Santorini in Two and a Half Days

We spent two and a half leisurely days on Santorini between a quick stop in Athens and a wedding on Crete. We didn’t pack too many activities into our days on Santorini and that made for a perfectly relaxing and romantic trip.

Itinerary

Day One:

• Cooking Class at Petra Kouzina
• Perissa Beach
• Red Beach
• Dinner at Mylos

Day Two:

• Thirasea Island Day Trip
• Sunset in Oia

Day Three (Half Day):

• Souvenir shopping in Oia
• Lolita’s Gelato

Day One

Our first day on Santorini did not start as planned. We had arrived very late the night before at our hotel, Hotel Thira, after a long day of walking in Athens. As a result, we really overslept. I had planned to do some sightseeing before our 11 am cooking class but there was no time. We didn’t even get out of our room until 11! I ran to the front desk to ask the receptionist to call a cab but she said it would take 30 minutes for one to arrive. So instead, we ran downstairs to Tony’s, a rental company. We rented out an ATV and sped off to Megalochori for our class.

• Getting Around Santorini: The small towns of Santorini are very walkable but to go from town to town or to the beaches, you will need another form of transportation
  
  
  • Taxi: There are plenty of taxis on Santorini but they can be pricey and need to be called about 30 minutes in advance. Since there are no addresses on Santorini, I found it easiest to tell the receptionists where we were going and ask them to book the taxi. I also had luck booking with an app called Aegean Taxi, but that also needs to be used well in advance.
  
  
  • ATV/Moped: This option offers the most flexibility and will be the most cost effective if you plan to move around a lot. There’s no need to book in advance, just make sure you have your International Driver’s Licence. But only consider one of these vehicles if you feel very comfortable driving one as you will need to keep up with traffic on the winding island roads.
  
  
  • Bus: There is a bus system on the island. It will get you from town to town but will take longer and offers less flexibility.

We arrived at Petra Kouzina an hour late, but luckily only missed one dish, the tzatziki. While we got to work on the second dish, tomato fritters, one of the instructors kindly whipped us up a batch of tzatziki so that we wouldn’t miss out. A traditional Greek salad came after the fritters. After the salad each pair of students assembled their own small moussaka. While the moussakas baked the head instructor, George, showed us how to flambe shrimp in Ouzo for the shrimp saganaki.

After we finished cooking we moved outside to a beautiful patio to eat. Like the other cooking classes we’ve done while traveling the food was awesome. We sat and ate, chatted with our classmates, and enjoyed the nice day until we couldn’t possibly eat any more.

We hopped back on our ATV and drove back to the hotel. After quickly changing, we headed back out to see some beaches around the island. The first stop was Perissa Beach, known for its black sand. The sand was cool to look at but painfully hot to walk on, much like asphalt on a sunny day. Up next was the Red Beach. The Red Beach was the more interesting of the two in my opinion. Situated in a cove at the bottom of a bright red cliff, this beach would have been a better place to hang out and relax.

We didn’t spend much time at either beach. It was getting late and we still needed to shower before dinner. So we headed back into town where we returned the ATV and got ready to go out.

While we were in Athens we ate at an awesome restaurant called Hytra. When we told our server that we were going to Santorini he asked the chef for a restaurant recommendation for us. He recommended a restaurant where a former colleague now worked, Mylos. We thoroughly enjoyed the food at Hytra so we didn’t hesitate to take the chef’s recommendation.

Located in an old windmill on the edge of the caldera in Thera, Mylos is one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve been to. It also has a wonderful view of the sunset if the sky is clear. We ordered the tasting menu with a wine pairing and were not disappointed. But, be warned, the pours that come with the wine pairing are very generous!

Day Two

Day two started with a half-day trip to the smaller islands near Santorini. We took a cab that I had booked the night before to Oia where we dropped off our bags and met the bus arranged by the tour company that would take us to the port. We arrived at the port with time to grab a coffee before boarding our pirate ship looking boat.

