Santorini Greece

I mean, if you are there for 7 days that is a lot of time, so I would certainly plan on seeing most of the island.

Obviously, you will want to spend at least a day in Oia (pronounced Ee-uh).

Definitely see some of the interior villages, and the beach towns on the otherside.

Ruins in Akrotiri

I certainly wouldn't want to spend all my time in Fira, that is for sure.



The bus system, the buses are very large and very nice, AC, etc, but I wouldn't want to rely on them exclusively.

Definitely don't rely on taxis though, there are only a limited number on the island are quite expensive.

I'd take at least one snorkel/boat tour

You cannot flush TP (don't!) and you cannot drink the water, so just pop into the little markets and buy large bottles of water, constantly.

Santorini is VERY expensive. Very, very expensive.

Good friend went last year and she said there were so many tourists on the island that she could not really enjoy it. TIFWIW.

There is some great info at this site.
LINK

Could you define expensive? Are you saying dinner and excursions are expensive?

Most restaurants without caldera views don't look too expensive.

Just curious as to your comment/thoughts around what's expensive?

Also Greece is a tipping culture. They do expect at least 10% tips unlike other parts of Europe and more in the high tourist places. There’s also all kinds of taxes and charges.

And cash is king. They’ll take your card most places but they are a cash culture. Take more Euros (or from the ATM) than you would in most parts of Western Europe.

quote:

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It’s one of the most expensive places you can go on earth.

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Really? I’m not saying it’s cheap, but I find this hard to believe.

We did 5 days there last May and it was too much. Even our concierge told us it was too long.

It’s amazing and worth the trip. But it’s a small island that you can cover in 3 days.


If it’s not too late, try to get a couple of days on another island.

My 2 cents- 7 days is too long for Santorini. Try to catch a ferry to another island if you can. Naxos is less than 2 hours away by ferry. You can relax at the beach or explore mountain towns there.

Santorini is beautiful, and May is a little before the summer crowds hit. We rented a car from Hertz at the airport. I don't remember it being crazy expensive.

Spend a day walking the streets of Oia. Have a fresh seafood lunch and a Yellow Donkey beer at Ammoudi Bay.

Take a small day cruise around the island, still may be a little chilly for swimming off the boat, but you can visit the hot pools on the small island inside the caldera.

We drove to the southern end of the island to see Red/White beaches- it was kind of a let down. If you have a car, drive the length of the island around the caldera side for some awesome views.

Have a nice dinner with a Caldera view. Doesn't have to be in Oia- Fira and Imerovigli have great restaurants with awesome views.

As far as water/toilet paper, you have to brush your teeth with bottled water and can't flush TP. In our apartment you could smell the ocean when you took a shower. The TP situation was not as big a deal as I thought it would be. There is a small trash can next to the toilet for the paper.
TMI: the food is so clean there you won't have to wipe much

We do have a day cruise planned as well as an entire day dedicated to Oia. Super excited about this.

Thanks everyone for recommendations and advice. Been reading TD for 10 years and created an account knowing I would get good recommendations!

We went on our honeymoon. I could easily spend 7 days there and you’ll have some non-peak tourist times.

Some may say that’s too long… but you can hike around the interior and visit Roman ruins, wineries etc beyond the usual Santorini stuff. Day cruise to the center of the crater and hot springs, and other island.