Santorini is one of those places that feels like a dream, with its incredible sunsets, whitewashed buildings, and deep blue waters. This Greek island is perfect for a romantic escape or just soaking up some serious beauty. Whether you’re strolling through the charming streets of Oia, lounging on the unique black sand beaches, or enjoying a glass of wine with a view, Santorini’s got something special for everyone. With a history shaped by a massive volcanic eruption that created its stunning caldera, the island is also full of ancient ruins and stories that add an extra layer of magic to your visit.
Visiting Tips
Public Transport
(☝️ Image from year 2023)
Santorini has one public bus transport company, KTEL. They operate all around the island with pretty cheap ticket prices ranging from 1.60€ to 3€.
You can get pretty much anywhere on the island but one tip is that almost all lines go through the main city Fira.
Main bus station is in Fira, and be careful on which bus you get on because they are not marked very visibly.
Airport Transport (Monolithos - airport)
The KTEL public bus leaves from the airport to Fira approximately every hour between 6AM and 11PM.
If your plane lands in the night or early in the morning, your only choice is to take a taxi.
Ferry Port Transport (Athinios - port)
Popular place to land if you are island hopping, you will probably end up in the (new) ferry port. It is close to Fira but Fira is very high up the hill so we would not recommend walking.
As you can see on the image above the schedule for ferry port is published every day or day before for the next day. The reason is that they adjust the schedule to arrivals of boats and ferries.
So if you are trying to catch a boat off the island there will probably be a bus from Fira to the port an hour or more before.
Rent a car, motorcycle or scooter
In our opinion, the best way to get around the island would definitely be to rent a scooter (or motorcycle). Or if you have more of a budget, you could rent a car.
Renting a scooter is pretty cheap, for us it was 22€ per day. Although most of the renting places require you to have a unrestricted motorcycle license (European “A” license, “A1” or “A2” is not enough).
In our experience everything went smoothly with renting a scooter. But just in case be careful who you rent from and take pictures when you receive the vehicle for all damages so they don’t try to pin it on you.
Where to stay
Most popular places to stay in Santorini would definitely be on the west side of the island, especially Fira and Oia. Those places are also the most expensive so if you are on a budget, we would not recommend staying there.
The best cheaper options to stay are Kamari and Perissa (where we stayed). The island is pretty small and public transport is okay so I would not worry about being somewhere on the outside of the main cities.
When we were searching for somewhere to stay, we found cheaper options on Booking rather then airbnb. In mid September 2023 we paid about 65€ per night in Perissa.
What To See
Historic Sites
Santorini had settlements from the ancient period, from after the bronze age so it has some historic sites you could visit.
We did not visit any since it looked like just a bunch of rocks to us but if you are interested tickets are pretty cheap.
Ancient Thera
Ancient Thera is high up the hill on the east side, next to Kamari and Perissa.
Akrotiri
Akrotiri is on the south side of the island, pretty close to the red beach.
Beaches
Black Beach (Perissa)
There are multiple black beaches on the island but this one is the biggest and the most famous one. Definitely would recommend going. We went there in early september and it was not crowded.
Most of the sunbeds are not free so either you need to pay for one to lay on them or some restaurants offer you free sunbeds if you agree to go to their restaurant for lunch or dinner.
The picture is taken in the restaurant Apollon where we went for sunbeds and lunch. We paid for lunch around 40€ for two people.
Red Beach
The beach is a bit hard to get to if you come from the south side, from the free parking. If you plan on going there, bring normal shoes, not sandals or flip flops because you will get hurt trying to get to the beach.
Behind the beach is a huge red cliff where rocks fall off from time to time and walking is prohibited closer to the rock. We did not see anything falling but just in case be careful.
Kamari Beach
The other, 2nd biggest black beach on the island. On the other sid of the mountain to Perissa.
Nothing too different from Perissa black beach.
White Beach
Surrounded by white rocks it is nothing too special to see. Just like any other rocky beach. It is very close to the red beach.
The Heart of Santorini
One of the best viewpoints of the sunset in Santorini. The Heart of Santorini is a little bit down the hill, there is a rocky path to the thing and the church bellow it.
We would recommend going later in the day to see the sunset on the top of the hill.
Thira (Fira)
Fira is the main and the biggest city of the island. It has multiple churches and the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.
One of the best viewpoints is the Three Bells of Fira. Location link
Skaros Rock
Nice viewpoint from the island. Nothing special, just a rock and a path to it from a nearby village.
Oia
The most famous and overcrowded place on the island. It is most famous for the 3 blue domes picture. Other than the 3 domes, there is an old castle of Oia and multiple churches.
To take a picture at the famous spot you will most definitely have to wait in line. We came right about the sunset and we waited more than 30 minutes.
Link to the location of the spot
Volcano
Definitely worth a visit, you can find boat day trips to the volcano online.
These trips also take you around the island from Athinios port to Oia and even the other island, Thirasia. They also include swimming in the hot springs on the island. It is recommended to wear darker swimsuits because lighter colored ones get stained with sulfur.
The one we went to also included bus pickup at a bus station next to our hotel in Perissa.
Here is the link for the boat tour we went on: link
Island Therasia
Nothing much to see, you might come here with a boat tour and we saw nothing but expensive restaurants.