Island Hopping in Greece! | The Santorini Travel Guide!

I’m positive that there is NO WAY you can hop on social media and not see a photo of the ever so picturesque island of Santorini all over your timeline. Those fascinating white-washed buildings perfectly aligned along that stunning caldera is a sight EVERYBODY needs to see at least once in their lives!

Santorini is located in the Aegean Sea just 124 mi. / 200 km southeast of Athens. The island is made up of many towns & villages: 

Fira Town (the beautiful capital) | Oía (the most picturesque village) | Imerovigli (built on the highest point of the caldera cliffs) | Akrotiri – just to name a few!

Greece has over 200 inhabited islands, so how does one plan a trip to Greece? Where do you start? When is the best time to go? If you’ve asked yourself these questions……then hello, I am here to assist! But before we get into the trip planning, let’s get familiar with a few things regarding Greece first!

Check out the Greece International Travel Info page for visa info, passport validity & more!

☀️ The best times to visit Santorini: the best weather is from May – October (June & July will be the hottest months). 

☀️ The best weather for swimming/beaches: June – September will be the best months to hit the beaches! 

☀️ The best time to visit to save money: March, April, May & October. Great rates on hotels & Airbnbs will be found in December, January & February. However, keep in mind that a good part of the island will be closed. It will definitely be more expensive to visit the Greek isles in the Summer months due to high tourism!

Getting around Santorini is pretty easy. The public bus runs often for about €2 euros, 1-way (this is the least expensive way to travel as well). And taxis are also available. If you’re looking to rent a car, check out Rentalcars.com. 

Below is a map of Santorini’s cities & villages.

Getting To Santorini

While planning my 1st trip to Greece, I decided to do everything on my own (which required TONS of research)! Lots of planes & ferries were involved on this trip! Athens was our starting point while visiting Greece. Flying directly to the outer islands will cost hundreds more.

Once the flight to Athens is booked, you’ll then need to choose which inter-island airline you’d like to fly with to island hop: 

Sky Express  | Olympic Air  | Aegean Airlines

Depending on the time of year you visit Greece, most flights will be easy to book. However, during the Winter/early Spring months (mid October-late April), routes to certain islands will not be available. And in the Summer months, always book flights + ferries in advance. We decided to go with Aegean airlines. Which was the perfect choice for us!

Island hopping by flight can be quite expensive, so an alternative would be taking the ferry. The ferry is much cheaper, yes, but it can be a tricky thing. They can sell out, and sometimes routes are canceled without much notice. Here are the ferry options: 

Greek Ferries GR | Hellenic Seaways | Blue Star Ferries 

We booked through Hellenic Seaways. Which was a good choice overall. But….we did run into an issue. We were originally scheduled to visit los island after Mykonos, but the ferry route to los was canceled just a few days before we were scheduled to visit. Luckily we weren’t charged for our room in los, and we were routed to another island, Syros.

Let's get to the good stuff - the FABULOUS accommodations in Santorini! 

WHERE TO STAY IN SANTORINI

We arrived in Santorini after a 5-hour ferry ride from Syros. Following our ferry trip, we were picked up from the port and up the winding road to our digs we went!

Now the adventure begins!

This island has some of the most impressive accommodations in the world! From cave rooms to villas with views unmatched….Santorini has it all! We stayed in Santorini for 5 days in rooms that had completely different views from each other…..which turned out to be a good thing!

Elysian Santorini

Our 1st night in Santorini was spent at a lovely boutique hotel called, Elysian Santorini! Elysian is located in the small village of Finikia, which is on the countryside of Santorini. But just a 10-15 minute walk to the heart of the picturesque town of Oía. *Note: Elysian Santorini is a seasonal property and only operates from April 1st – October 31st.*​

We opted for the 'Luxury Cave Villa with Private Jacuzzi'. This place is absolutely amazing! 2 large rooms with super comfortable beds in both!

The bathroom was painted a beautiful reddish color that made me smile every time I walked in.

