Santorini is by far the most famous island in Greece and for good reason. It’s iconic white and blue houses, dramatic cliffs, and centuries-old cuisine make give it the reputation as the ‘Crown Jewel of Greece.’ Santorini is a place that’s best appreciated by land and by sea, and you’ll quickly learn why.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agta8vPNJKE
When in Fira you have to take a donkey ride up from the port up to the told town. It’s best to take it up now down because the way down is a bit slippery and I wouldn’t recommend it.
Many tourists arriving by cruise ship choose to take a donkey up the 588 steps from the old port to the town of Fira. If you want a faster alternative, there’s a cable car that takes about 3 minutes and costs 5 Euros.
Oia is the northernmost town in Santorini. It’s a picturesque village and from here you have incredible views of the caldera. The entire town in pedestrian friendly, there’s tavernas, souvenir shops and boutiques. Now lets explore Oia!
When people see incredible photos of Santorini, more likely than not they were taken in Oia. There are so many restaurants to try in Oia but we recommend finding one that looks good to you!
We are here at Ammoudi Port, this is a small port at the base of Oia. It takes around 200 steps to walk down from Oia, you can also drive down. We are eating today at Dimitris Taverna, which was the first restaurant to be established at the port. The first name was Ammoudi Taverna and now they changed it to the owners name. From here you have the best sunset from Santorini!
Dimitris restaurant is delicious! We had a rock lobster pasta, white wine, Greek salad, meze plates, and a grilled fish!
Next up are two ancient Greek sites! You may be surprised to know there’s a lot of history on this island.
Akrotiri is considered to be the Pompeii of the Aegean because it has been preserved by volcanic ash. What you see is a village that date back to 1650 B.C., which is the middle Bronze age period. They also found artifacts that date back to the 5th millennia B.C., which is late Neolithic period.
The settlement was destroyed in the volcanic eruption around 1627 BC and was completely buried by volcanic ash, which ended up preserving many frescos, artworks and buildings. The site has been consistently excavated since 1967. It will take you around 1 hour to visit the site. Next up is the ancient city of Thera!
The ancient city of Thera was built in the 8th century B.C. about 1000 years after the volcanic eruption that destroyed Akrotiri. It was built by Dorian’s from Sparta, and named after their leader Theras. From here you have incredible views of Kamari Beach and the Aegean Sea.
A few must see’s here are the ancient Agora, the 2nd century Theatre and the public Stoa, or portico that was supported by 10 Doric columns.
Kamari beach is the most popular beach destination on the island. It’s a black sand beach, you can take a dip, walk the beach promenade and eat at Nichteri Restaurant, that’s my recommendation for lunch or dinner. Now it’s time for a cold one!
Santorini is famous for it’s wine, but did you know that they have one of the best micro breweries in Greece? Donkey Brewery was established in late 2011, and they currently produce up to 70 litres of beer. Yellow, Red and Crazy donkey are the three main beers of the company!
At the brewery you can watch and learn about the whole process of beer making! If your wondering about the name of the brewery is because Santorini is famous for its donkey’s.
If you want to experience a typical Santorinian village, head to Pyrgos, which is located at the highest point on the island. Here you’ll get some amazing panoramic views of the island and get the chance to see its traditional archictecture.
On the hilltop are the ruins of Casteli Castle, one of five original castles of the island. Pyrgos is home neo-classical mansions and narrow cobblestone streets. A great way to appreciate Santorini’s old world charm!
Now let’s head to a winery!
We head to Sigalas winery, it’s located right outside of Oia. It’s been here since 1991 and have won many awards for their wines. They have over 13 different wines!
Next up is Gaia Winery! It’s situated on the beach in an old factory. Gaia produces some of the best white wines in Greece and their Assyrtiko is mouth watering!
We saved the best for last because there’s nothing quite like experiencing Santorini’s unique caldera by sea.
Today we are sailing around Santorini with Santorini Sailing. We’ll be making a few stops at red beach, white beach, sail through the caldera, stop at sulfur springs and end in Ammoudi Port.
Let’s hit those thermal waters. As you approach the thermal spring the water really warms up.
As we make our way closer to Ammoudi port, we sail closer and to disembark. We stopped at Saint Nicholas Church to jump off the base. Let’s do this!!!
That was our top 10 things to see and do in Santorini Island! Comment below if you have been or want to go!
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