Greece

Best Places to Watch the Sunset in Santorini

Sunsets in Santorini are truly magical. The view is always incredible from the west side of the island and the colors are just out of this world! One of the best things to do in Santorini is definitely sunset watching. That’s why I collected all the best places where you can watch an incredible sunset in Santorini!

If you wanna know more about Santorini including how to get there, when is the best time to go, where to stay and what to do, check out my Santorini Travel Guide! It is jam-packed with useful information about the island and it’s especially helpful if you are a first-timer!

Disclosure: *This post contains a few affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through my link!*

Best places to watch the sunset in Oia

Oia is the most popular place when it comes to sunset watching in Santorini. If you are looking for that postcard perfect view you definitely need to go there. Unfortunately since it is the most popular place it’s always crowded like crazy. I will share the most famous spot but I will also tell you about my favourite secret viewpoint where you can have an amazing sunset view without all the people, so keep reading!

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Sunset spot nr. 1 - Oia Castle

I’ve already told you that Oia is the most popular place for sunset watching and Oia Castle is the most famous sunset spot in town. Based on that I think you can imagine how crowded this place gets around sunset… Now multiply it with three! It is really that crazy!

I would say that you should go early but based on what I saw early won’t help you either. Unless you plan to come like 3-4 hours earlier, go to the castle, secure you spot and not move until the sunset is over. Oh, and expect to share the experience with at least 300 other people. Seriously.

I tried to make my way up there around sunset but is was just impossible to find a spot. Don’t expect a normal castle at this place, unfortunately it was destroyed in an earthquake. Only a part of the old watchtower survived so there is no castle in reality, just the ruins of the castle. I don’t have any sunset pictures from here but you can see the view in the below photos during daytime.

Yes I know, the view is really beautiful but I think it just doesn’t worth it. Especially since I know another spot where the view is the same and you can have it all to yourself! Let’s continue with that.

Sunset spot nr. 2 - My favorite spot, the Byzantine Castle Ruins

Now that you know how crowded Oia Castle gets around sunset, let me show you another way to experience the sunset in a much calmer place. Most people go to the top of the castle where the old watchtower stood once. Instead of going up, start going down!

If you start to walk from the city center in the direction of the castle you will end up at this spot that you can see on the below photo. If you wanna go up to the castle you should continue to the left side but instead of doing that, continue right!

You have to take a few turns on the road and you will pass by this cute orange building called Kastro Oia Houses. (It’s an amazing instagrammable spot, just FYI!)

Soon you will see the old castle walls in the hillside. This is your spot! You can easily climb up there and you will only have to share this place with a handful of people.

We were sitting on that road you can see in the left side of the photo. Since there were almost no other tourists we could take so many amazing photos! If you walk all the way to the door in the end of that road you will find a small cave so you can create a perfect frame for your photos. Let me show you the view you get from this spot!

In my opinion this is definitely the best place to watch the sunset in Santorini! Do you agree with me?

Sunset spot nr. 3 - Go on a sunset cruise

Boat tours are one of the most popular things to do in Santorini as they offer an incredible view of the caldera and the surrounding towns. There are tons of different options to choose from, you can’t go wrong with any of them.

The sunset tours are one of the most expensive tours, they usually start from 100-150€. Since we had only one night in Oia we didn’t go for a cruise but I’ve heard many positive reviews. If you are staying there for more than one night and you have the budget, definitely go for it!

Best places to watch the sunset in Fira

Fira is the capital city of Santorini and it offers a wide selection of hotels. Chances are pretty high that you will stay there at least for a few nights. Fira isn’t known for its sunsets but trust me you can witness some pretty amazing sunsets there too! And it’s less crowded than Oia so that’s definitely a plus point.

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Sunset spot nr. 1 - Franco's Bar

We arrived to Fira in the afternoon and I was searching for a place to have a coffee with a nice view. That’s how we ended up in Franco’s Bar. The bar was practically empty and there were no other people around us on the terrace. As the view was just perfect we decided to stay here for a sunset. What a great decision we made!

