Here’s a comprehensive Santorini travel guide from Greece experts who spend a heck of a lot of time on this beautiful island! Santorini is probably the most well-known holiday island in Europe, perhaps even in the whole world.
With its unique island architecture of whitewashed houses and blue domed churches perched on a cliff, maze of narrow streets overlooking the Aegean Sea, the unique sunset, the volcanic landscapes and colorful villages offering rich culture, refined local gastronomy and imposing archaeological sites, Santorini is the epitome of a Greek island.
All of this makes Santorini an extremely popular, and often overcrowded island among travelers, so follow my Santorini travel guide to make the most of your visit – find out what to see, where to stay, what to eat, and how to get around.
Map of Santorini
Introducing Santorini
Santorini (or Fira/Thera, as it is officially known) is a volcanic island, shaped around 1620 BC by the massive volcanic eruption that destined the present-day island and its bay caldera.
Ever since, the island has been inhabited due to the composition of its soil which is perfect for viniculture and continues to be an important part of Santorini’s life.
Santorini is part of the south Cyclades Islands, close to Anafi, Folegandros, Sikinos, and Ios islands.
As a regional administrative hub, it has an international airport that makes it a very easy island to get to.
This island is much more famous for its architecture, breathtaking vistas of the Aegean Sea, sunset that drops straight to the sea, romantic vibes, and village island life, than it is for spectacular beaches.
Swimming is interesting due to color of the volcanic soil beaches, ranging from black to red, but the beaches of Santorini are not a match for other Greek islands.
Santorini’s main attractions lie on the cliff of its inner rim, most notably the towns of Fira, Imerovigli, and Oia where the famous hanging houses and blue dome churches are.
How to Get to Santorini by Air
Flying to Santorini is easy due to multiple daily direct flights from Athens and Thessaloniki.
All airliners operating in Greece fly to Santorini, including Aegean/Olympic Air, Sky Express, and Volotea. The flight from Athens is around 40 minutes long.
Santorini airport is also a major international airport, so making plans to arrive/ depart to/from Greece via Santorini is also possible.
How to Get to Santorini by Ferry
Santorini is a major ferry hub, offering direct ferries to almost all the Aegean islands and among the island groups.
Multiple daily ferries depart to Santorini from Piraeus taking anything between 4 and 9 hours (€60-90 one way).
Check out these Santorini ferry resources:
📌Mykonos to Santorini Ferry and Flights: Best Options
📌FERRY Athens to Santorini: Times, Prices, Tickets, Itineraries [2024]
📌Beginner’s guide to Santorini Ferry Port for Greek island hopping
📌 How to Take the Ferry from Santorini to Paros
Island Hopping
Santorini is close and well-connected to many other amazing Greek islands, making it a perfect place to include in an island-hopping itinerary. For example, it’s just over an hour to Paros Island.
The best plan includes arriving in Athens, visiting several islands on a ferry route to Santorini (perhaps Sifnos and Milos) for a beach holiday, and ending with a stay in Santorini to admire its non-beach aspects before departing directly from it by plane.
Popular islands of Anafi and Ios are under an hour away from Santorini, while boat tours around Santorini offer excursions, sunset cruises, and day trips to its hot springs, the nearby islets of Nea Kameni and Palia Kameni, and diving expeditions.
To see how to plan a trip around the Greek Islands, and the different island hopping itineraries that include Santorini, see:
📌 Greek Island Hopping: A Guide for First-Timers
📌 15 Best Greek Island Hopping Itineraries
Getting Around Santorini: Local Transportation
Hiring a Car, Quad/ATV, or Scooter
Santorini is best discovered by your own wheels, whether that’s a rental car, quad bike or ATV, or scooter. Here are some of our resources for you to check out:
📌 Santorini Quad Rental: Your Complete Guide
📌 Moto Panos: Discover Why I Use the Santorini Car Rental Company
Public buses offer good service, but will not stop anywhere you want between the villages and thus limit your experience of discovering the hidden corners of the island.
International and locally owned rent-a-car companies are all present in the port, at the airport, and around the island and offer vehicles from €30 (low season) and €50 (high season).
