Santorini Greece – A guide to holidays in Santorini

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Are you planning a trip to the Mediterranean and want to know all the best things to do in Santorini Greece?

We recently visited Santorini, as well as some of the other Greek Islands as part of a delayed honeymoon trip. This guide will give you al the best things to do in Santorini Greece, as well as the best places to stay and visit on the stunning Greek island.

In an age of idyllic Social Media posts, Santorini has come to the fore as the destination of choice for capturing the ultimate ‘instagrammable’ content. Known for its whitewashed buildings and vibrant blue domes, Santorini has attracted huge crowds in recent years, from cruise ships to island hoppers – all keen to get a photo with the island’s stunning backdrop.

How to get from Santorini airport to Fira

Public Transport

The cheapest way to get to your final destination in Santorini is by using public transport. particularly if you are staying in Fira. There is a shuttle bus that runs from departures in Santorini airport, which goes directly from Santorini to Fira in around 10 minutes. The bus only costs €1.80 each way and the station is quite central so you won’t be too far from your hotel

Taxi or Private Transfer

However, if you are staying in one of the other areas like Kamari, Perissa, Imerovigli or Oia, it is probably best to arrange a private transfer.

Alternatively, you can also take a taxi by downloading the Bolt app on your phone. The journey to the city centre will take around 25 minutes and typically costs around £30, so it can be a good option if you are travelling in a larger group.

How to get around Santorini Greece

Walking

Generally speaking, you won’t be able to walk between each of the main areas on the Island but it will be the most convenient way to get around your immediate area that you are staying in.

Public Transport

Santorini buses (KTEL) are probably the easiest way to travel between the different areas of the island and definitely the cheapest. The buses typically run each route every 30-60 mins, depending on what stage of the season it is (peak/off peak) and cost as little as €1.80 per person each way, with the main station servicing each route being in Fira.

One thing to consider is that some buses can get very busy, particularly if you plan to travel from Fira to Oia during peak times so make sure to arrive early to avoid a long wait. That being said, in our experience the buses ran on time and were well air conditioned etc. so they are definitely worth using. The bus from Fira to Oia takes around 20 minutes in total.

Quads

One alternative way to get around Santorini is by hiring out quads, which are quite popular there. Obviously before hiring out any vehicle make sure it is covered by your travel insurance etc. to avoid any unnecessary issues if you need to rely on it for any reason.

When to visit Santorini

While Santorini is beautiful all year around, one things to consider is that the weather in Santorini is not always very warm.

That being said there are significant fluctuations in the price of flights to Santorini, as well as hotels in Santorini throughout the year. If you have your heart set on a trip to Greece but are working on a budget, we have found the early/late stages of shoulder season to be the best time to visit.

The weather in Santorini in April is still quite good, with average highs of 18 degrees celsius and the cost of flights is much lower compared to peak season. The same can be said of October (average highs of 22 degrees celsius) and November (19 degrees celsius). If you do plan to visit in these months just be aware the temperatures do drop in the evenings and it can get quite breezy so don’t forget to pack with that in mind.

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Best Place to Stay in Santorini

Santorini Hotels

The price of hotels in Santorini fluctuates massively throughout the year – we have found hotels for less than €40 a night for a double room in March/April, with the same hotel costing 4/5x in peak season. Finding the best place to stay in Santorini will often depend on two things: budget and the type of trip you are hoping to go on.

A lot of Santorini hotels tend to be boutique style in keeping with the aesthetic of the island so there are lots of great options for your visit to the island.

We visited Santorini as part of our COVID delayed honeymoon so we chose to stay in a boutique suite hotel in Fira – Irene City Villas. This hotel was really central and had a private hot tub in each room, as well as a swimming pool area, which was often quiet as the hotel itself was quite small.

If you would like to stay centrally then we would suggest looking at Fira, whereas for beaches it would be Perissa or Kamari and for those idyllic blue domes, it would be Oia.

Hotels in Santorini for every budget:

Budget Friendly Hotels in Santorini

Hotel	Price Range
The Best, Perissa	€40+ per night (Double Room)
Galatia Villas, Fira	€40+ per night (Double Room)
Phaos Santorini Suites	€50+ per night (Double Room)
The Cliff Reflections, Megalochori	€50+ per night (Double Room)

Romantic Hotels in Santorini

Hotel	Price Range
Alti Santorini Suites	€200+ per night (Double Room)
Remezzo Villas, Imerovigli	€150+ per night (Double Room)
Iconic Santorini	€200+ per night (Double Room)
Amber Light Villas	€200+ per night (Double Room)

Luxury Hotels in Santorini

Hotel	Price Range
San Antonio Luxury Hotel, Imerovigli	€200+ per night (Double Room)
Santorini Ski Luxury Resort, Pirgos	€200+ per night (Double Room)
Sun Angelos Suites, Oia	€200+ per night (Double Room)
Pnoe Luxury Suites	€300+ per night (Double Room)

Note: Please note that for any bookings made via the affiliate links included within this post, we will receive a small commission from the supplier but this will not affect the price you pay.

*Prices above are based on dates researched for February 2025

How long should you stay in Santorini Greece?

There are a lot of different approaches you can take to deciding how long to stay in Santorini. For most people, a trip to Greece is a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful sunset views the island has to offer and so staying in one place is perfect. If that is the kind of trip you would like to have, you can easily spend 7 to 14 days in Santorini for a relaxing/romantic getaway.

But with so many beautiful islands around Greece, our personal suggestion would be to combine a trip to Santorini as part of an island hopping trip. When we visited, we spent 5 days in Santorini and 5 days in Mykonos but in hindsight, we could easily have 1 or 2 days less in each of those islands and added on a couple of days in Paros or Folegrandos.

