On Santorini, the moon-shaped island I told you about my experience on this enchanted island. A journey made of soft colours, unexpected views and panoramas that leave you breathless.
I thought to collect in this article a series of practical and useful information to organise a trip to Santorini in line with one's needs, pace and budget.
There are two ways to organise a trip to Santorini:
buy a travel package
organise it yourself
1. Buy a travel package
The easiest and often also the most expensive way. I do not use travel agencies, except to pick up some travel catalogue, leaf through it and dream.
However, I have used some online agencies for 'quick' trips, trips where I had neither the desire nor the time to study for the best combinations.
Among the online travel agencies, I use :
BorsaViaggi
Lets.it
Caesartour
Alpitour online
Expedia Travel
Logitravel
Pirates in Travel
For example: one week in July, 850 euro for two people, including flight, accommodation and shuttle.
2. Organise the trip yourself
The first step is to look for the flight at the best price, or rather the best combination of price and flight time (I have discussed this at length in the article Flight by Air). Companies flying to Santorini direct from Italy are Alitalia, Neos, Volotea, Vueling, Easyjet and Blue Express.
Then look for accommodation in Santorini.
In this case, as you may have read in the post Where to Sleep, I generally rely on Booking or Agoda (it has great deals sometimes, even better than Booking) or Airbnb. In Santorini you are spoilt for choice when it comes to accommodation: from private rooms for 120 euro for 6 nights to 5-star hotels for 42,000 euro for 6 nights. Discover a curated selection of Imerovigli Santorini hotels by visiting the website provided. This comprehensive platform offers detailed information about each hotel, including amenities, services, and breathtaking views. It will guide you towards choosing the perfect retreat for your Santorini experience.
Which part of Santorini to sleep in?
It depends on the budget. If you're planning a trip to this enchanting Greek island and looking for the epitome of luxury, look no further than the 5 star hotels in Santorini on greece-santorini-hotels.net. These exquisite accommodations offer a combination of world-class amenities, impeccable service, and stunning views that will elevate your Santorini experience to new heights.
You will spend a lot more if you go towards the caldera, so Oia or Fira for example, but the view is priceless (or rather it is and it is very high).
We slept in the southern area, Perissa, where there is a beautiful, long beach and in the evenings there are plenty of small restaurants where you can eat and have fun. Another area full of entertainment is Kamari, also on the other side of the caldera, with slightly higher prices than Perissa.
Consider that Santorini is small, so if you have private transport you can sleep in any area, because you can reach every part of the island in half an hour. If, on the other hand, you have no means of transport, the best option is to sleep in Fira.
The third aspect of organising a trip to Santorini is transport.
First of all, the transfer from/to the airport. If you don't have a rental car, the best and fastest thing is to take a taxi, the cost is about 30 euro. There is also a bus service, Ktel, which takes you to the centre of Fira for just under 2 euro.
To get around Santorini, the best choice is a scooter or a car.
The former, which is fun, has the only problem of 'getting wet if it rains'. Scooter rentals can be found everywhere, at a price of around 140 euro per week (if there are two of you, take at least a 125cc, otherwise you will get stuck halfway up).
We opted for a car, as the weather was not safe. We rented it through the B&B where we were staying, which had its own rental company. Anyway, a car in Santorini in June for a week costs about 90 euros.
If you want to avoid cars/motorcycles you can get around with the Ktel buses, which are big new tourist buses and are also convenient. The only caveat is that they leave and arrive in Fira, so if you opt for the local buses, best to stay in Fira.
UItimate aspect of planning a trip to Santorini: the itinerary
I'll leave you mine, just so you have an idea, but Santorini is nice to wander around 'at random'. Turn right to see a church, then left to look inside a house and left again to see a mule tied to a mill. Getting lost as always is my recipe and the best advice I could give you.
Of course, there are places not to be missed:
Fira the capital and where the big cruise ships dock
Firostefani and Imerovigli, a few kilometres north of Fira. To be reached on foot
Oia, the northernmost point of Santorini, spectacular for watching sunsets
Akotiri, lighthouse and archaeological site
Panayia, typical church with vineyards
Mesaria, Vothonas, Emporio and Megalohori: 4 characteristic villages, close to each other and not to be missed to discover the real Santorini
for the rest, create, sweat and live your Santorini.
✏️ Santorini is in Greece, so you don't need a passport or an international driving licence. To rent a car you must be at least 21 years old.
✏️ Remember to take your Italian health card with you, just in case. However, if you are organising a DIY trip, take out 'emergency' or cancellation insurance, perhaps by taking out the basic insurance offered by the company where you buy your flight.
✏️ Greece, being part of Europe, uses euros as currency. As many shops unfortunately do not accept credit/debit cards, there are banks and ATMs if you need cash.
✏️ Wifi everywhere, except in local buses and 'over the donkeys'. Ah the donkeys, I kindly ask you to respect them, perhaps by using the funicular in Fira or walking, which by the way is also healthier!
✏️ Time zone: Santorini is at GMT+2, so it is one hour ahead of Italy. Like Italy it adopts daylight saving time in the summer.
✏️ When to go: May to October is ideal, in August expect a lot of tourists in Fira and Oia, but for the rest of the island you won't find many.
Curiosity
? In Fira there are many fish spas, i.e. you dip your feet into small pools full of small fish. It's so weird to feel your skin nibble!
? There are more churches than houses in Santorini, but many are really small and often private.
? Blue roofs: there aren't that many, it's just that most of the photos are on Oia and always from the same angle. Actually on the island they are not that widespread!
? Santorini is not its real name. It originated as Kallisti (the most beautiful) or Theras (son of a king). It was after the Crusades that the island was christened Santorini by the Venetians, in honour of Saint Irene
It only remains for me to wish you a wonderful trip and good wind!
