Its romantic, its dreamy, its beautiful, you just fall in love with Santorini! Multicoloured cliffs soar out of a sea-drowned caldera, topped by drifts of whitewashed buildings. With its reputation for panoramas, romantic sunsets and volcanic-sand beaches, it’s not surprising the island features on so many travellers’ bucket lists!
TOP 5 PLACES TO VISIT FOR THE FIRST TIME VISITORS
1. OIA
Perched over the northern rim of the caldera is the village of Oia, possibly the most charming on Santorini and the best place to watch the sun go down.
2. THIRA (or FIRA)
The island’s main town is Thira (or Fira) and if you visit Santorini, you’re guaranteed to pass through. It’s where cruise ship tenders land and where the majority of the hotels, nightlife and shopping are. The town is perched on top of a 260-metre-high cliff overlooking the blue waters of the Aegean. The views are so spectacular you could probably spend your days sitting on a terrace soaking them up.
3. PYRGOS
The former capital of Santorini and the best-preserved medieval settlement on the island, the village of Pyrgos retains an unruffled air of easy grace.
4. PERISSA BEACH
Perissa beach is one of the largest and most famous beaches of Santorini, a typical beach of the morphology of the volcanic island. The beach and its village lie at the foot of the gargantuan rock, Mesa Vouno, home of Ancient Thera. From Perissa you can visit Perivolos beach, both are black sand beaches and form the longest stretch of beaches in Santorini.
5. WHITE BEACH
White Beach, like most beaches on Santorini, is a stretch of black pebbles enclosed by giant cliffs made up of beautiful white and pastel colors. The waters here are especially clear. Unlike the white sandy beaches on some islands that have dusty waters from residue, these pebble beaches have crystal clear waters. Due to it’s secluded location, this is a fairly quiet beach with less people than the more popular Red Beach nearby. Sometimes you may be the only person on the beach. The bright white rock formations and blue waters make it one of the most beautiful beaches on Santorini.
This place was our favorite spot in Santorini! Definitely a place to go! You can go by boat from Akrotiri port or from Red Beach. It will cost you 10€ for the roundtrip and you can stay all day on the beach, because the boats are cruising each 20 min.
Useful tips
- If you´re budget traveller, avoid to stay in Oia hotels. There are much more affordable places near Thira, in Karterados or Akrotiri.
- You can rent a car, so it would be easier to explore an island. But Santorini has a great public transportation system. From Thira you can go everywhere: Oia, Akrotiri (from where you can go to the Red Beach and White Beach), Kamari Beach (great place to have a dinner at night, many restaurants and bars on the main street), Perissa and Perivolos beaches, Pyrgos Village and to the airport. One way journey costs 1,80€.
- Watching the sunsets. Nature’s handiwork is on display from any waterfront seat come sundown, but prime sunset-viewing is in Oia, where thousands of tourists flock to admire.
- Tours – any tour your heart desires can be organised – there are dozens of agencies ready to help with winery visits, archaeology tours, sunset-watching and more.
Enjoy amazing Santorini!
For more Greece travel inspiration check my posts here:Â https://travelwithanny.com/category/destinations/greece/
Your sincerely,
Anny