The only downside of the bar is that it’s quite pricy. Coffees, beers, ciders and wines cost around 6-10€ while cocktails are between 15-20€. I know it’s a lot but I think it’s totally worth watching the sunset from there even with prices that high. This is definitely not the place to get drunk but buying one beer wouldn’t break the bank. And it’s so worth it for the view!

But let the pictures talk instead of me! So this was the view in the afternoon before the sunset.

And when the sun slowly started to set it gave the whole city a warm golden glow. The view was absolutely fantastic! The staff at the bar changed the music to a beautiful classic song which made the experience even more memorable. Half an hour later the whole city was lit up and the sky turned into a soft purple color. What a magical night it was!

The view from the bar during golden hour and blue hour. I still can’t get over how beautiful it was!

Sunset spot nr. 2 - Along the wall

If you wanna experience the same view for totally free – you can do it as well! You can simply stop anywhere along the low walls in Fira (even around Franco’s Bar) and you will get the exact same view.

The downside is that the walls will be crowded so try to be there as early as you can to secure a good spot for yourself! You won’t be able to get good photos of yourself due to the crowds and the lack of space but if your goal is just only sunset watching you will still get a memorable experience from there as well.

Best place to watch the sunset in Akrotiri

Akrotiri lies in the south-west corner of Santorini. Since it is quite far from the main touristy area it’s not so popular amongst visitors and only a handful of people go there. The Akrotiri peninsula is famous for the ruins from the Minoan period so if you’re a fan of archeological sites I can totally recommend checking it out!

What got me really excited is that I accidentally found out that there is a lighthouse in the south-west edge of the island. I don’t know why but I’m obsessed with lighthouses! So I instantly knew I had to go there.

While the view is pretty epic I only recommend going there if you have your own car and you already seen the sunsets in Oia and Fira. It takes like a 50 minute drive from Oia or a 25 minute drive from Fira to get there. You can park your car along the road close to the lighthouse and since it’s not so popular it’s easy to find a parking spot.

Most people who go there walk all the way to the lighthouse but there is a hill behind the lighthouse where you can easily climb up (there are even stairs in the hillside). I think the view from the hill is far more better because this way you can have a view of the lighthouse and the sunset as well! You can find some little caves in the hillside that make a perfect framing for the photos but the smell is really awful inside so I only recommend going there if you are truly passionate about photography!

Oh and one more thing: Santorini was really windy almost all the time while we were there in mid-September but this place was the windiest of all! Since you are practically on top of a hill in the edge of the island it’s only natural. I’m only saying this to be prepared for some serious gust of wind!

Best sunset spots in Santorini - Summary

Since we had only three nights in Santorini we could only watch three sunsets. All of them were really different but they had one thing in common: every one of them was so magical! The sunsets in Santorini are really out of this world.

Hope you guys liked this post about the best places to watch the sunset in Santorini and you will be able to witness some pretty epic sunsets as well while visiting Santorini!

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email, I always love helping you out! Do you know some other great sunset spots in Santorini? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo, Kriszti

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The Ultimate Santorini Travel Guide for First-Timers

I’ve been dreaming of visiting Santorini like forever. This island is hands down the most famous one of the Greek islands, and for a good reason! Seeing the white washed cliff-side towns, the deep blue roofs and the endless views of the shimmering sea with my own eyes was an incredible experience. Are you dreaming of visiting Santorini too? If yes, I have some good news for you! In this Santorini travel guide I collected all the information you need to know before visiting this magical island. It’s especially useful for first-timers!

Disclosure: *This post contains a few affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through my link!*

The Ultimate Santorini Travel Guide for First-timers

Location & History

Santorini (officially known as Thira) is part of the Cycladic island group on the Aegean Sea, located roughly halfway between Athens and Crete. In the Ancient times the island was called Stongili (which means round in Greek) due to its round shape.

Around 1,500 BC the island suffered a huge volcanic explosion, probably one of the largest explosions on Earth in the last few thousand years. As a consequence, the center of the island sank and the rest of the island got heavily damaged.

