What to do in Santorini?

Santorini is a pretty small island (73 sq. km and a population of 15,550). That is to say, driving from North to South by car takes around 45 mins. The island is located between Athens and Crete. Even though it is small, there are many things to do in Santorini and you can easily spend several days there.

Find a bonus track guide at the end (the best things to do in only one page)

Therefore, let us share with you the top things to do in Santorini where the majority of them are free.

1. Hike from Fira to Oia

Can you imagine that the best thing to do is actually free? Wear your most comfortable sneakers, a sports top, and take a bottle of water (we always use this one). The walking distance is around 10 km. To clarify, the journey will take from 2 to 4 hours depending on your speed and of course on how many photos and videos you want to take during the hike.

If you plan to do it in July or August, start your hike earlier, around 7-8 am. The route is not marked everywhere but it is pretty intuitive. If at some point it becomes confusing to you, just keep walking to the left/west and you must be good. The view is breathtaking. Don’t be shy and do it, you will enjoy it!

Tip: we want to point out that you should hike from Fira to Oia, and not from Oia to Fira. The most breathtaking part is the view over Oia at the end of the hike.

2. Walk in Oia

No secret, Oia is the most beautiful town in Santorini. It is so white and pretty, the streets are narrow, the taverns are cozy, blue domes are iconic to Santorini. So the best thing to do is to walk up and down those white stairs and explore every hidden spot. You will definitely want to take photos of everything. The town is so small but incredible. Go ahead and enjoy a delicious lunch. There are so many cute restaurants there with the best view you could dream of.

Tip: We would recommend wearing proper shoes because the stairs are slippery so sometimes it can be dangerous.

3. Wine Degustation Tour

A holiday isn’t a holiday if it doesn’t include a glass of wine, right? Santorini’s wine is incredible, the wineries are beautiful. Degustating wines is such an amazing way to spend time. The people are friendly and wine connoisseurs are so professional. In reality, it is so fun to do this degustation. Also, you can take a tour because it is a great way of exploring more than one winery.

This is the one we did (yep, we love wine) try it here.

4. Boat trip around Santorini (One of the Top rated things to do in Santorini)

Santorini is one of the islands in the Aegean Sea with classic blue and white architecture. Boat trips around it would be a great way to spend time and make it fun. This is something that you should really consider. There are not better views than the ones from the sea.

The most famous tour is a 1-day cruise in the volcanic islands. As these tours are very popular, we recommend booking them in advance. The average price is around 37 EUR.

Take a look to detailed info about the tour here.

5. Watch the sunset in Oia

Remember we mentioned that the best things to do and top attractions are free? So watching the sunset is one of the best attractions and the most iconic one in Santorini. You can book a table in one of the restaurants with a view of a town, go to the Profitis Ilias Church or just find a spot in the town itself. We recommend finding a spot earlier because around sunset Oia becomes super busy because other people want to have the same experience as you.

The most popular spots are the Castle of Oia where you can sit on the castle wall or Agia Ekaterini where you can experience the most iconic view found on every Santorini postcard.

6. Go to Imerovigli

It is a small town located between Fira and Oia at the highest point on the cliffside of Santorini. So when you hike between the towns you can visit Imerovigli.

This town has fewer tourists but it is as breathtaking as Oia. The most popular place is the Anastasi Orthodox Church. And worth mentioning that the views on the glowing from the sun sea is impressive. Moreover, there are so many pretty restaurants with nice views, especially during the sunset.

7. Visit Amoudi Bay

Amoudi Bay is a small and pretty village located below Oia with lots of fish restaurants and amazing views. You can reach it by walking down the 300 steps stairway from Oia. Since it is a fishing village, don’t miss out on eating in a restaurant where fish is fresh.

You can do another thing: take a few steps more, follow the path after the restaurants, and there will be a nice place to swim.

8. Hike to the volcano

Are you still wearing your hiking shoes? Perfect, because we really recommend that you climb to the top of the Santorini Volcano that is active but “asleep” right now. But first, you need to take either a volcano boat tour or board a local boat to go to Nea Kameni island. The crater is 130 meters up and it takes around 20 minutes to hike to. The view is outstanding while walking.

Because of the volcano, there are natural hot springs that can be found there. We would recommend you to jump from the boat into the cold water of the caldera, then swim towards the warm water of the volcanic hot springs.

Check this amazing tour (recommended) here.

9. Visit the best beaches (Cheapest thing to do in Santorini 😀 )

The most famous beaches are:

• The Red Beach, named after the red hills and volcanic rocks surrounding this beach
• The White Beach is very close to Red Beach.
• Kamari Beach features a long stretch of volcanic black-sand and pebble beach
• Paralia Perissa – large black sand beaches with a lot of bars
• Paralia Vlichada is a white sand beach

10. Akrotiri and Akrotiri Lighthouse

This activity is a great way to spend time if you are interested in Santorini’s history. Akrotiri is a village that is located 15 km from Fira. But 2 km from Akrotiri there is an archeological site and it is often compared to Pompeii, in Italy. This is a town that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1613 BC. It was discovered in 1967 during an archeological excavation. Another sight you can see once you are there is a lighthouse, dating from 1892.

You can book your tour here.

11. Walk to Skaros Rock (best activity to do in Santorini)

Start walking from the Grace Hotel and follow the Ekklisia Theoskepasti hiking trail. We recommend you to explore the area and walk to the Skaros Venetian Fortress and Virgin Mary Theoskepasti Holy Orthodox Church.

What to carry?

Every city has something different, but in general you will need the same things to carry with you. It will only change depending on the season. You will carry more clothes during winter than summer. We really encorage you to check the things that we found in Amazon. They’re pretty cool and “weird” but useful for your trip. Click here to know them.

Best spots for your photos!

We love sharing photos, videos and information of the places we go. That’s why we are using Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok for this! Check these platforms because you will learn a lot.

Do you have something else to add to the post? If you have any additional tips or info for our readers or questions please leave them in the comments below. Thanks a lot! 

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