Your First Time in
Santorini, Greece
Santorini exceeded every expectation I had and I had high ones.
That almost never happens. Most places that come with the kind of visual reputation Santorini carries arrive slightly deflated in person, the photographs too good, the reality slightly more crowded and slightly less perfect than the image that preceded it. Santorini is the exception. The caldera views, the white buildings, the blue domes, the ocean stretching out in every direction with a clarity that does not look real from a distance and looks even less real up close. It is exactly what you imagined and then more.
We came in on a cruise, arriving by tender boat from the ship to the old port of Fira, which is its own experience before the day even starts. Being out on the water in a small boat with the island rising above you gives you a perspective on Santorini that you cannot get from land.
We spent the day doing the hike from Fira to Oia, which was one of the most stunning things we have done anywhere and also significantly harder and longer than every website and guide will tell you it is. More on that shortly.
The food was some of the best we had in all of Europe. The light is extraordinary. The heat is relentless. And the cable car line at the end of the day is longer than you want it to be after the hike you just did.
Santorini is worth every bit of the reputation. Just go in knowing what you are actually signing up for. The hike is harder than advertised, the heat reflecting off the white buildings is something you have to experience to fully understand, and the island will make you want to come back before you have even left it.
What to See and Do on Your Visit to Santorini
The Fira to Oia Hike
If you enjoy hiking and do not mind a slightly more active day, this is the most rewarding thing you can do on Santorini. It is not for everyone and the websites will not be honest with you about how hard it actually is. But if you can do it, do it. The views along the caldera rim are unlike anything else on the island and the sense of actually moving through Santorini rather than driving past it changes how you experience the whole day.
Every source will tell you it takes two to three hours. Plan for four to five, especially if you stop for lunch, which you should.
The hike is about 6.5 miles along the rim of the caldera, passing through the villages of Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli, and eventually arriving in Oia. The terrain varies between paved walkways, cobblestone, and dirt paths. There are steep sections in both directions regardless of which way you go. Every guide will tell you one direction is easier than the other. They are all wrong. It is hard either way and the heat reflecting off the white buildings makes it harder than any elevation gain on paper suggests.
We are active hikers and hike regularly. We started at 10am, stopped for lunch, and did not reach Oia until 2:30pm. Plan accordingly.
Go early. Start no later than 8am if you can manage it, especially in summer. The heat by midday is relentless and the white surfaces reflect it in a way that makes the temperature feel significantly higher than it actually is. Bring more water than you think you need. There are limited places to buy supplies along the route and running out of water on this hike in the Santorini heat is not a situation you want to be in.
A note on direction: Every website has an opinion on whether to go Fira to Oia or Oia to Fira. The honest answer is that it does not matter as much as they suggest. Both directions have uphill sections. Pick whichever works better for your logistics and do not spend too much time optimizing it.
Oia
The village at the end of the hike and the most photographed place in Santorini. White cubic buildings stacked along the caldera edge, blue domed churches, narrow marble walkways, and views that look exactly like every photograph you have ever seen and are somehow still better in person.
Oia is famous for its sunset, considered one of the most spectacular in the world. The viewing area near the castle ruins gets extremely crowded. If you are there for sunset, arrive early and find your spot before the crowds do or find a restaurant with a terrace and watch it with a drink in hand.
Fira
The capital of Santorini and the starting point of the hike. Busy and commercial in the middle of the day when cruise ship passengers flood in, but genuinely beautiful in the early morning and late evening when the light softens and the crowds thin. The caldera views from Fira are spectacular and the cable car connecting the town to the old port below is worth taking at least once for the perspective it gives you on the island.
The Caldera Views
You cannot walk anywhere on Santorini without encountering them but the best views of the caldera are from the hiking trail between the villages, from the cliffside restaurants and bars in Oia and Fira, and from the water on a sailing excursion if you have more than a day. The caldera is what makes Santorini unlike anywhere else. Give it the time it deserves.
Getting To Santorini
Santorini is accessible by flight and by ferry, and if you are coming off a cruise ship the arrival experience is one of a kind.
Cruise ships anchor offshore and tender passengers to the old port of Fira at the base of the caldera cliffs. The tender boat ride itself is worth appreciating. Being out on the water in a small boat with the island rising dramatically above you gives you a perspective on Santorini that you cannot get from land. Take it in before the day starts.