One of my FAVORITE things about this room was the welcome bottle of wine! It went perfectly with the delicious, complimentary breakfast that the staff at Elysian served us the next morning! Ahhhhh! I can still taste that breakfast & wine. It was PERFECT!

Depending on the room you select, you’ll enjoy a private jacuzzi (our was located on top of our villa. So cool and definitely a lot of FUN)! You’ll also have access to the property’s infinity pool! And what an incredible pool it is!

The view from Elysian is was that of the deep, blue Aegean Sea and the countryside instead of the white washed buildings Óia is famous for. Still extremely beautiful though! 

Be sure to check out the restaurant at Elysian too! It's incredible! This was the perfect introduction to Santorini for us! Lefkes Santorini is located in a large cave with a very welcoming aura!  

The Mousaka Croquettes with the blueberry sauce as an appetizer is “there's NO WAY I can have just one bite” good as well as the rizoto and spinach pie! The wine and seafood was delish too! 

The customer service at Elysian was EXCELLENT! We checked in with Anastasia. She gave us a compact cell-phone in case we needed to reach her for anything. Also, I can’t end this blog without a special shout out to the bellman that hauled our luggage to our room! WOW! I have no clue how he did it! The walk was long and our luggage was HEAVY! Sir….your name slips my mind, but THANK YOU!

The next few days for us were spent in an unbelievable AirBnB in the heart of Óia! This house was was everything the pictures advertised and more! Spacious, clean, comfortable and a spectacular view of the caldera!

Rhenia’s House 

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(Bad news guys! This listing in no longer on Airbnb)! *sad face*

This AirBnb sleeps 6 guests with 3 double-beds with a sofa bed. And the bathroom? Wow, simply beautiful! It comes with a double vanity, 2 separate toilets and a double shower.

Without a doubt my favorite thing about this house was the veranda. Sitting out there at night with my wine, watching the sunset, enjoying the breeze and the ever so calm Aegean Sea is something I will never forget! 

Another cool thing about this place was sitting on top of it! You can literally step over a small gate and have access to the roof! Lots of other travelers did the same! 

Literally you can have several photoshoots just by walking outside of the front door of this cave house!

Rhenia’s Cave House was beyond perfect for my family & I! And whenever we're back in Santorini, this will be home during our stay! We were able to walk to the restaurants (just a few minutes away from the BEST gyros spot in Oía), catch a stunning sunset right from the patio and the price point wasn’t bad either!

WHERE TO EAT IN SANTORINI

☀️ Tramonto All Day Lounge – Delicious coffee, cocktails & burgers! Great place to watch the sunset in Óia, too! 

☀️ Pitogyros Grill House – The BEST spot to get authentic gyros! Geez, we couldn’t stay out of this place! Fresh souvlaki with mouth watering tzatziki. The gyros were pretty reasonable too @ €4 euros each.

☀️ Black Rock Restaurant –  Note: This restaurant is located in the ‘Santorini Secrets Hotel’. There are a lot of stairs to get to the restaurant, but it is definitely worth it! The view will leave you breathless! Here we tried the club sandwich & lobster burger. Both very good. The cocktails were refreshing too. Especially the “Santorini Secret”.

☀️ Hungry Donkey – Check this place out for breakfast. The crepes & coffee are fabulous and at a reasonable price.

☀️​ 3B; Burger Brunch Breakfast – Another great breakfast spot! The açaí bowls & omelettes are delicious! 

☀️ PK Cocktail Bar – There are cocktail bars and then there’s this place! The GOLD STANDARD of cocktail bars! The Mojitos here are so good that I lost count on how many I drank after 3! The customer service was superb and watching the sunset from Fira was the icing on the cake.

☀️ Nick the Grill – This place gets packed….and rightfully so. It’s reasonably priced and the food is delish. The gyros & falafals are worth the visit.

