This guide on what to see in Santorini represents an itinerary for a vacation lasting about 3 or 4 days.
Why exactly 3-4 days? In my opinion, it’s a sufficient amount of time to visit Santorini, as the island is relatively small and the attractions aren’t too many. If you have more time, say 7 days, you can still take it easy and add some organized tours among those I’ll present later, or visit a nearby island like the beautiful Paros! 🙂
Regarding organized tours in Santorini, there are quite a few: in the second part of the guide, I’ll recommend which ones are really worth it and which ones you can definitely avoid. At the end of the guide, you’ll find the map with all the attractions and locations mentioned!
Let’s start!
What to see in Santorini – Day 1 – Fira
What you can see on the first day in Santorini, as you can easily guess, depends on the time of day you arrive on the island. However, if you don’t arrive exactly in the evening, you can start with something easy.
Fira
As a first destination, I recommend taking a walk around the town of Fira (Thira), if you are staying nearby.
The town of Fira is one of the two most famous on the island (the other is Oia), thanks to its white houses that you’ve probably seen in countless photos. Fira is also the “capital” of the island, where you’ll find the only bus station, a central hub for all the lines that travel around the island.
You may like: How to get around Santorini
The town of Fira is worth a visit during the day and at least one more visit in the evening or from sunset onwards.
Take about 3 hours to visit Fira calmly during the day. Wander through the pedestrian streets of the town’s grid: try to get lost in these streets to see not just the main avenue but also the hidden ones… including those between the postcard-like houses. 🙂
Enjoy the view of the caldera and almost the entire interior of the island from above.
Take some time for some silly photos, there are plenty of opportunities!
While wandering, you’ll also notice how, unfortunately, Fira (and most of the island) is not very typical and is very built for tourism, as almost all the beautiful white houses are hotels or bars/restaurants. Also, you’ll notice some corners where you can take fantastic photos, but if you turn the frame by 90 degrees, it’ll feel like you’re in some rundown outskirts.
After visiting Fira, if you’re traveling during the hot season, have rented a car, and still have the afternoon free, you can stop at one of the nearby beaches: from Fira, it’s best to head to beaches on the east coast like Monolithos or Kamari. You can find a map and photos of all the beaches in the guide to the beaches of Santorini.
If the day is winding down, after a nice shower, those staying near Fira or Imerovigli can head back to one of these two villages for the sunset and evening, to enjoy the view of the sun setting over the caldera or experience the evening atmosphere. If you’re into nightlife, Fira is the place on Santorini where you can stay out the latest.
You may like: Nightlife in Santorini
Day 2: Hiking in Santorini
What to see in Santorini on the second day? If you don’t have a car or are only renting one in the last days, the second day could be dedicated to a hike on the island. If you already have one, feel free to mix up the days however you like. 🙂
Caldera Trail
At the top of Santorini’s caldera, there is a walking path that stretches for several kilometers and, if you like trekking and walks, it can take you to the north-western tip of the island: you can see the path roughly below:
The route is about 7km long, so if you plan to do the entire thing, make sure to consider time, energy, and the sun. In my opinion, it’s worth limiting yourself to just a part of this route (choose the section you like the most!), preferably on a cloudy and not too windy day: if the sun is out and it’s summer, it might be too hot.
For those who want to follow the trail, I recommend downloading the free offline maps from Maps.Me, the excellent offline navigator for walkers, as it includes detailed paths.
For the second part of the day, if you’re still in the mood for hiking or the weather isn’t right for the beach, here’s another short trail to see in Santorini.
Skaros Rock
Head to Imerovigli, a small white village still on top of the caldera. Behind Imerovigli, you’ll notice a large rock formation with a curious shape, Skaros Rock, and a trail (with enough elevation) to reach it.
Once you reach the “rock,” some people climb to unstable positions to complete the circuit and get a higher view. It’s better to avoid this: there are no protections, and slipping is easy.
This will be the hardest day in terms of walking: the next ones will be more relaxed! 🙂 If it feels like too much for one day, break up the two hikes into separate days or replace one with a few hours at the beach.
Day 3: Itinerary in the South of Santorini
It’s time to start driving some kilometers. The third day will be dedicated to exploring the south of Santorini.
If the weather is good and you’ve left early, head to Perissa Beach or Kamari Beach. Here, after a bit of sun, you can also have a bite at one of the beachfront restaurants. If you’re a fan of sunbeds and umbrellas, some bars/restaurants offer free sunbeds to customers, so keep that in mind!
Ancient Thera
Alternatively, if the weather isn’t beach-friendly or you want to do something else, you could consider an excursion to Ancient Thera. This is an archaeological site located on the remains of the ancient city of Santorini, on the top of the mountain that separates Perissa Beach from Kamari Beach.
To reach Ancient Thera, you’ll drive up a winding road and then walk the last part of the path. The entrance to the archaeological site costs €6 (free on certain days of the year). Check prices and opening hours here.
If you like museums and archaeological sites, you can find the full list at the bottom of the page.
Red Beach
After lunch, it’s time to visit a beach that is also an island attraction: Red Beach.
This is a beach backed by an impressive rock formation with colors ranging from red to brown, best visited on a sunny day to fully appreciate its colors. Wear proper shoes to reach it: you can find more details and directions to Red Beach here.
Akrotiri
After visiting Red Beach, if you still have a few hours left, head to Akrotiri: a village in the south of the island where you’ll also find the remains of an ancient Venetian castle. There’s not much left of the castle, but walking around it and through the streets of the village is pleasant, and the elevated position offers a great view of much of the island. A couple of hours here will be more than enough.
Where to go next to finish the day with a sunset and a beautiful dinner? Simple: head to the Akrotiri Lighthouse!
