Santorini is a beautiful Greek Island. Known for its pristine white buildings, blue-domed churches and stunning sunsets, its a very popular tourist destination. But there is a lot more to Santorini than you might think, did you know the island has its very own version of Pompeii? And an active volcano? Here are my top 18 things to do in Santorini, Greece, including top things to do in Oia and the best things to do in Fira.
Top Things to do in Oia, Santorini
1. Wander around Oia
Oia is a maze of picturesque streets leading to blue domed roofs and white washed buildings. Take your time to explore the town properly and don’t be afraid to wander off the main street!
Some of the main sights to see in Oia are the Church of Panagia, the windmills and the charming Atlantic Books store. There are also tonnes of spots with fantastic scenery to fuel your instagram! You can even hire a photograph and props to have your own photoshoot!
2. Visit Oia Castle
There isn’t much left of the castle in Oia. But the ruins of the castle make a fantastic viewing point for watching the sunset. It does get very busy in the evening as the sun starts to sink.
I would recommend visiting in the day too to explore the ruins and visit the tiny church that also shares the castle grounds. It’s completely free to wander around.
3. Try Greek Street Food
Can you really go to Greece without trying gyros!? This super popular Greek Street Food is delicious. If you’ve never had gyros before, they are usually meat or halloumi served with grilled veg or salad, sauce and chips all wrapped in pita bread.
Our favourite spot for gyros was called PitoGyros. It was also right by our apartment, yummy and cheap so we went a couple of times! All pita wraps are €6 or less!
4. Walk down to Ammoudi Bay
Ammoudi Bay is a small bay area in Oia. As the rest of the town is built upon the cliff tops, there are quite a lot of steps to go from one to the other. It’s definitely worth the 250+ steps for the sea breeze and ice cream that awaits you at the bottom. I just wouldn’t recommend going in the middle of the day if you’re visiting in summer.
If you really get stuck, there are donkeys at the bottom which you can hire to ride back up to town. The donkey rides can be controversial. Some argue that the donkeys are mistreated, and it really doesn’t seem like a nice job for the donkeys. However, locals may argue it’s part of their culture and donkeys have helped transport people and goods up and down the cliffs for years.
5. Enjoy the Sunset
Oia is famous for its beautiful sunsets. The castle and steps leading to Ammoudi Bay are two great spots to watch the sunset from. From here you have the view over the sea, the white painted houses and windmills. An iconic Santorini scene! In busy seasons people almost camp out with picnics to get a good spot to watch the sunset from. Be prepare to peak between heads and shoulders or get there super early if you really want a good view. I’d recommend going at least an hour before sunset to get a good spot.
Top Things to do in Fira, Santorini
6. Explore Fira
Being the island’s capital, Fira has a lot more traffic than Oia, but there are still plenty of pedestrian streets to explore. Fira is filled with boutiques and souvenir shops. On hot summer days it’s great to dip in and out of these to cool off!
Some of the top sights to see in Fira are the Catholic Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Candlemas Holy Orthodox Cathedral and the Museum of Prehistoric Thera.
7. Walk from Fira to Imerovigli
The walk to the village of Imervogli is around 30-40 minutes from Fira. Maybe longer if you keep stopping to take pictures of all the scenery! The route follows a coastal path with sea views and classic Greek white houses.
If you want to walk further, you can continue past Imervogli all the way to Oia. Beware the path becomes much more rough and rugged past the village. There are also lots of little hills, going up and down. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this hike, especially on a hot day! A couple of my friends visited Santorini at the same time we did and they said it took around 4 hours and they were practically melting by the end of it!
8. Hike to Skaros Rock
Just outside of Imerovigli, a huge rock juts out of the cliff. This is Skaros Rock. You can get a fairly good view of it on the path to Imerovigli from Fira. But if you want to get a closer look you can hike to it from Imerovigli. The trail starts from the church of Saint John the Beheaded, just behind the Grace Hotel.
9. See Fira’s Three Bells
Santorini is famous for blue domed roofs and white church bell arches. The Three Bells of Fira offers both alongside a stunning view! The Three Bells are situated at the Fira end of the path to Imerovigli. For the best view continue you walking past the church until you can turn right then loop back on yourself. You’ll be walking through a carpark but you’ll get the best view of the Three Bells of Fira from the back of the church.
Top Things to do around Santorini
10. Have a beach day in Kamari
Kamari is on the East Side of Santorini. It is famous for its huge black sand beach. The beach stretch for over 1.5km (0.9 miles) with lots of bars and shops lining the promenade. You don’t need to hire a sun bed, they all seem to belong to different bars and restaurants and are free for customers. Some may have a minimum spend however, so double check before setting up camp!
The sand is dark in colour due to the volcano that forms Santorini. The pumice and ash given off in previous eruptions has given Kamari beach its unique black coloured sand.
11. Watch Mamma Mia at the outdoor cinema
Kamari’s open air cinema is just a 15 minute walk up from the beach. Ever since the times of the ancient greeks, open air theatres have been a long-standing tradition. Nowadays the modern equivalent are outdoor cinemas.
