souvlaki with tzatziki are delicious. Unpretentious Greek street food at its best!)

• Galicia Restaurant Tavern - Ag. Paraskevi (a restaurant right on the beach of the sea side of Santorini. The whole grilled sea bass and zucchini fritters were incredible. They even offered us baklava and ice cream for free, which definitely won us over. It gets busy around lunchtime, so making a reservation is a good idea)

• Blend All Day Bar - Kamari (we had an amazing lunch at this place, it was spacious and maybe a little trendy but the food was great. The moussaka and the fried feta sticks or saganaki were exactly what we needed)

• Mr Scoop - Gelataria - Megalochori (a lovely ice cream place to do a midday or afternoon stop)

Dinner/drinks

• Aris Restaurant - Fira (a restaurant with the caldera view which is perfect to visit at sunset. Just don’t expect this to be a very local experience, it is very much geared towards tourists)

• Triana Tavern - Fira (this restaurant has a view on the sea side and serves a wide variety of Greek food)

• Kokkalo - Fira (a good place to try out a local favourite: tomato keftedes and various meat dishes)

• PK Cocktail Bar - Fira (for great cocktails with a sunset view on the caldera. It’s recommended to make a reservation but they will write you an email to ask for a deposit. We didn’t end up paying it and just showed up and were lucky there was space)

Conclusion: should you go to Santorini?

Santorini lives up to the hype as long as you time it right! We think it’s absolutely worth visiting for about five days, especially in the shoulder season when there’s less crowds and prices are more reasonable. Just keep in mind that a few restaurants and hotels may still be closed, as many operate seasonally.

No matter what season you pick, you’ll still get those iconic Santorini views: blue domes and whitewashed buildings draped along the cliffs. If there’s one tip we can give you it’s to rent a boat! Cruising through the caldera and dipping into the hot springs is one of the most fun and memorable ways to experience the island.