What remains today of Santorini is a crescent-shaped island with a huge caldera (a crater created by the volcanic eruption) on its western side. The caldera is surrounded by the steep cliffs of Santorini and the island of Thirassia.

There are two islands in the middle, the smaller one is the remains of the old volcano (Palea Cameni) and the bigger one is a new volcano (Nea Cameni). Although the new volcano is still active, but right now there is no risk of eruption.

Santorini is quite a small island, the area is only 76km². The length of the island is 16 km and the width varies between 1 and 5 km. It takes roughly 45 minutes to drive from one end of Santorini to the other.

Population & Turism

Santorini is home to roughly 15,500 people. In contrast to this, the island received over 2 million tourist in 2018. Shocking, right?

And this number does not even include the cruise passengers who are only coming to the island during the day. Santorini is a really popular cruise destination, which means in peak season the number of cruise visitors can be as high as 15,000 per day.

In addition to the 2 million regular tourists. Crazy.

Currency

Greece is a member of the European Union and they are using Euro (€) as their official currency. Credit cards are widely accepted across the country and there are many ATMs where you can withdraw cash. It’s always good to have some cash with you as the smaller bazaars usually don’t accept credit cards.

Visa

Many visitors can enter Greece up to 90 days as a tourist without having to apply for a visa. If you are traveling from another European country, from the USA, Canada, Australia, or Japan, you don’t need a visa for entering Greece. For a detailed list of visa requirements for each countries, visit the website of the Hellenic Republic – Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

How to get to Santorini

By plane

The easiest way of visiting Santorini is by plane. Santorini has only one airport, Thira Airport (JTR), located on the east side of the island. The airport is close to Kamari village and it is roughly 6km from Fira. It’s a small airport with no special facilities or airline lounges, therefore sleeping at the airport is not allowed.

Getting to Santorini from Europe is quite easy, as in the summer period there are numerous direct flights from many European cities like London, Vienna, Paris or Amsterdam. The island can be reached all-year round with direct flight from Athens.

If you wanna visit Santorini from the USA, Canada, Australia or other non-European countries, you must get a connecting flight to Athens or another European city that operates a direct flight to Santorini.

By ferry

The other option for getting to Santorini is via ferry. The ferry routes are very well established therefore getting to Santorini via ferry is very easy.

There are daily ferries from Athens, Naxos and Paros to Santorini all year round. It takes like 5-7 hours to reach Santorini from Athens, a one-way standard ticket costs between 33-70€. Since Paros and Naxos are closer, you only need like 2-3 hours to reach Santorini, a one-way standard ticket costs between 23-45€.

From mid-March until the end of September you can catch direct ferries from Mykonos, Ios, Milos, Folegandros and Crete as well.

I recommend using Ferryhopper to check the ferry routes, durations and prices. Usually there are more ferry operator companies on the same route with various prices and duration. As a rule of thumb, longer duration means lower price.

You can purchase different ticket categories on a ferry like deck-lounge, standard seats, business, cabin or VIP. It kinda works like economy or business class on an airplane. The same rules apply here as well: if you pay more, you can have a higher comfort level.

We traveled from Mykonos to Santorini and vice versa with the cheapest ticket option and it was really good. So if you don’t have any special needs, there’s really no need to pay more for tickets.

Where to stay in Santorini

One of the most important topic that a Santorini travel guide has to cover is the question of where to stay. Basically we can divide Santorini into 2 main parts, each of them have their pros and cons.

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Caldera towns

The most popular side of Santorini is the western side. This is where you can have amazing views of the caldera and the volcano, not to mention the breathtaking sunset views! All of the luxury hotels are located along the caldera along with great restaurants and clubs.

The best caldera towns are Oia, Fira, Firostefani and Imerovigli. If you are a first-timer on Santorini, I would recommend to stay in one of these four towns!

I think you can guess what the downside is: the price. This part of Santorini is really expensive. There is literally no limit when it comes to luxury hotels along the caldera, so if you wanna have a splurge during your holiday, you will definitely find it here!