From the old port you have three options to get up to Fira town. The cable car is the fastest and easiest at around six euros each way. The donkeys are available but worth knowing about before you decide. They did not look happy on the day we were there and the path is narrow and warm and the animals are easily unsettled by people passing close to them. We chose to walk instead. The path up is steep and involves several hundred steps but is completely manageable if you are reasonably fit. After the hike you did that day you will have earned the cable car on the way back down.
One practical note for cruise passengers. The cable car line at the end of the day when ships are preparing to depart can be long. Build this into your timing. Do not cut it close.
Coming from a Cruise Ship
Santorini International Airport, also known as Thira Airport, sits in the center of the island about 3 miles from Fira. Taxis and buses connect the airport to the main towns. The bus is cheap and reliable. The taxi is faster and more convenient with luggage. Both work fine.
Coming by Flight
The local KTEL bus network is cheap and covers all the main destinations including Fira, Oia, Perissa, Kamari, and Akrotiri. All buses start and end in Fira making it the natural hub for getting around. A single ticket costs around two euros.
Taxis are available but can be scarce during peak hours. If you need one at a specific time, arrange it in advance rather than trying to flag one down.
Renting an ATV or car gives you the most flexibility for exploring the quieter parts of the island, wineries, remote beaches, and villages away from the main tourist circuit. Worth considering if you have more than a day.
If you find yourself needing a shared transfer at the last minute the way we did, walk into any transportation office in Oia and ask. It worked for us. People are generally willing to help sort something out even with no advance booking.
Getting Around the Island
Where to Eat & Drink on Your First Trip to Santorini
One of the best meals I had in all of Europe was in Santorini. I did not expect that going in and I have not stopped thinking about it since. The food here is not just good. It is the kind of fresh and flavorful that makes you reconsider every version of the same ingredients you have eaten at home. A basic Greek salad with tomatoes, feta, spinach, avocado, pomegranate seeds and a balsamic dressing should not be one of the best things you have ever eaten. In Santorini it was.
This is the place. We stopped here for lunch during the hike and it was a ten out of ten in every way. Fresh seafood, generous portions, and the kind of service that is warm and unhurried in a way that makes you want to stay longer than you planned to. We had the calamari and other seafood and every single thing that arrived at the table was exceptional. The flavors were clean and bright in a way that only happens when the ingredients are genuinely fresh. If you are doing the hike and stopping for lunch in Oia, go here. Do not overthink it.
Vitrin Cafe Creperie, Oia
I do not even like crepes. I had one here, sweet, with apples and cinnamon, and it was genuinely delicious. Worth stopping at if you find yourself in Oia with a little room left after lunch.
On the Cliff Bar, Fira
We ended up here toward the end of the day while waiting for the cable car line to clear and it turned out to be one of the best accidental meals of the trip. I ordered what I thought was a simple salad. Spinach, tomatoes, feta, avocado, pomegranate seeds, something with balsamic. It was one of the best things I ate anywhere in Europe. I did not know tomatoes and feta could taste like that. The answer, I think, is that they can when they are actually fresh and actually local. Everything you eat in Santorini benefits from this.
What to Try at Least Once in Santorini
Fresh seafood anywhere you sit down for a proper meal. The proximity to the water and the quality of what comes out of it is evident in every dish. Order whatever is fresh that day and do not overthink it.
A Greek salad. Not because it is the most exciting thing on the menu but because the version you get in Santorini will be the best version you have ever had. The tomatoes alone will ruin you for supermarket tomatoes at home.
Local Santorini wine if you have the chance. The island's volcanic soil produces wines that are genuinely distinctive, particularly the white Assyrtiko grape which is crisp, mineral, and specific to this place in a way that makes it worth trying even if you are not a wine person.
Fresh fruit from the vendors along the Fira to Oia trail. It sounds like a minor detail and it is one of the most memorable things we ate in Santorini. Simple, fresh, and exactly what you want in the middle of a long hot hike.
And whatever looks good at whichever cliffside restaurant you end up at while waiting for the cable car. Some of the best accidental meals happen when you are not planning them.
What to Pack for Your First Trip to Santorini
Santorini is a walking destination with a serious hike built in and almost no shade anywhere. Pack for heat, sun exposure, and a lot of uneven terrain.
Weather
Santorini is warm from late spring through early fall. May and June are ideal, warm enough to enjoy the island fully without the brutal heat of July and August. Summer temperatures regularly reach the high 80s and into the 90s Fahrenheit and the white surfaces of the buildings and paths reflect the heat in a way that makes it feel significantly hotter than the temperature suggests. If you are doing the hike in summer, starting early is not optional. It is necessary.
