My Trip To Santorini Greece: Travel Guide

Every inch of Santorini is surreal. I remember daydreaming about this astonishing white-blue Greek island, and when I witnessed its beauty with my own eyes, I kept pinching myself. Whitewashed houses, tranquil blue dome churches, crystal clear beaches and extremely delicious seafood – Santorini is hyped for a reason!

I recently visited this mesmerizing destination, and I have a bucket full of experiences to share. Before I begin you might want to read a bit more about Santorini.

 

What you need to know about Santorini:

Santorini is most the famous one among the beautiful islands in the Cyclades, Greece. Greece has many regions, and Santorini falls into Cyclades group of islands.

Santorini is a croissant-shaped island, located in the southern part of Aegean sea. Santorini falls in an active volcanic zone, no wonder you will find hot springs, gigantic mountains, and monsters volcanic cliffs. The island used to be round shaped but after major volcanic eruptions, all land sank except the croissant-shaped caldera which we visit today. The inhabitance is along the seaside cliffs, painted in white and blue which would make anybody go wow.

Classic Bule dome Chruch of Santorini

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What to do in Santorini?

Fira to Oia ( pronounced as EE-ya) hike:

I started the first day with Fira (capital of Santorini) to Oia hike. Throughout this gifted trail, I found many snapping points and experienced new sensations.  The on-route villages of Firostefani and Imerovigli cast some of the exceptional views of the caldera. Three bells of Fira, Imerovigli Skaros Rock hike and caldera views of  Firostefani are moments to cherish for a lifetime.

You don’t agree with me? well, why not to look at the photos first and then we’ill see.

Views during a hike from Fira to Oia, Santorini

Golden sunset in Oia, Santorini:

Once in Oia, we headed to the Oia castle ruins to enjoy the magical golden sunset of Santorini. It is one of the top romantic sunsets in the world and even Google agrees.

We choose to be at the Oia castle ruins, for viewing the Santorini Sunset. I would suggest to go early and catch a nice seat to really experience the romantic laze on. Else go scope out some spaces in Oia, sunset is beautiful from everywhere!

Dance of yellow to purple ombre would lure you, again and again, to be at different places and witness the sunset yet again. With the red splash, when sun kissed the horizon, everybody clapped and celebrated the moment, that was unexpected but cute. The view of golden sunrays shining over Oia caldera was certainly the show stealer.

Gloden Sunset from Oia castle

Blue Hour at Oia, Santorini:

Blue hour is when the sun is all gone but it’s not too dark yet. The Santorini blue hour is special because sky kind of twins with the eye-catching blue dome churches and white villas kind of reflect the slowly appearing lights. We stayed back until the Oia caldera slowly lit up taking your sightseeing to another level. the Blue hour is when you truly realize how awe-inspiring Santorini is- on a bright note- don’t miss it!

There are few important takeaway points, mentioned at the end of the post. I wish I had known at least some of them before visiting Santorini! If they are any good, Please let me know in the comment section below.

Blue hour at Santorini

Santorini Beach Hopping:

Santorini is more than white and blue marble villas, the entire east side and southwest coast shines with tones of beaches. Next day morning we took a dip in crystal clear waters of Monoliths beach. I was there in the month of October, needless to say, that the beach was ghost empty. Just us, and soothing ocean, oh my-my! Monolithos, Perrisa, Perilovos, Red beach, Black beach, White sand beach the list is endless and so are the experiences. Red beach is captivating with volcanic red cliffs and amazing snorkeling spots. Perrisa is a bit more touristy, jam-packed with seaside bars and has a party vibe. Here, some of the seaside restaurants offer Greek dance parties, which would be awesome. This area was a bit expensive just like Oia, But sights of gigantic mountains standing next to transparent ocean were irreplaceable.

Every beach had distinctive views to offer. I was never tired of beach hopping in Santorini. Just one thing I don’t to how to feel about -as while Dancing in the sun, I was baked and roasted! If you love tan then Santorini is the place.

Santorini beaches

Essential info for the beach holiday in Santorini:

1. Bring your towels and kaftans, you will find them very costly on the island and quality is not that great.

2. ‎Snorkeling gear and water shoes is always a good idea, many times we could see colorful fish just by standing in the waters, snorkeling gear and waterproof cams are good to have.

3. ‎Bring sunscreen, SPF 50 or more. Apply, apply and repeat! On the first day, I was just tanned, which was followed by days of being roasted and baked, that too in October! Although the temperature was close to 25 degrees, the sun was pretty much intense. Sunscreens sold out there are very expensive, so get your own and be happy.

4. If you want to use beach shack, you need to purchase a cocktail or a beer from the owner, unless you visit in off season like I did and get everything for free!

Tips for a trip to Santorini:

1. Santorini is a beautiful mess of curvy streets and staircases, the roads are not high heel friendly! sneakers are your best friend here unless you wanna sing “ouuch ouuch” music during your hike.

2. The food portions in the restaurant are seriously huge, do not hesitate to share. I had ordered just two appetizers and a main dish for two people but I was super stuffed just with an appetizer.

3. What to eat in Santorini is always a genuine question. I tried famous foods like Musaka, Tomato balls, Seafood, Saganaki and much more. I am seriously thinking about writing a separate post about Places to eat in Santorini.

4. Shopping in Santorini: I bought a bag full of souvenirs back home, Check my quick guide about What to buy in Santorini. This will save a lot of research time and some dollars for you.

Do check my vlog about Santorini Attractions:

So what do you guys think? Do you feel like you were there? have you already been there? Have I missed something? Pop it in the comments section and give me more reasons to visit Santorini once again.