Of course you can stay on the western side of Santorini on a budget too, if you are willing to let go of the views from your room and your private pool. For instance we stayed in Oia at Marcos Rooms for like 100€ per night. It was far away from fancy and I’m glad we only stayed there for one night, but it was right in the middle of the city and that was exactly what we needed.

Beach towns

If you are looking to save some money, one of the beach towns can be a good choice for you. The beaches are located on the eastern side of the island, the best ones are Kamari, Perissa and Perivolos in the southern edge.

The hotels around the beaches are usually way more cheaper than the ones along the caldera. You can find some good restaurant and bars around too, but they are not so luxurious as the ones on the western side.

You will not see the sunset from this side of the island but in exchange you can watch the sunrise which is really beautiful too! Plus you will always get a sea view and you can go out and have a dip in the sea anytime.

Best time to visit Santorini

High season

High season in Santorini runs from late June to early September. As you can imagine, the island is full of tourists in this season and the prices are at their peak. The weather is usually hot and sunny, which makes it perfect for relaxing at the beach. If you are more into sightseeing or hiking, if you don’t tolerate the crowds too well or you are a first-timer, I would recommend to avoid the high season.

Shoulder season

Visiting Santorini in the shoulder season, typically in May-June or September-October is a great choice. You can still easily reach the island as the direct flights and ferries are still in operation. All of the hotels and restaurants are open, the prices are better, and there are less tourists on the island. Please note that in May and October the sea can be too cold for swimming, so if you want a beach weather, try to aim for June or September.

Low season

Originally all the hotels and restaurants were closed between November and April on Santorini. However as the island got more and more popular over the years, more hotels and restaurants are staying open during winter. While visiting in this period can be great budget-wise, be prepared for challenges. First of all, you can’t reach Santorini directly, only through Athens. Second, the weather is not so good either: the average temperature is around 10-15 degrees with grey skies and many rainy days.

How much time do you need to spend in Santorini

While you can get a glimpse of Santorini in only one day, I don’t recommend this unless you are coming from a cruise. Getting in and out of Santorini can be time consuming so you will not have enough time to enjoy the breathtaking views during the day.

Allow yourself at least 2-3 full days on the island! There is so much things to do and see, so you will definitely need this time to properly explore the island.

If you prefer a more relaxed itinerary with lots of beach-time and shopping, you can easily spend 5-7 days on the island. However if you have 6 or more days, I would recommend to combine your trip with visiting another island instead of staying in Santorini for a week.

I personally did the same and we decided to visit both Mykonos and Santorini during our one week Greece trip. I wouldn’t have it any other way, it was perfect!

Getting around Santorini

Public transport

The cheapest way of getting around Santorini is to use the local buses. Fira is the main hub of the bus system and you can get a direct bus to almost every part of the island. However if you are stying outside of Fira, that means first you have to take a bus to Fira, and only then to your final destination.

Buses are operated by KTEL and they run regularly every day. Prices vary based on the routes, but usually a one-way ticket cost between 1.80-2.50€. You can check the timetable and the prices on the official website.

I’ve read many complaints about the buses in Santorini, but I personally never tried them, so I can’t share my personal experiences. That being said, try not to rely on public buses if you have an important appointment, like catching your flight or your ferry.

Car rental

Having a rental car can make your life so much easier on Santorini! If you are planning to explore the island this is definitely the best way to do it. However if you wanna spend most of the time around your hotel, you are better of with the occasional bus or taxi rides.

I recommend checking RentalCars for the various car rental options in Santorini. Usually the car rentals start from 35€ per day, excluding fuel. There are many pick-up and drop-off locations across Santorini like in Santorini Airport, Santorini Port, Fira or Perissa. I would suggest renting a car at Santorini Airport as it has like 10 different companies and it is very easy to reach from everywhere.