Walking and Hiking
One of the most scenic hiking paths of all Cycladic islands is in Santorini. It is the Fira-Oia hike, suitable for all levels of hikers.
This hike is approximately 10km long and consists of cobblestone, paved and dirt track sections. Read a complete guide to the walk:
📌 Fira to Oia Hike: Complete Guide
Plenty of other hikes available around Santorini to enjoy and admire its landscape and villages, including the Skaros Rock to Panagia Theoskepasti hike and the Oia to Amoudi Bay hike.
TIP: When doing the Fira-Oia hike, start early before the crowds and heat.
Public Bus System
KTEL intercity bus system on Santorini includes multiple lines that connect all of its towns, villages, and beaches via the central bus station in Fira.
The buses are new, well appointed, and with a cold A/C working all the time.
Direct busses connecting the port of Santorini, Fira town, and the airport run 15 times a day. The single ticket ranges between €2-2.5.
The Santorini bus schedule is a website showing you the schedule for every time of year.
Best Time of Year to Visit Santorini
📌 Visit Santorini in November without the Crowds
📌 What’s the weather in Greece in May like for travel?
High Season (June – August)
Santorini is very busy and is most expensive during the peak season and the crowds can be overwhelming in these months in Oia.
Cruise ships dock below Fira with hundreds of tourists every day who will join you squeezing between the narrows
If at all possible, plan your Santorini trip during the shoulder season to get the most of it, especially the cruise ships that frequent the island during the summer.
Shoulder Season (April – May, September – October)
April and May are the perfect months to visit Santorini. Nature is blooming, the fields are dotted with wildflowers and you can hike for hours on end without the summer heat bothering you.
Plus, the attractions are way less busy and the accommodation prices are lower. The swimming season starts in late May but extends to the end of October.
The only caveat is that if it’s a cold spring, it’s not the weather for sunbathing. September and October, however, are perfect.
Low Season (November – March)
November is the last month for visiting Santorini without the winter rains and winds. After late October, expect some tourist outlets to be closed for the season.
Santorini weather by month
| Month | Avg. Temp. (°C) | Avg. Temp. (°F) | Min. Temp. (°C) | Min. Temp. (°F) | Max. Temp. (°C) | Max. Temp. (°F) | Rainy Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12 | 53.6 | 10 | 50 | 15 | 59 | 9.4 |
| February | 12 | 53.6 | 10 | 50 | 15 | 59 | 8.9 |
| March | 14 | 57.2 | 11 | 51.8 | 16 | 60.8 | 6.4 |
| April | 16 | 60.8 | 13 | 55.4 | 19 | 66.2 | 3.6 |
| May | 20 | 68 | 17 | 62.6 | 23 | 73.4 | 2.1 |
| June | 24 | 75.2 | 21 | 69.8 | 27 | 80.6 | 0.6 |
| July | 26 | 78.8 | 23 | 73.4 | 29 | 84.2 | 0.2 |
| August | 26 | 78.8 | 23 | 73.4 | 29 | 84.2 | 0.3 |
| September | 24 | 75.2 | 21 | 69.8 | 26 | 78.8 | 1.7 |
| October | 20 | 68 | 17 | 62.6 | 23 | 73.4 | 4.5 |
| November | 17 | 62.6 | 14 | 57.2 | 19 | 66.2 | 7.5 |
| December | 14 | 57.2 | 11 | 51.8 | 16 | 60.8 | 9.9 |
How long to stay in Santorini?
Santorini can easily keep you occupied for a week, but a minimum you should schedule is a 3-night stay to include visits to its main villages, bays, museums, churches, and taverns.
Where to Stay in Santorini
🛎️The 24 Best Hotels in Santorini with Private Pool by a Greece Expert [2024]
🛎️ Where to Stay in Santorini [2024]
🛎️ Best 11 Santorini All-Inclusive Hotels + Resorts in 2024
Santorini Top Tourist Attractions
From finding and photographing the blue domes to sunset sailing round the caldera, to hiking, beach time, wine tasting, and wandering the streets of Santorini’s villages, you can easily enjoy a full week of activities in Santorini.