☀️ Volkan on the Rocks Café – Good brunch, sandwiches, salads & cocktails with STUNNING views of the caldera.

☀️ Onar Santorini – Here is another place to get a great meal and catch one of those breathtaking Santorini sunsets! The wine, piña coladas, pasta and seafood is DELICIOUS! Try to make a reservation as this place gets packed! 

THINGS TO DO IN SANTORINI

​☀️ Hike from Oía to Fira – The hike from Oía to Fira (or you can do Fira to Oía) is an 11km (6 mile) hike which can take between 2 to 5 hours to complete depending on how you pace your hike. This hike will take you along the caldera and will provide you with STRIKING views of Santorini!

We set out one beautiful morning to conquer this hike…..but turned back shortly after. It’s not a strenuous hike, but we were not at all prepared like we thought we were. However, we did enjoy the 2 miles we did do! *Tips: Eat a good meal before you start, have lots of water with you and wear comfortable clothes/hiking shoes. Take lots of pics because the views are incredible! If you’re not interested in walking back once you’ve completed the hike, then buses in Oía and Fira are available. Bus fare – €2 euros 1-way. | Guided hikes are also available. 

​☀️Take in a Santorini sunset – Santorini is known for having some of the most spectacular sunsets in the world! And there are many spots in Santorini to catch this beautiful sight. My advice is to hit one of the many restaurants along the caldera, have a cocktail and enjoy!

☀️​ Sunset Óia Sailing Cruises Santorini – This cruise is a MUST while visiting Santorini! We selected to do the morning cruise (they also offer a sunset cruise) which was INCREDIBLE! For €120 euros per person, we sailed around the Aegean Sea for 5 hours on a BEAUTIFUL catamaran! We set sail to the Hot Springs, Red Beach, White Beach, Pharos Indian Rock, Palea Kameni all while taking in BREATHTAKING views of the caldera!

You’ll stop at select destinations on the trip to take a swim. One of the things I enjoyed most about this cruise was the food (prepared on board by a chef)! The shrimp, pasta, grilled chicken, and dolmadakia was beyond delicious (this was my fav meal in Greece)! Also, unlimited drinks are apart of the package (WINE included)! Yaaaaasssss! The staff on board were awesome and gave us so much history on Santorini!

​☀️ Red Beach in Akrotiri – There are a couple of ways to reach this beach; by boat or you can hike. We chose to do both and they were equally stunning experiences! If you choose to hike, wear comfortable shoes (the cliffs are a bit rocky & steep. The beach is extremely rocky as well) and take your time navigating the small cliffs. This beach is something out of the ordinary. And it is not to be missed! We caught the local bus from Oía to Fira (€2 euros 1-way), got off in Fira, and caught another bus to Akrotiri (€2 as well). You’ll see the signs pointing to this stunning beach!​

☀️ Santorini Dress – Ladies! Looking to capture your gorgeous self in a flowing dress with the striking scenery of Santorini as your backdrop? Check out ‘Santorini Dress’ to rent a beautiful dress and to book your photoshoot!

​☀️ ​Rent an ATV –  *NOTE: An International Driving Permit (IDP) is mandatory by law for non-European Union renters. Info on how to obtain an IDP before your trip, here! 

There are quite a few companies that you can rent an ATV from in Oía! Check out these places: 

Vazeos | Vip Cars Santorini  | Mark’s Bikes | Santorini Scooters

SANTORINI IS WAITING

FOR YOU!

Santorini is an absolute dream come true for so many! The caldera and the calmness of the Aegean Sea will without a doubt leave you breathless! So many magical moments were made on this holiday!

On our trip in April, we were fortunate enough to experience Greek Orthodox Easter for the 1st time (that was amazing), tried new & exciting foods, met new people & enjoyed the Greek culture!

Greece can get quite pricey, but with the right planning/savings you can make it the vacation of a lifetime! 

Happy travels to Santorini! 

Drop a comment below! Have you visited Santorini?

What are some of your favorite memories?