As we arrived via ferry from Mykonos, we decided to rent a car at the Santorini Port. AutoUnion is the only company that operates there, so we booked a car for 3 days that cost us 99€. We drove across the island in these 3 days many times and we ended up paying 33€ for fuel, so the whole renting process was 132€ for us for 3 days. I think it was totally worth it!

One practical tip: If you are planning to rent a car at the ferry port as well, leave yourself enough time for the drop off prodecure! There is only one narrow, zigzag road that leads you down to the port. Given that the port is little and there is not too many place for cars, the road usually gets very busy. That means most probably you will be stuck in traffic. It’s only a 3.5 km long road, but it can take up like 30-45 minutes just to get down to the port. So definitely plan some extra time for that!

ATV rental

I know renting an ATV or motorbike in Santorini is really cool, but I would strongly advise against it. It can be very dangerous and if you don’t have any experience you can easily hurt yourself.

Renting an ATV roughly cost the same as renting a car. It is fine for a shorter ride but if you are planning to drive all the way down to the other side of the island it’s not so comfortable. In a car you usually have an air-co while if you are sitting in an ATV you are exposed to the sun all the time. Plus it’s far more dangerous than having a car. Do I need to say anything else?

Best things to do in Santorini

In this Santorini travel guide I won’t get much into details about the best things to do in Santorini. I will do this in another post soon, I promise! But until then here comes a rough overview about the best things to do in Santorini.

Watch the sunset

Sunsets in Santorini are totally out of this world! If you are in Santorini, try to watch as much sunsets as possible! Luckily you have many great viewpoints along the caldera. Oia is the most famous place for sunset watching, but Fira, Imerovigli and Akrotiri have some amazing viewpoints as well. For a more detailed guide check out my post about the best places to watch the sunset in Santorini!

Go on a boat tour

Take a self-guided photography tour

Santorini is really picture perfect. That means you have so many great photo opportunities across the island! The blue rooftops mixed with the white walls and the pink flowers are really like a dream.

Many companies offer photography tours, with ridiculously high prices. Trust me, you don’t need them! You can easily find the best photo spots with a great guide, and that’s what I’m here for! Yes, you guessed it right: my next post about the most instagrammable places in Santorini are already in progress! I will link it here once it’s ready.

Hike from Fira to Oia

If you are into hiking, you will love this! Oia is located roughly 10 km from Fira and you can hike from one town to another. It is completely free and the views along the road are incredible. The hike can take like 2-3 hours, or even more, depending on how many times you stop for photos.

Try the local cuisine

Greek food is simply amazing so trying the local cuisine in Santorini is really a must! You can find many authentic restaurants across the island. Definitely try the gyros, souvlaki, tzatziki, greek salad and baklava!

Santorini Travel Guide - Summary

So these are all the important things you need to know for planning your dream holiday in Santorini. Hope you guys liked them and this Santorini travel guide will help you to make the most of your visit at this postcard perfect place!

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email, I always love helping you out! Have you already visited Santorini? Leave your comments and tips below!

Greece

Best places to watch the sunset in Oia

Sunset spot nr. 1 - Oia Castle

Sunset spot nr. 2 - My favorite spot, the Byzantine Castle Ruins

Sunset spot nr. 3 - Go on a sunset cruise

Best places to watch the sunset in Fira

Sunset spot nr. 1 - Franco's Bar

Sunset spot nr. 2 - Along the wall

Best place to watch the sunset in Akrotiri

Best sunset spots in Santorini - Summary

xoxo, Kriszti

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The Ultimate Santorini Travel Guide for First-timers

Location & History

Population & Turism

Currency

Visa

How to get to Santorini

By plane

By ferry

Where to stay in Santorini

Caldera towns

Beach towns

Best time to visit Santorini

High season

Shoulder season

Low season

How much time do you need to spend in Santorini

Getting around Santorini

Public transport

Car rental

ATV rental

Best things to do in Santorini

Watch the sunset

Go on a boat tour

Take a self-guided photography tour

Hike from Fira to Oia

Try the local cuisine

Santorini Travel Guide - Summary

xoxo, Kriszti

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