Core Items for Santorini
Comfortable hiking shoes or trail runners with grip. Sunscreen applied before you leave, not when you arrive. A hat. There is almost no shade on the trail and the sun is relentless. Sunglasses. At least one liter of water per person before you start the hike, more in summer. Light breathable clothing. A small crossbody bag or daypack that sits comfortably for several hours of walking. Cash for fruit vendors along the trail, restaurants, and the cable car. A portable charger because you will take more photos on this hike than almost anywhere else on the trip and your battery will not survive the day without one.
One Additional Note
The heat reflecting off the white buildings is something you genuinely cannot prepare for until you experience it. It is hotter than it looks and hotter than the forecast suggests. Drink water constantly, not just when you feel thirsty, and do not underestimate how much the sun takes out of you on a full day on this island.
The Hike Nearly Broke Us. We Would Do It Again Tomorrow.
Every guide we read before Santorini said the same thing. The hike from Fira to Oia takes about two to three hours. Moderate difficulty. One direction is easier than the other. Go early to beat the heat.
They were all wrong about the time. They were all wrong about the difficulty. And they were all definitely wrong about one direction being easier than the other.
We hike regularly. We are not people who overestimate a trail. We still did not finish until 2:30pm. In the heat. With the white buildings reflecting the sun back at us from every direction.
And it was still one of the most stunning things we have ever done anywhere.
That is the thing about Santorini that no photograph fully captures. The photographs show you the white buildings and the blue domes and the caldera and they are all real and all exactly as beautiful as they look. What they cannot show you is what it feels like to walk the edge of that caldera for hours. The whole island below you. The volcano sitting in the middle of the water. The path winding through villages where you stop not because you need to rest but because you cannot stop looking.
We stopped a lot. Not because we needed to. Because we could not help it.
By the end of the day the cable car line was long, the legs were done, and the food we found while waiting turned out to be some of the best of the entire trip. Santorini has a way of doing that.
The hike nearly broke us. We would do it again tomorrow.
Itinerary for Your First
Trip to Santorini
Santorini rewards an early start more than almost anywhere else. The heat builds quickly, the cable car lines grow throughout the day, and the hike is significantly more enjoyable at 8am than it is at noon. Get up early and get moving.
If you are coming off a cruise ship check your tender schedule the night before and plan your day backward from your return time. The cable car line at the end of the day can add thirty minutes or more to your timeline and missing your tender is not an option. Leave yourself more time than the math suggests you need.
Stock up on water before you start the hike. Bring at least one liter per person, more in summer. There are limited places to buy supplies along the trail and the Santorini heat does not care how fit you are.
Before You Go
Morning: Arrival and the Start of the Hike
If arriving by cruise tender, take the cable car up from the old port to Fira. Six euros each way and worth every cent after the hike you are about to do.
From Fira find the start of the caldera trail on Mitropoleos Street and begin walking north toward Oia. The first section through Firostefani is the steepest but also the shortest uphill stretch. Get through it and the trail opens up into something completely different.
Walk at whatever pace lets you actually look around. This is not a trail to power through. Stop at the viewpoints. Stop when the caldera appears below you at a new angle. Stop when you pass the fruit vendors along the route and buy the strawberries. Carry cash for these.
Midday: Oia and Lunch
Plan to arrive in Oia around midday or early afternoon depending on your pace. The hike takes most people four to five hours with stops. Do not plan to arrive any earlier than that.
Lunch at KooKoo Bar Restaurant in Oia. Make a reservation if you can. The seafood is exceptional and the service is warm and unhurried in a way that makes it easy to stay longer than planned. This is the meal of the day. Let it be.
After lunch walk through Oia. The marble walkways, the blue domed churches, the caldera views from the village edge. Find the viewpoint near the castle ruins and stand there for a while. If you are staying for sunset this is where to be, arrive early and claim your spot before the crowds do.
Afternoon: Getting Back
If you are on a cruise this is where the day requires discipline. Work backward from your tender departure time and leave yourself a real buffer for the cable car line.
From Oia you have several options back to Fira. The local KTEL bus runs regularly and costs around two euros. A taxi is faster but harder to find during peak hours. If you booked a shared transfer in advance collect it at the agreed time. If you did not, walk into any transportation office in Oia and ask. It can be sorted last minute but earlier is always better.
At the cable car in Fira if the line is long find a cliffside bar and order something while you wait. Some of the best accidental eating on the island happens when you are not planning it.
Take the cable car down to the old port and make your way back to the tender. Look back at the island from the water on the way out. It earned every photograph ever taken of it.