Best Places to Visit in Santorini

Years ago, Santorini, Greece was on the very top of my bucket list. At the time, I had never been to Europe and Santorini was THE place I want to explore and experience. From the pictures I’ve seen online, Santorini looks absolutely striking. OMG! The moment I stepped out of the taxi and walked towards my hotel, the place looked unreal, almost dreamlike. I felt like I was finally stepping into this scenery that I’d envisioned for years. Plainly, it was just stunning. Fun fact: SmartTravelersGuide’s logo/cover photo is a picture of me in Santorini. For me, this blog is a reminder that anything is possible. Dreams do come true! Here are the Best Places to Visit in Santorini:

FOOD

I didn’t have a particular restaurant booked when I traveled to Santorini. I stumbled across the V Lounge in Fira and grabbed some cocktails, cheese board and appreciated the sunset. It was perfect. I recommend this place or honestly, there are plenty of similar restaurants nearby with a view, just pick one with a view and you’ll be fine! To give you a bit of a background, there are two popular areas in Santorini, Fira or Oia. Fira is known for the Aegean view, Caldera and Santorini volcano. This place is famous for shopping and nightlife. On the other hand, Oia is the most famous village in Santorini. This has the blue domed churches, offers a great view of Palia and Nea Kameni volcanos and the island of Thirassia.

ACTIVITIES

I recommend going on a tour via catamaran around Santorini. I used Viator to signup for a one day catamaran cruise which included swimming stops around various spots and a seafood lunch. They served fresh seafood on a catamaran in the middle of the Aegean sea…amazing! It was such a great experience. This outing enticed me to do more day trips going forward which I have done in Croatia and will do in Thailand soon.

The tour was called “Santorini Caldera Cruise Including Buffet and Drinks.” It cost $170 and was so worth the unlimited drinks, snacks/lunch and a relaxing catamaran ride for a day. When I go back to Santorini someday, I will definitely do another one of these cruises again.

Another activity I would recommend is to do a wine tasting tour which cost about 85 Euros. You must be thinking, Santorini = wine? Yes, I know the place is not known for its wine but boyyy do they have good wines. Again, I signed up for the tour called “Santorini Wine Adventure” using Viator. A van will pick you up, drive you around the wineries and drop you off near your hotel, very convenient. I went to three different wineries including Boutari and Galavas. Yum! I even received a free bottle of Boutari wine due to pickup delay. I brought it home and had my mom try and she loved it. No doubt, the Boutari Assyrtiko wine is a great pairing for seafood dishes which is perfect with Filipino food.

The third activity is to take the bus to the town of Oia, obviously, if you’re not staying in the area. This is one of the iconic places in Santorini as mentioned above. There’s even a lookout spot but I really think anywhere in Santorini can be a lookout spot. It’s just that gorgeous!

Fourth, my hotel (see below) is located in Fira and it is walking distance to all the stores. I enjoyed Fira because it’s full of boutique stores selling intricate jewelry which are good for presents, and of course, THAT view again. The place has plenty of restaurants to chose from as well. Without a doubt, I spent hours just checking out various stores in the area. What a blast!

Fifth, don’t misinterpret Santorini as a honeymoon/sleepy town and that there’s no nightlife. Well, there is! I went to a small but nonetheless, fun bar in Santorini. Check out Two Brothers Bar! I must warn you that it’s not fancy, it’s more like your typical let’s have drinks to get drunk kinda bar. haha!

HOTEL

There are so many beautiful hotels in Santorini and most of them have an amazing view. For my trip, I selected the Aigialos hotel and it did not disappoint. The hotel rate came with free breakfast with the Aegean sea and Santorini volcano view outside of your hotel room and a bottle of wine. The breakfast was so good! My room was supposed to be a two bedroom loft but the bedroom upstairs felt so small and cramp. Overall, I believe that the hotel with its stunning view is worth the price. One thing I would recommend if you have the budget is to pick a hotel with either a hotel infinity pool or plunge pool in your room.

Overall, Santorini is one of the best places to go if you just want to relax and enjoy the scenic view. I feel like this place is a must experience at least once in a lifetime. I can’t wait to go back!

Have you been to Santorini? What are your recommendations, please comment below. Also, if you’re interested in checking out another Greek Island, check out my blog on Best Places to Visit in Mykonos.

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