Three Days in Santorini

Santorini is easily the most popular Greek island among travelers.  When you search online for photos of Greece, more than likely, a picture or two of the whitewashed houses with blue domed roofs will come up. Travelers come to the small Greek island to not only capture a photo for themselves but to also take in the sunsets, relax on the beaches, and sip on some local wine.

While the island is quite small, it's just under 30 square miles in area, it packs quite a bit in.  And while its size is conducive to day trips for cruise passengers, you won't be able to explore everything Santorini has to offer in just one day.  If you really want to experience Santorini, you'll want to spend at least three days on the island.

How to Get to Santorini

How you get to Santorini is going to depend a little bit on where you are coming from.  If you are coming from one of the other close Cyclades islands  (Milos, Naxos, Paros, Mykonos) or even Crete, then a ferry ride will take anywhere from 1.5-3 hours.

But if you are coming from Athens or an island that is further away, it is much better to get there by plane.  A ferry from Athens to Santorini takes about 7 hours, while a flight takes about 45 minutes.  You can also easily get to Santorini by direct flight from most major European cities during the summer.

When I traveled to Santorini, I was able to experience both the ferry and a flight.  I arrived from Athens by plane but left Santorini to go to Crete by ferry.

Where to Stay on Santorini

The two main cities on Santorini are Fira and Oia.  These cities are both located on the caldera and have numerous options for accommodations.  There are also many resorts and hotels near Imerovigli, which is where we ended up.  Fira and Imerovigli are great options as they are centrally located on the island.  I stayed at a resort near Imerovigli that gave beautiful views east towards the Mediterranean Sea.

Oia is on the very north end of the island, so if you stay here, it will take you a little bit longer to get to other parts of the island.  However, there are plenty of restaurants, shops and sunset views.  Plus Amoudi Bay is a beautiful spot for dinner.

Fira and Oia both provide public bus options between them and to other parts of the island.  If you don't plan on renting a car, I would almost certainly stay in one of these cities.

One thing to note about hotels in both Fira and Oia is that you will likely have to climb steps up or down for a place with a caldera view.  And if you rent a car, you will have to park at least a few blocks away.

There are plenty of hotels and resorts close to Fira and Oia that, even though they don't have a caldera view, provide a stunning setting.  These resorts are quieter and open for a more relaxing stay.  I had a car and I enjoyed staying at a resort with a parking lot and a quiet place at the end of the night.

How to Get Around Santorini

As I mentioned earlier there are public buses that run throughout the island.  There are regular bus routes from both the airport and new ferry port to Fira and Oia.  As well as a regular bus that runs between Fira and Oia.  The city of Fira acts as the main hub so if you stay in, or go to Oia, you will have to go through Fira first.

The bus will transport you to the main cities around the island but not everywhere.  I only took the bus one time while on Santorini to get from Imerovigli to Oia.  It was fairly crowded but comfortable.

Another popular way that people get around Santorini is by ATV.  I saw plenty of people renting them right from the airport.  This is a good option if you only want to travel around the island for a day and don't want a car for your entire trip.

Renting a car is an excellent way to explore Santorini.  Car rentals are fairly inexpensive on the island.  I rented my for 75 Euros for 3 days in October.

Driving around Santorini was easy for the most part.  The area around Fira is busy and quite crowded, as is Oia, but other parts of the island can be much calmer.  Going to Perissa, I easily found a parking spot along the road to leave my car as I went to the beach.

What to do on Santorini

Santorini is an island full of mostly outdoor activities.  Considering the arid climate and lack of rainfall on the island, you shouldn't be too concerned about the weather ruining any of your outdoor fun.  However, when I went it was very windy, mainly on the eastern side of the island.

The lack of rain also means there are often not many clouds in the sky, which makes the island great for sunset viewing.  With a few days on the island, you should be able to catch at least one sunset.  I was lucky and caught it all three nights I was there.  If you've read any articles about Santorini sunsets, many will tell you that Oia is the best spot to watch the sunset and will point out the Oia Castle.  However there a numerous restaurants with rooftop bars in Oia, Fira and Imerovigli that provide stunning views of the sunset.  So grab a glass of wine or dinner and enjoy the day turning into night.

A food tour is an excellent way to get introduced to Santorini and the Greek culture.  I took one on my first morning on the island, which was great since it started with a cup of traditional Greek coffee.  I also got to sample many of the local delights like souvlaki, olive oil and wine.

The morning food tour I took ended in the early afternoon which gave me some time wander around Fira.  Fira is a very touristy area, which is unsurprising as this is where the cruise ship passengers get off.  And it is filled with shops that have both local items and souvenirs.

Mid-day is not the best time to be wandering around Fira, as even when I was there in October, it was packed with people from the cruise ships.  There is a cable car that goes up and down to the port at the bottom of the cliff and the line was hundreds of people long to get on when I walked past.

Luckily I was comfortable walking down the 580-plus steps to get to the port instead of taking the cable car.  Although I can't say this was a very enjoyable experience as there are donkeys you can ride up and down the steps that leave their mess all over the steps.  So you have to watch your step to ensure you don't slip in it.

You will need to get to the bottom of the port if you want to take a sunset cruise and/or hike around Nea Kammeni, the volcanic island in the middle of the caldera.  I highly recommend getting to Nea Kamenni while you are in Santorini.  There are multiple different options to get there but the easiest is to take a guided tour.  Nea Kammeni is not very big but you can explore the island and see the heat coming out volcanic areas plus you'll get an incredible view of Santorini.

If hiking a volcanic island isn't your cup of tea, you can instead spend a day at one of Santorini's beaches.  Most of Santorini's beaches have black sand from the volcanic ash.  However, it does also have a red beach and a white sand beach if you want to mix it up.

I explored 3 of the beaches and my personal favorite was Perissa Beach.  It is one of the larger beaches on Santorini, has nice sand and is in a beautiful setting.  The is also the red beach which is small and requires a little walk to reach.  The sand itself isn't red but the rocks and cliffs that surround it are what make it the red beach. If you are spending 3 days on Santorini you should have time to make it to at least one of these beaches for an afternoon of relaxation.

As I mentioned in places to stay on Santorini, it is likey that you will be staying in Fira or Oia.  And it is likely you'll want to get from one to the other.  And while you can drive or take the bus, you can also hike along the caldera between the two cities.  If you want to take this hike, it is best to do it in the direction from Fira to Oia as it will be more downhill.  I would suggest stopping out at Sakura Rock along the way where you'll feel like you're practically in the caldera.  The hike from Fira to Oia takes about 3.5 hours depending on how fast you walk and how many times you stop to take photos.

If you have an interest in ancient history then Santorini has something for you as well.  The Akrotiri archeological site will take you back in time 4000 years ago to the Minoan empire.  The site is covered from the sunshine, which makes it a great activity on a hot day.

Those activities should take up most of any three-day itinerary in Santorini.  However, if you find yourself with some extra time, you could get to the Akrotiri lighthouse, the Prophet Elias Monastery or take in a movie at the Kamari open air cinema.

Conclusion

Three days is plenty of time to get a good feel for what Santorini has to offer.  You'll explore the cities, taste some wine and relax on the beach.  I really do recommend renting a car to get around to many of the sites.  It will make your trip much more efficient and flexible.  Santorini is more than just the whitewashed houses and blue domes you see in the photos.  It requires more than just a stop on a cruise for the day.