I had the pleasure of traveling though out Greece over the summer. And one of our favorite stops along the way was Santorini. It really, truly is as gorgeous as the pictures you’ve always seen. Very romantic (and quite pricey), I would recommend for an anniversary celebration trip or honeymoon destination, not necessarily as a family vacation spot. Our kids loved it, but I would have really enjoyed strolling hand-in-hand with my husband down cobblestone streets or sitting in a restaurant sipping wine watching the sunset.
You can’t not have your breath taken away by the beauty of Santorini. While walking down the streets of Oia, my five-year-old son said, “Heaven must look a lot like this.”
You can fly into Santorini, but you can also take the ferry or arrive (as we did) via cruise ship. Ships require tendering and do not anchor in the port. Shuttle boats will take you to the ports.
From the old port, there are three ways to reach the top of the cliff and Thira, which is 260 meters above sea level: cable car (€5 – takes about 5 minutes to reach the top), mule ride (€5 takes about half an hour), or a hike up 580 steps (free). Take the cable car. Trust me. The donkeys can be very dangerous and you don’t want to waste precious time walking all that way!
You will need to rent a car while you are there (unless you arrange for a taxi or car service) and driving in Santorini is not for the faint of heart. Its rugged island countryside features narrow,winding roads with few guardrails. This is a two lane road. On top of the highest point in Santorini.
Santorini is one of the great natural wonders of the world, and its main attraction is the island itself. The shape of the semicircular island is the result of an enormous volcanic explosion which occurred probably around 1630 BC, literally blowing the top off the island, sinking a large portion of it and changing the landscape into a flooded crescent caldera, in the middle of which a few small islands still have volcanic activity. According to popular legend, this event was the inspiration for the myth of Atlantis. Tours to the central “smoking” islands are readily available and fairly inexpensive.
Oia is the town you probably recognize most on Santorini.
Most of the island’s hotels are closed during winter. They open during or after Greek Orthodox Easter (April or May) and usually close by the end of October. As with most Greek Islands, July, August and September are considered high season and most hotels have very few rooms and quickly fill. There are no chain hotels here – small boutique hotels dominate. Keep in mind that the room rates are often set according to the view, which makes the hotels on eastern side of Santorini much cheaper than those on the western side. The majority of the hotels built on the caldera have many stairs and do not accept children under 13, due to their dangerous location on the cliffs.
That’s not to say that children are not welcome. Like all of Greece, they adore children and are happy to see them. Colin was even offered a job in this gelato shop by the owner.
Be sure to explore the areas outside of the towns. There is beautiful countryside where tradition still survives. Cave houses (both abandoned and occupied), gardens, vineyards, small family business, and tiny churches are there to be discovered. You could spend weeks here and still not see it all.
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