Continue to the southwestern tip of the island, where the Akrotiri lighthouse is located: from here, you can enjoy the sunset with a view of the sea from a less crowded spot compared to many others filled with tourists.
When hunger strikes, there are some restaurants near the lighthouse where you can enjoy fresh fish.
Alternative to the day: if you’re not a fan of romantic dinners or prefer to go out in the evening, you could swap the order of visits. In the morning, visit Akrotiri and Red Beach, in the afternoon head to Ancient Thera, and finish the day with dinner and drinks on Perissa Beach, where you can find some great cocktail bars and a moderate nightlife, at least during the summer season.
Day 4: White Villages to See in Santorini
What to see in Santorini on the fourth day? If you’ve rented a car only for a couple of days, you could now focus on the last visits to the center and northern part of the island.
Pyrgos
In the morning, dedicate a couple of hours to visit Pyrgos: this is a small village in the island’s interior, not far from Fira, also characterized by the classic white and blue houses but much less frequented by mass tourism.
Wine Tastings
To continue your Santorini itinerary, in the afternoon you might visit another beach on the east coast, so you’re not too far from your next stop, as the evening will be dedicated to the queen of the island: Oia!
If you prefer wine tasting to the beach, you could stop by a winery with a caldera view near the port, like Venetsanos Winery or Santo Wines.
Oia
Oia (pronounced “Ia”) is the island’s most glamorous “white” town, the most photographed, the most well-maintained (…and also the most expensive), which is a must-see on your Santorini itinerary.
I recommend arriving in Oia a couple of hours before sunset, so you have time to find parking without rushing (yes, despite the many parking spots, it’s still quite crowded!), and take a stroll around the beautiful pedestrian streets.
Although Oia is also a tourist trap, lined with small shops, high-end bars, and expensive restaurants, it’s still a beautiful town to visit (perhaps even more so than Fira), and the street lights mixed with the sunset create a wonderful effect.
Before leaving Oia, make sure to stop by the historic Atlantis Books bookstore: an atmospheric place you wouldn’t expect to find in Santorini, with old books in various languages, including the first edition of The Little Prince.
What NOT to Do in Santorini
The sunset is always a beautiful and magical moment, no one can deny it. But a sunset can be seen from many different places, and, particularly, to see a sunset over the sea in Santorini, you have at least 50% of the island available to you.
So please, don’t join the herd that, for some unknown reason, seems to have decided that to see the sunset in Santorini, you must go to the ruins of the castle in Oia (Agios Nikolaos), crammed together like sardines, unable to find a rock to sit on, and taking photos while trying to avoid all the arms of other people doing the same thing.
I’ve seen people sitting on the dusty wall of a parking lot next to overflowing trash bins just to catch a glimpse of the sunset near that spot. Please, maintain some decorum.
Be sure to include one of these Tours!
Have you got a few more days on the island? There are more things to see in Santorini, but this time you’ll need to rely on an organized tour, since for some destinations, the only way to get there is by boat! 🙂
There are really all kinds of tours in Santorini. Some are extremely expensive and quite superficial, like the “most romantic cruise on the sea,” where they take you on a casual trip offering a glass of champagne for an outrageous price, while others last a whole day but are really interesting and reasonably priced.
I’ll leave you some indications on what I think are the best and most worthwhile options to avoid getting ripped off by the first people you encounter on this island, which, unfortunately, I can’t help but define as a tourist trap compared to other Greek islands.
The tours to do in Santorini
One of the most beautiful excursions you can do on this island is the one that takes you to the secondary islands of the archipelago (Thirasia, where there is also a small and well-maintained village, and Nea Kameni, the islet that forms the center of the ancient volcano, where it seems the ground is still warm), and then ending with a swim in the warm waters of a sulfurous spring. You can find it here, with online booking and free cancellation available.
Other tours in Santorini that I think are worthwhile are as follows; some of them will even pick you up directly from your hotel:
- This catamaran tour with lunch included, which departs from Vlichada, takes you to see Red Beach and White Beach, and ends with a swim in the sulfurous waters of the aforementioned thermal spring (photos in the link);
- Kayak and snorkeling along the south coast, around Red Beach.
The tours NOT to do in Santorini
The tours I recommend avoiding are:
- those like “private excursion for you and your group to visit “, or any location reachable by land on your own: they are only a waste of money for things you can visit for free after reading this guide;
- “sunset excursion to…” for the same reason as the previous ones;
- boat tours with overly general descriptions that do not mention specific places of actual interest: they often ask for more than 100€ per person for pretty insignificant rides.
Are there museums and archaeological sites to see in Santorini?
-
- Ancient Thera: archaeological site corresponding to the ruins of the ancient city. Normally costs 6€, prices and hours here, location on the map here or in the map at the bottom of the page;
- Akrotiri Archaeological Site: excavations of a village dating back to the Bronze Age. Entry price 16€, location on the map here, tickets here, possible combined ticket for a visit plus a cruise to the thermal springs here;
- Prehistoric Museum: entry 6€, details and hours here, map here;
- If you decide to visit them all, there is a combined ticket that allows you to visit them all for 15€. It should be available for purchase directly at the aforementioned 3 sites.
Map of things to see in Santorini
As promised, here is the map with the location of all the attractions mentioned for this Santorini itinerary: just point your navigator to the pins marked in different colors for each day (zoom in and you’ll also find one or more useful parking spots). The beaches are not marked on this map, but you can find them in the dedicated beaches map of Santorini.
Finally…
Now that you know everything about what to see in Santorini, also take a look at where to stay, how to get around Santorini, and find a great flight or transfer to reach your accommodation like the one from WelcomePickups.
Was this guide helpful to you? Share it with your friends or follow the official Facebook page! It costs you nothing and helps this site grow! 🙂