• Day Trips
  
  
  • Trips can be booked ahead of time online. After booking, someone from the tour company contacted me to arrange a pickup location.
  
  
  • Bring a towel, hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water. It was hot and sunny on the boat and the islands where there is not much shade.

The first stop was Nea Kameni, an active volcano. The current activity is limited to a few small vents but you can see the craters left over from previous volcanic activity. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and provided information about the history of the island.

Next was the “hot” spring of Pelea Kameni. The water here was only lukewarm. It was also full of orange algae, so DO NOT wear a swim suit with any white or light colors. The alleged hot spring area was full of people so we preferred to swim in the cool, crystal clear water further from shore.

The final stop was Thirasia Island. Small shops and restaurants lined the beach where we landed. There is also a path that you can hike up toward the center of the island but we didn’t think we would have time so we arbitrarily picked one of the small restaurants and grabbed lunch. After lunch there wasn’t much to do. There is no good beach to sit on so we got some ice cream and sat on a small pier until it was time to leave.

Overall, the day trip was alright. It wasn’t un-enjoyable, but it also wasn’t amazing. If you have plenty of time, I would say do it. But if you’re short on time in Santorini, your time may be better spent exploring Santorini itself.

The trip ended in the small port of Oia. From the dock you have two options to get up to the city, ride a donkey or walk. We opted to walk due to how the donkeys were treated and I think we made the right choice. Tourists were put on donkeys that were hit until they ran up the hill with no one controlling them. Many people on the poor animals seemed a little terrified. Sharing a narrow path with unguided donkeys, with a rock wall on one side and a cliff on the other, was also terrifying. We alternated between pressing against the wall and running when the path was clear. By the time we got to the top I was exhausted and just glad to be alive.

Deliriously tired and sweaty, we found the villa that we had rented for the night and immediately showered. After I was rested and clean I could finally appreciate how amazing our little villa was. Built into the side of the caldera, it had a private entrance and patio. It had a beautiful view and was steps away from a perfect sunset viewing spot.

If you’re going to Santorini, stay in Oia! It’s more expensive than the rest of the island but it’s worth staying even one night there. Check Airbnb or booking.com for some less expensive options.

Sitting on the patio with a bottle of wine, watching the sunset, was my favorite moment on Santorini. You can visit Oia just to watch the sunset, the sidewalks are packed an hour before the sun goes down with people doing just that, but it won’t be the same. Having a private villa on the caldera was incredibly peaceful and I’m so glad we decided to splurge for one night.

After a slightly disappointing sunset due to clouds, we grabbed dinner at a small local restaurant. We ordered some of the dishes that we made in our cooking class. They didn’t quite live up to expectations but were still good. Oia has many restaurants so if you’re tired and just want a quick bite to eat like we did, you won’t have to walk far.

Day Three

We had more planned for our final half day but ended up sleeping in later than anticipated. I wanted to go for a morning swim down in Ammoudi Bay where you can swim out to a small island that is home to a tiny church, but we didn’t have the time or energy. Instead, we had a leisurely breakfast at a small creperie called Vitrin. I ordered a sweet breakfast crepe and my usual cappuccino freddo with medium sugar.

After breakfast we walked to the Oia Castle lookout point for pictures. This spot has awesome panoramic views of the caldera and the ocean surrounding the island.

Next we strolled around Oia and got our souvenir shopping done. Oia is packed with small shops selling everything from clothes to pottery to artisan olive oils. We got two small oil paintings of Santorini for ourselves along with gift for our families and friends.

Hot and tried from shopping in the scorching sun, we made a stop at Lolita’s for some gelato. They had some fun and interesting flavors but I definitely recommend the pistachio. With an hour left to kill before we had to leave to catch a ferry, we found a cafe with a good view over the ocean. We had a glass of wine and savored our last moments on Santorini.