Santorini

The idyllic small island off the Greek mainlands, Santorini. Known for its picturesque blue and white buildings, black volcanic sands and scorching heat makes it the perfect romantic destination for many couples.

Things to do

The island is small, so much so that by car you could travel its distance in about 45 minutes! Making any day trips easy breezy.

Santorini Sensations

• Fava – A famous local dish made of Fava beans, it’s mashed or puréed and served often as a side dish with bread.

• Tomatokeftedes – Essentially these are tomato fritters, usually served with some freshly made tzatziki dip!

• White Aubergine(Eggplant) – Different to your typical purple coloured aubergine, Santorini can grow very large white aubergines, they have a semi-sweet taste, don’t absorb oil and their seeds are hardly visible! Usually served as a side.

• Yellow Donkey – Don’t worry its not what you think! In fact it’s actually Santorini’s very own local ale! It is the only beer brewery on the island and you’re welcome to visit them, try some beer and browse their shop.

• Local Wine – Vinsanto is by far the most famous wine of Santorini. It’s a dessert wine usually paired with chocolate or creamy cheeses like Stilton. Flavours of butterscotch really do poke through as well as roasted coffee beans, raisin and cocoa.
  
  I enjoyed the Vinsanto as I do like my full bodied wines, but personally the star of the show for me…on my sunny Santorini trip outing, was a refreshing glass of Estate Argyros Assyrtiko French oak fermented dry white wine. With flavours of nuts, honeycomb, butter and vanilla….mmm yum!

Shop in Fira (Thera) – For the best shopping, stick to the capital. All the towns have cute carved-in shops however, Fira has the best selection! With loads of coffee shops and bars to rest up.

Visit Oia & Imerovigli – These towns are known to be the two most romantic towns on the island. Whether you fancy a beautiful sunset dinner, or a stroll through the town looking at the trinkets you’ll love to walk around both. I would say Oia is more popular with tourists and Imerovigli is a bit quieter.

Koutsoyannopoulos wine museum – I really did enjoy this museum, you learn about the rich history of Santorini and how wine came into existence! Gaining knowledge such as the wine harvest, which occurs every August and how the grapes are grown, fermented and bottled.

You can also try the wines at a wine tasting and if you would like some food to pair with your tasting experience, then definitely make sure you book this with the museum ahead of your visit. Otherwise, you’ll be chomping on some dry bread…which is fine, if you’re a foodie like me and just want the wine!

Wine tour – Santorini has a great selection of wine tours to tickle your fancy. One that I enjoyed was the “Semi Private Wine Tasting Santorini Tour & Sunset in Oia Village“. You’re picked up from your hotel in a luxe, air conditioned Mercedes (great extra to the experience!) and go on to visit two vineyards; Estate Argyros, where you try 5 types of wines with a light meat/cheese platter and the Koutsoyannopoulos wine museum, where you can learn about the history of wine and taste 5 more wines.

The trip continues, taking you to the Profitis Ilias Mountain where you get a superb panoramic view of the island and can visit a local church which offers a taste of their home grown wine, fruits and olive oil. Lastly you stop off at the most perfect spot to watch the sunset in Oia.

It’s around £70pp, which is one of the more reasonably priced tours I could find, and it did not disappoint! The driver was very welcoming and if you want to get dropped off in a different town instead of back at your hotel he was more than happy to do so. All in all a great experience and a must if you visit this island!

Volcanic Excursion – If you fancy some exercise with a rewarding view then an excursions to hike the caldera could be of interest. Many tours offer transport from a specific port. The tours usually consist of an 1 hour 30 minute volcano hike (20 minute walk up, take pictures then a 20 minute walk down), a trip to the hot springs where you can jump off the boat and swim for 30 minutes, a 2 hour stop off at Therasia (Thirasia) and finally a boat trip back past Oia (some will stop at the port) for sunset.

Boat Tour – Not a hiker? What about by boat? You can take a boat around the caldera and catch those rays in a more tame manner. Some also offer the hot springs visit in their package.

Hot springs – This was one of my favourite experiences here on the island. You can go there as part of an excursion. They let you swim from the boat to the hot springs and back.

The spring has a high sulphur content from the volcano/rocks and you will feel pockets of heat throughout your swim, pooling up from the volcano below. I would definitely recommend this experience but TOP TIP! don’t wear your favourite white bikini…opt for a dark colour as the sulphur can stain.

Ancient Akrotiri & Ancient Thera – Archaeology fan? Definitely visit both of these. Akrotiri is an easy bus ride from Firá. Whereas, Ancient Thera is located at the top of a mountain spur in-between Perissa & Kamari. You can visit these as a tour if you wish or make the trip more flexible by organising the trip yourself!

Best Beaches

The beaches in Santorini don’t have the typical white sand everyone craves for on their holidays. However, if you find yourself searching for something much more unique and memorable for this year’s take on a beach holiday, then your interest should be peaked.

These volcanic beaches have coarse black sand, meaning there’s little dust to cloud the refreshing waters so you’ll find yourself in tranquil bliss floating in crystal clear blue seas!

Perissa & Perivolos Beach – Essentially these are the same beach. Perissa located in the north and Perivolos down south. Both have black sands, restaurants, beach clubs and bars with Perissa offering a water taxi to travel up to Kamari Beach.

Kamari Beach – Known as the family friendly beach, make sure to bring your sandals as it’s pebbly. Great for swimming though!

Agios Georgios Beach– If you want a bit of luxury, then this beach can provide you with an upscale beach, fine dining and luxe beach clubs – get that new sundress on!