I have a special page dedicated to all the best things to do in Santorini, so check the details here:
📌 21 Top Santorini Greece Attractions
📌 6 Best Santorini Greece Boat Tours
The Best Beaches in Santorini
Santorini is not famed for its soft white powder sand or tiny white pebbles on its beaches. Actually, some of its beaches do not even have a clear seabed due to the black volcanic sands.
Santorini beaches are more of a geological marvel to admire than a tropical paradise. Nevertheless, a trip to several of its beaches is a must.
Red Beach
Close to ancient Akrotiri, the Red Beach is an otherworldly site consisting of red cliffs ending in red volcanic pebbly-sand beach.
Sunbeds and umbrellas are available, while the car parking is a couple of minutes’ walk away from the beach.
Perissa Beach & Perivolos Beach
A very large stretch of black sand beach is interrupted by an enormous boulder/hill called Mesa Vouno that separates them from Kamari.
Perissa is a family-friendly place with some beach bars too.
Perivolos is a high-end beach with luxury hotels, fine dining, and beach lounge clubs situated along its Agios Georgios end.
Kamari Beach
This is the main east coast beach of Santorini overlooking Anafi island with bars, restaurants, umbrellas, sunbeds and watersports available on its pebbly sands.
Armonia Beach and Amoudi Bay
Beautiful rocky beach snuggled below Oia village and across from a tiny islet containing a church of Agios Nikolaos and the best cliff jumping spots on Santorini.
Read a full description of what to do in Amoudi Bay here:
📌 Sublime and Tiny Amoudi Bay, Oia, Santorini
Major Historical Sites and Museums
Ancient Akrotiri
Magnificent ancient ruins recount the story of Minoan Santorini and the 5000 years of history of this island, including the natural forces that shaped its contemporary existence.
My absolute favorite, as you can walk the streets of this ancient settlement and admire the standing houses from 5 millennia back in time.
📌 Ancient Akrotiri Santorini: Guide, Tickets, Tour, History
Museum of Prehistoric Fira
Located in Fira town, this museum continues the story of ancient Santorini and contains artifacts and objects from Akrotiri and other excavation sites of the island.
Emmanuel A. Lignos Folklore Museum
Set in a traditional Santorini cave house in a Kontochori village, this museum recreates the traditions and customs of 19th-century Santorini.
Santorini Villages
No Santorini travel guide could be complete without venturing away from the caldera villages to explore the inland villages too. Make sure to visit at least one of Pyrgos, Megalochori, and Emporio.
Pyrgos
A tiny village close to the caldera that followed a non-touristy path and is largely free from hoards of visiting crowds.
Nowadays it offers a beautiful central square and 360 views of the island, as well as a Pyrgos Castle and the Santorini Museum of the Past.
Megalochori
Another inland village worth visiting, especially for its bell tower and free-to-explore underground cave system.
Plus, a famous Santorini heart site for making picture-perfect island postcards is close by. Read a complete guide:
📌 Megalachori Santorini: Ultimate Travel Guide
Emporio
This is Santorini’s largest inland settlement and a nice place to stop for lunch and check out the Kasteli – a fortress-like heart of Emporio.
It has deserted areas, tiny covered alleyways, and wonderful small chapels.
Santorini Cuisine: What to Eat and Drink in Santorini
Way more than just a souvlaki and traditional Greek salad, there are some unique dishes to be found on Santorini, especially those made with Santorini tomatoes and fava beans.
🍷 Fava – a humble mash of fava beans coupled with lemon juice, olive oil, and capers.
🍷 Domatokeftethes – fried tomato bites, an essential Santorini appetizer.
🍷 Apochti – cured meat, perfect as a companion to wine tasting.
🍷 Kopania – truffle-like balls made of barley rusk with honey, raisins, and sesame seeds.
🍷 Santorini wines – Assyrtiko, Vinsanto and Mavrotragano
Emergency and Useful Numbers
📲 Any Emergency: 112
📲 Police: 100
📲 Fire Department: 199
📲 Ambulance: 166
📲 Tourist Police: 171
📲 Santorini General Hospital (Fira): +30 2286 035300
📲 Santorini Airport: +30 2286 028400
📲 Santorini Ferry Port Athinios: +30 2286 025015
