3 days in dreamy Santorini, Greece

Why did I choose Santorini, Greece?
When we added Greece to our bucket list years back, we knew Santorini was definitely an island we were going to go to. The beautiful white buildings with blue dome roofs sprawled over the rocky cliffs was a sight we couldn’t miss if we went to Greece.

Communication
Easy, Santorini is quite touristy now, so most people speak English and we never had any trouble communicating with anyone

Currency
Euro
Check currency exchange site

My Travel Time
November (US Thanksgiving)
This was a great time to travel to Greece as it’s considered off peak season. It was around 20 degrees Celsius on average, so it wasn’t blazing hot like it usually is in the summer during peak season. However, since Santorini is very rugged/cliffy, it gets very windy, especially at night.
Click here to check the weather
Click here to check when the sun rises and sets

My Flight Details
Airline: Olympic Air, ATH – JTR (less than an hour flight, really really quick)
Price: ~150 USD round trip w/ a check-in baggage
Transportation: On the way to the hotel in Oia, we took a cab and it was [enter price]. The driver started with this [price] as he said it was the flat price. We saw that he hid his meter and we kept asking to use the meter, but we settled for a flat price, but lower than he asked for initially. On the way to the airport from Fira, we took the public bus, which is a really nice coach bus (w/ heating). It was only 1.80 Euro per person.

My Hotels Details
Museo Grand Hotel: This hotel is quite new and is in a great location in Oia (it’s so new that they don’t have a direct website and can be booked for travel sites); it’s close to all the sights you would want to see in Oia. It doesn’t have a pool or a view overlooking the sea on a cliff, but it is slightly cheaper than those that do. The room is a cool cave like design and there’s a pool outside. Make sure you shower early as the hot water stolen by other people staying at the hotel.

Loizos Apartment: This place is located in a very convenient spot in Fira and it’s close to a lot of food and shopping. The room isn’t luxurious, but it’s cost efficient, while still being comfortable for a night’s sleep.

My Santorini Trip Itinerary
Day 1
~40 min of walking
Oia Castle/Byzantine Castle Ruins: Beautiful view of Oia and a must go! Many also go here to watch the sunset as it’s one of the best view points. The iconic Oia cliff shot with the windmill can be seen perfectly from here.
Ammoudi Bay: You’ll have to walk down the cliff to reach the bay (~300 steps). During off peak season, nothing is open and there’s quite some construction, but usually there are restaurants open during the peak season. It’s still a great place to see during off-peak season as you can enjoy the waves and the water.
Skiza Cafe: Enjoy another beautiful view of Oia while having a snack! We enjoyed our first spinach pie here. There are other foods and drinks as well.
Sunset by the Church Bell (famous church): We chose this spot as we found a seat and the sunset could serve as a backdrop for the beautiful white buildings.
Roka: We had dinner here and it was less than a 5 min walk from our hotel. We had fried calamari, grilled goat cheese and zucchini with a tomato chutney, and pasta with tomato space and topped with chunks of beef brisket. Delicious!

Day 2
Souvlaki Pita Gyro and More: Quick food stop right near the Fira bus stop. We had a chicken gyro and it was so good. You really can’t go wrong with the gyros in Greece.
Theoni’s: We went to Theoni’s, which is right next door to the hotel we were staying at to rent an ATV (find price). We actually rented from Theoni herself!
Red Beach: We rode our ATV around 20 min from Fira to the Red Beach. The Red Beach is filled with black and red pebbles next to a red rock cliff.
Panoramic View of Caldera: As we rode our ATV back to Fira, we stopped by an amazing panoramic view of Caldera. There was a nice empty place for us to part our ATV and take in the view.
Dinner at Theoni’s: Theoni owns a restaurant, a vehicle rental store, and a coffee shop. We had dinner at Theoni’s restaurant and it was delicious! We had chicken soulvaki with rice pilaf and fried potatoes.
Grocery store

Day 3
~2.5 hrs of walking
Old Port: We walked down 588 steps to the Old Port of Fira; some people take donkeys up and down the steps, but we didn’t have as much background on how the donkeys are treated, so we opted out. We took the cable car back up, which was 6 Euro per person. We enjoyed being by the water and there are also some shops open by the port.
Imerovigli/Skaros rock: We walked around an hour from Fira to Imerovigli; the village is also extremely beautiful with its white houses. We hiked Skaros rock, which actually took longer than we expected. At the bottom of the hike, there’s a church with a blue dome top.
Salt and Pepper: This was our favorite restaurant in Santorini; we ordered grilled zucchini, homemade meatballs with pasta, and honey chicken. The owners of the restaurant are so sweet. At the end of the meal, they give you a homemade cake soaked with honey. They put a lot of love in the food they cook.