So you’ve decided to visit the Greek island of Santorini (a great choice, by the way!), so now you need to know what you absolutely must see while you’re here! One thing that I love about Santorini is that while the island does have a lot of history, it’s just not the type of place where you’re going to spend a lot of time visiting museums and monuments. It’s more about being outside, enjoying the incredible views, wandering the winding streets, and soaking up the beautiful sunsets with a glass of wine in hand! If you haven’t already checked out my guide to getting started planning a trip to the Greek Isles, you can find that here. Enjoy!

1. Take a catamaran cruise at sunset 
   • Catamaran cruising was by far one of the highlights of our weeklong stay in Santorini, and I can’t recommend it highly enough! The tours include pickup and drop off from your hotel, plus wine and beer, and what was honestly a gourmet seafood dinner, despite being prepared in the tiniest kitchen I’ve ever seen on our catamaran!
   • We loved cruising around (with some white wine in hand!), seeing everything from the famous Red Beach, to the Venetian Lighthouse, to the White Beach, and the hot springs (which, just fyi, are not that hot!), and ended with a champagne toast while watching the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen. I would do another cruise just like this when visiting Santorini again someday!

     

2. Visit the Akrotiri
   • If you’re at all interested in history, you will find the story of the ancient Minoan civilization that was destroyed when the Theran volcano erupted on Santorini in the 1600s B.C. to be absolutely fascinating. It’s basically the Greek version of Pompeii!
   • The Akrotiri excavation site itself doesn’t have a ton of signs to explain what was uncovered and how advanced this civilization was, so I recommend hiring one of the local historians who will be waiting outside the museum entrance to give you a guided tour. The guides will wait for ten people to join the tour, and for a group of ten, it will be 10 Euros per person, which I felt was well-worth it.
   • Getting here by bus is easy, with buses leaving from both Fira and Oia. The Akrotiri bus stop lets you off right at the entrance to the museum, where you can purchase your tickets and find a tour guide.

     

3. Hike from Fira to Oia
   • This was probably my favorite thing that I did overall in Santorini (even though it’s hard to choose!) and is definitely a must-do here! Make sure to start your hike in Fira, rather than Oia, because it’s less uphill hiking from Fira to Oia, rather than the other way around.
   • It takes about three hours to do this 6.2 mile hike, since you’ll definitely be stopping to take tons of photos and soak in the incredible views. If you’re visiting during the summer, do this hike first thing in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the midday heat! You’ll work up a sweat but the experience is so worth it.

     

4. Do a wine tasting tour
   • Booking a wine tasting tour like this one makes it easy and convenient to visit several different wineries in Santorini, since transportation is included and you’ll even have a sommelier as you guide to teach you all about the island’s different wines!

     

   • I didn’t know much about Santorini wines until I planned our trip here, but it’s dry, windy climate makes their wine-growing totally different from other places I’ve visited, like Tuscany or Napa Valley, so it’s fun to learn about. And most of the wineries here have incredible views, especially Santo Winery and Venetsanos Winery, so make sure you visit those even if they’re not part of your tour!

     

5. Get lost in the winding streets of Imerovigli
   •  We (quite literally) got lost in the steep, picturesque streets of Imerovigli on our way to dinner for our last night in Santorini, and the views we saw along the way made being late for our reservation completely worth it.
   • I love having time built into my travel just to explore and get lost, because I end up finding some great things along the way, and this village is the perfect place to do just that.

     

6. Eat the best seafood of your life 
   •  It’s not hard to find incredible food in Santorini, but one place that was recommended to us by a taxi driver in Athens that really wowed us, for the incredibly fresh fish of course, but also for the authenticity and the scenery, was The Dolphins in Akrotiri.
   • This is the perfect lunch stop after visiting the Akrotiri excavation site in the morning, before heading to the Red Beach, all of which are walking distance from each other.

     

7.  Watch the sunset from Fira or Oia
   • The sunsets throughout Santorini were incredible, and while Oia is known as the best place to watch the sunset, I saw just as beautiful of sunsets in Fira, where we stayed, and with far fewer crowds.

     

   • Wherever you choose to take in the sun setting over the Aegean Sea, make sure you settle in at your restaurant of choice or find a good viewing point early on, as this is a very popular activity on the island.

     

Santorini certainly has a piece of my heart after spending a week here during my honeymoon adventure with my husband, Brian, and I’m betting it’ll have a piece of yours too after you visit! If you haven’t already, check out my guide on best things to do in Mykonos, in case you’re considering making that a stop on your trip to Greece too. Stay tuned for more tips to come, and as always, make sure you comment and tell me what you’d like to see next!