The ferries run throughout the day in peak season and are quite affordable so it really is worth exploring the best islands surrounding Santorini as well to enjoy Greece from a few different perspectives.

Best places to visit in Santorini

Oia

When you get an image of Santorini in your head, it will more than likely be one of the famous blue domes mainly seen in Oia. Oia is set in the northern edge of Santorini, perched high up on the cliffs with the stunning backdrop of the Aegean sea. We visited Oia twice during our time in Santorini and it is easy to see why people flock to it every year.

Luckily for us, the first time we visited was early on a Sunday and it was pretty quiet, we got around the main photo spots without too much hassle. This was perfect for us because Katie was pregnant at the time so we were quite conscious of being caught up in big crowds.

That being said, the crowds we experienced were definitely the exception rather than the rule. Oia gets very very busy, with people often queuing for long periods at the main photo spots, particularly around sunset when those areas really come to life. While the crowds are unavoidable, the views really are spectacular so when you visit Oia, try to plan out as much as you can and make reservations at restaurants etc. to minimize the time you spend queuing during your time in Oia.

Imerovigli

Imerovigli doesn’t get quite as much attention as Oia but to us, it is just as beautiful. Imerovigli is only a few kilometres from Fira and offers alot of the things that Santorini is renowned for, without being quite as crowded as Oia. Imerovigli gives you a bit of privacy and intimacy that can be harder to find in Oia & Fira, while it’s vantage point high up on top of the cliffs, gives you stunning views of the island. There are also lots of great restaurants in Imerovigli like Yila Restaurant and 4 Seasons, making it a really beautiful place to spend a relaxing day on the Island.

Fira

Fira is the main town in Santorini and probably the easiest place to use as a hub for your trip. We stayed in Fira during our time in Santorini and while it is a nice place, it doesn’t offer the same romantic appeal as Imerovigli or Oia. If you are relying on public transport, Fira is definitely the practical choice as the main connector to the rest of the island. Fira has lots of bars and restaurants to choose from as well and doesn’t attract the same daily crowds as Oia.

Perissa & Kamari

While beaches are not what the island is renowned for, Perissa & Kamari is where you will find the most beautiful and unique Santorini beaches. These areas are very popular choices for family trips to Santorini, with long beach stretches and lots of bar and restaurant choices in each of these areas.

Best things to do in Santorini

When it comes to things to do in Santorini, there are lots of great tours available to explore the island – especially by boat to enjoy the island from a different perspective.

Tours & Activties

• Wine Tasting & Sunset Tour
• Food Tasting Tour
• Luxury Catamaran Tour
• Santorini Bus Tour

Boat Tours

We did Catamaran option, which includes snorkelling and a BBQ on board.

Sunset in Santorini

Sunsets here are special! We love to pick a nice place to watch the sunset together any time we go on holiday and Santorini is right at the top of the list when it comes to spectacular sunset locations. Most of the boat and bus tours in Santorini will include a stop at a picturesque sunset location so we would recommend going on at least one of these day trips for that alone.

Santorini Outdoor Cinema

One alternative activity that we really enjoyed was the Outdoor Cinema in Kamari. This is a really quirky way to do something different during your holiday and it is only a 15 minute walk from the main part of Kamari, so it is a really good option for families or a date night etc. The cinema has a tropical garden theme, with an onsite bar for snacks and drinks and it is really well set up.

One thing to note is that when we visited, you could not purchase tickets in advance and because the cinema has limited seating, it is important to arrive well before it opens to avoid the disappointment of going and not being able to enter. Tickets when we visited were around €10 and it was cash only at the door – the film tends to run quite late as well so just take that into consideration when planning your trip back to the hotel afterwards.

Akrotiri Lighthouse

Akrotiri lighthouse is in the SouthWestern tip of the island and offers incredible views overlooking the sea. The lighthouse is around a 25 minute drive from Fira but there is no direct way of getting there by public transport. The bus will take you to Akrotiri village but you will need a car or taxi to reach the lighthouse.

Imerovigli to Oia Hike

If you are looking for something a little bit different to do in Santorini, we would really recommend trying the hike from Imerovigli. Ideally, we would suggest doing this close to sunrise if the thought of getting up really early on holiday doesn’t sound too daunting. This hike is incredible, with views that simply unmatched anywhere else in Santorini.

Greek Island Hopping

If you are going to Santorini as your main summer holiday, we would really advise you to take a trip to one of the nearby islands as well. We took the ferry from Santorini to Mykonos, which is about 2 hours long but if we were to visit again we would try to see Paros (2 hours), Ios (1 hour), Folegrandos (1 hour) or Naxos (1.5 hours), all really beautiful places.

Just to note, we found the ferry port in Mykonos in particular to be chaotic to be honest. It wasn’t clear where each boat was going to dock etc. so in our experience, we often found ourselves in queues that we weren’t even meant to be in due to the confusion. If you do go island hopping, try to get there early, purchase your tickets in advance online (the ticket desk queues are very long) and ask one of the security men where your boat is going to dock. Bear in mind that we visited in peak Summer so this was definitely a factor but it is definitely worth considering.

Best cafes in Santorini

1. Confetti
2. Finch
3. Eggomio
4. Brusco
5. Ice Mule
6. Coffee Vibes
7. Kaffeine
8. The Yard
9. Enigma
10. Omoo

Best Restaurants in Santorini

1. Vezene
2. Barolo
3. Sunset Taverna
4. Naos
5. Argo
6. Kokkalo
7. Nektar

Best Bars in Santorini

1. PK Cocktail Bar
2. Tango
3. Boem
4. Mylos
5. V Lounge