The open air screen in Kamari shows all films in English, with Greek subtitles. It shows the latest blockbusters as well as tourists’ favourites like Mamma Mia! Take a look at their website to see what will be showing during your visit.
12. Visit the Monastery
Santorini’s Prophet Elias Monastery was built 300 years ago on the highest point on the island. Hence, offers some of the best views of Santorini. There are still monks living at the monastery, although they welcome visitors and part of it now functions as a museum.
The nearest town to the Monastery is Pyrgos which can be reached from Fira by bus. You can hike from there or take a tour bus or private tour. If you have rented a car during your stay you can also drive yourself there.
13. Explore an Ancient City in Akrotiri
Akrotiri is Santorini’s version of Pompeii. Whilst it isn’t as famous as Pompeii, it’s just as interesting, if not more so! The volcanic eruption that destroyed yet preserved the ancient city actually happened long before Pompeii. It’s estimated that the city was destroyed around 3,500 years ago, meaning people lived there long before the acropolis was built in Athens. This is particularly fascinating because the society there seemed to be extremely advanced. They built many three and four story buildings with earthquake protection in mind. Plus they even had toilets!!
The ruins began to be extensively explore in the 1960s and excavations are still ongoing. There are still mysteries to discover like where all the people went! Some have even suggested that the lost city of Akrotiri is the inspiration for the myth of Atlantis. The entire sight is covered so nice and cool to walk around!
Entry costs €12 for adults and €6 for under 25s.
14. Visit the Red Beach
The red beach is named for the rust coloured cliffs that surround it. It’s very close go Akrotiri. You can reach the beach by walking along the coast to the right of the bus stop in Akrotiri. You many have to skirt around the edge in some places to avoid going in the water but its a much quicker route than going along the road. Eventually you will reach a restaurant that points you the right way up the stairs. From here, walk through the car park and along a little trail over the cliff and you’ll soon see the red rocks coming into view.
15. Visit an Active Volcano
Many visitors may not initially realise that Santorini is actually part of a volcano. After a huge eruption thousands of years ago, the centre became flood created the caldera we see today. However, there is still an active volcanic crater in the centre.
There are several excursions overing boat tours out to Nea Kameni island to see the volcano. The trips often included a guided walk around the volcano and even a stop off at the hot springs (16).
16. Take a Dip in the Natural Hot Springs
The heat from Santorini’s volcano warms the waters around Nea Kameni island to create natural hot springs. The springs are also said to have healing properties due to the rich mineral content.
You can reach Santorini’s hot springs by boat. Many tour operators combine trips to the volcano and hot springs in one excursion.
17. Sample the Local Wines at a Winery
One of the most popular wineries on Santorini is Santo Wines. Located near Pyrgos, Santorini, the winery can be reached by bus from Fira. Santo Wines offer wine tasting and a winery tour. They also have their own shop and restaurant. You can book online before your visit on their website.
Santo Winery is nearby to the Prophet Elias Monastery (12) so you could visit both in a combined trip.
18. Go on a Sunset Cruise
If you get tired of all the crowds trying to get the best view of the sunset around Oia Castle and Ammoudi Bay, why not try a sunset cruise? There are plenty of tour operators that offer boat cruises around sunset. There is a huge variety in the size of boats and duration of the trips so shop around to see which is best for you.
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Things to know before you visit Santorini
When is the best time of year to visit Santorini?
Santorini can be unbearably hot and busy during July and August so the Summer months are best avoided! For decent weather and slightly less crowds, May-June and September–October are the best times of year to visit Santorini.
Where is best to stay in Santorini?
The most popular towns to stay in Santorini are Oia and Fira. Oia offers the best sunset views but Fira is located more centrally so its easier to access other parts of the island from there.
Read more about where to stay in Santorini.
Is Santorini good for vegetarians and vegans?
Santorini is surprisingly veggie-friendly! Lots of restaurants had a decent amount of veggie options. I saw a few places offered vegan moussaka, I had a really nice one from Skala in Oia. You can also get veggie gyros with halloumi in instead of meat at all gyros stalls.
Melitini in Oia had one of the widest ranges of veggie and vegan options. They offer delicious Greek-style tapas. Plus they also had a lot of gluten free options! Flora in Oia even offered vegan ice cream!
Is Santorini expensive to visit?
Yes! There’s no way around this, Santorini is one of the most expensive Greek Islands, if not the most expensive! You can still cut costs by looking out for good deals on accommodation, maybe get an apartment so you can make some meals yourself. There are some cheaper food options too, for example having street food like gyros some nights and maybe only eating out for one meal a day.
Getting around Santorini is fairly cheap though, the buses all cost around €1.60 – 1.80 each way and can take you to most places you would want to visit.
If you really want to cut costs, I’d recommend looking into staying on other cheaper Greek Islands and then just doing a couple of days in Santorini.
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