Red Beach – Distinctively identified by its red sands and cliffs. Be warned! The walking path is officially closed due to falling rocks, but some people are rebels and want to risk it for the chance to see the red sandy beach.

Koloumbos Beach (Koloumpo) – Feeling free & frisky? How about a nude-friendly beach for your Santorini highlight, A top favourite from the locals…It’s pebbly so maybe keep your flip flops on!

Ammoudi Bay – Okay, this is not a beach but must give it a mention – it’s a rocky bay with some great seafood taverns, cliff diving opportunities and a great view of the caldera!

Food & Drink

Lots of restaurants in Santorini have stunning views of the caldera and sunset. If you want the perfect seated view with your meal, then make sure to reserve your space at your chosen restaurant and they will provide you with a table which has the best view. I have listed a couple of restaurants I tried in Santorini across all the different cities.

Oia: Fanari Restaurant – After strolling the streets and climbing up and down the stairs this restaurant was a welcomed pit stop! With views of the caldera a the picturesque sunset. Fanari has some great local dishes to try and the staff are very helpful!

Imerovigli: The wine bar – A beautiful sunset watching spot! With a wonderful selection of wines/cocktails to choose from. You can go downstairs for a more cooler meal or sit upstairs with a perfect view overlooking Oia and the Caldera.

Fira(Thera): Salt & Pepper – A small very traditional Greek restaurant recommended by the locals and now by me! It was a great local experience, nothing but good food and good company!

Kamari: Black Stone – If you want to find the best food in Kamari, then get off the beach front strip. This restaurant was elegant and classy with a great choice of local dishes. The staff were very attentive and a pleasure to chat to.

Bakeries – I just wanted to give a mention to all the bakeries I found myself coming back to! Mainly…because of the massive chocolate doughnuts stuffed with a chocolate hazelnut filling! They had lots of savoury and sweet baked goods for you to grab as a quick snack before hopping on the local bus.

Ice cream Bars – Lots of ice cream bars can be located in Santorini, always welcomed in the Greek heat!

Nightlife

Although Santorini is known as the most romantic destination in the Cyclades; it is also home to some great nightlife spots, typically concentrated in the capital of Fira (Thera).

PK Cocktail Bar – This bar has four levels to choose from for your perfect spot to sit back, have a beverage and watch the ever so popular sunset. Their cocktails are great and the staff are highly attentive making sure you have the best experience!

Tropical Bar – Another good bar to test out, with good prices, yummy drinks and they have a DJ most nights as entertainment.

Kira Thira Jazz Bar – I’m a lover of jazz ever since I went to New Orleans, if I can find a bar with jazz and a glass of wine I’ll be happy and I think you will to! Definitely a bar to visit.

Tango Champange and Cocktail Bar – Perfect spot for a fresh fruit cocktail and a good old boogie!

Transportation

Santorini Bus – The best thing to do for transportation in Santorini would be the bus. It’s a great price with a timetable that is easy to understand, and it will take you pretty much anywhere you could want to go!

I will say, however, all buses usually go through Fira so if your hotel is in another town you will have to get a bus to Fira then, change your bus at Fira and hop on your required destination bus. It’s not terrible, just a minor inconvenience. So, if you take this into account, you can prepare accordingly!

Here’s a list of some main bus stops to help you out:-

Oia: Click here Due to popular demand you may find yourself running to get onto these buses before others! If you’re on your way back from Oia, make sure you’re at the bus stop least 30 minutes before your bus is due because you may find a queue forms and you wont be able to get on the bus! (there are taxis around)
Fira (Thera): Click here
Imerovigli: Click here
Kamari: Click here
Perissa & Perivolos Beach: Click here

Taxi – Taxis are common throughout Santorini, usually found near the bus stops. One main taxi rank can be found just behind Fira’s bus stop. They are reasonably priced and, as always, try to haggle your way down as much as you can!

Rent a car – Renting a car in Santorini for me wasn’t really necessary as they bus system worked really well Is very reasonably priced. However, if you would like to explore Santorini on your own time then this would be a good option! The bus timetable can finish too early for some people, so if you want to stay in a town later then a car could suit your need.

Airport – The airport (JTR) is 10 minutes away from the islands capital, Firá. Be aware that Santorini has a very small airport and with the amount of tourism coming in and out of this small island you may find delays. The good news is they are developing a new and improved airport; scheduled for completion in 2021! Also, they do have a bus from Firá which can take you to the airport for around €1.80. A taxi from Firá will be around €20.

Explore The Cause

Donkeys…now this is a controversial topic, which you must be aware of.

Some believe (particularly the locals) that donkeys have been used as a form of transportation for years and it’s part of the rich Greek history and culture. However, with the ever so changing world we live in today, and the increased awareness of animal welfare; It can be seen as animal cruelty. So, please be aware of this controversial choice when on your travels.

The island currently offers donkeys as a form of transportation. With the vast tourism Santorini has received over the last decade, (due to the influence of social media) the island has been able to capitalise on a traditional transportation many countries no longer use.

Santorini Animal Welfare Association (SAWA) – This commendable non-profit organisation advocates animal welfare rights for all animals, including abandoned donkeys and mules throughout Santorini.
They ensure all stray animals are neutered/spayed, vaccinated, treated for any injury or disease and if they can, they will try their hardest to re-home in Greece or abroad.

SAWA work towards implementing animal welfare codes of practice throughout Santorini. Helping to create a standard of care for all working donkeys and mules located within the bay of Fira, in regards to their health and working conditions.

Please help this worthy cause: DONATE.