Santorini Highlights

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Santorini Highlights

We explored the three primary towns of Oia, Fira, & Imerovigli, but also through Firostefani & Akrotiri.

Our first evening, we sauntered south out of Imerovigli into Firostefani along a series of downhill paths winding through the white domes.   Then we retreated back to Imerovigli to dine at Avocado, which we highly recommend.  

The second day, we retraced our steps into Firostefani and caught a transfer into the beautiful town of Oia, built on the northwestern tip of the crescent shaped Santorini.  And it is stunning, but also quite busy with tourists and the ubiquitous instagram crowd.  The shopping is impressive in Oia, full of elegant and sophisticated boutiques. 

The third day, we trekked south again, past Firostefani into Fira, which is the first stop for all the cruise ship tourists.  They can either take the gondola up from the port or they ride in a vehicle,  a bus or private transfer.  The gondola looks fun, but I’ve heard the wait to go back down can be hours long.  That doesn’t seem like a good way to spend time, especially if you only have a few hours.  Taking the gondola up and then a private transfer back to the port would be a good way to go.  

Fira has the beautiful blue domes and the stunning white, rounded buildings carved into the rock like caves.  Because it’s so beautiful, it is also teeming with tourists.  It was crowded and most of the shops were selling cheap trinkets.  We stopped for lunch at El Greco, which looked really amazing, but our food wasn’t particularly flavorful.  They did have a wood fired pizza oven, which would be worth trying. 

We saw several Flying Dress photo shoots in Fira, kinda cool but not really all that unique.  In fact at one point we saw three different photo shoots happening at the same time.  Tom says we had our own Flying Wedding moment when we married and the wind overtook all our wedding plans in the most wonderful way.

The primary bus station for locals is in Fira, which is where we caught a bus to Akrotiri, to explore the ancient excavation.  Many others recommended visiting this site and we were glad we went.  It’s amazing to see structures from thousands of years ago.  Equally amazing is the structure over and around the site.  It’s meant to protect from further ruin, allow people to explore up close, while enabling the scientists access to additional discovery. 

Navigating the local buses is easy and I highly recommend it.  Not only is it less expensive than taxi or private transfer, it’s also a unique way to experience life as the locals do.  Completely full bus, with the driver & ticket taker yelling stops, was hilarious! Hopefully you won’t have to stand.

Once back in Fira, we took another bus to Imerovigli, grateful for our lodging location with its small population and unbeatable view of the caldera.  We walked to local restaurants & bakery with no crowds, we never had to wait for a table either.

Our last morning in Imerovigli, we enjoyed brunch at Dear Elie.  One of the nicest things we are  encountering on the islands so far, is how everyone we meet treats us as if we are friends.  We are indulged with stories and histories in a personalized way, not simply as tourists (which we are not tourists, we are travelers!).  We have heard histories of the country and the island, but even more endearing were the personal stories, shared with us by all those we encountered, making us feel welcome and part of the Greek culture.

Take-away:

If you like elegant shops and lots to do, stay in Oia.  If you like a frenetic buzz and being amidst the crowd and high energy, you might prefer Fira.  If you’re like us and prefer a sleepy village, then Imerovigli is for you.

Major wins:

The view from our balcony

Local bakery (best fresh OJ ever)

A private sunset dinner on a balcony overlooking the caldera.

Bummers:

My Brooks sneakers aren’t the best for this much downhill walking.

8 thoughts on “Santorini Highlights”

  1. Your private dinner looks like a Rick Steves photo.
    How interesting the different options on Santorini. Thank goodness you were able to find the option that would work for us!!
    I just realized that you two are our Trail Blazers!! All I will have to do is look through the Blog!!
    Looks like a Fantastic adventure. Calling ourselves adventurist? Travelers, anthropologist, sociologist, history buffs, all fit an amazing journey like yours 😊👍

  2. Gorgeous spot!! So far your adventure sounds like just what you’d hoped for. You look relaxed and unfettered. Julianne you must have found an interesting earring shop! Love your blog and pictures.

  3. Ahhhhh so far your trip looks like exactly what you and Tom hoped for❤️
    Your balcony dinner looks like a date from the Bachelorette franchise😉

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