The ultimate 4 days itinerary in Santorini

Hard to believe as it may sound, I had never been to Greece until this trip. I’ve always been drawn back by thoughts of an overrated, far too mainstream destination. However, probably craving after the beach following our wonderful summer Italy and Dolomites tour, we finally decided to give it a try and spent 4 off-season days in Santorini.

When it comes to holidays in Greece, although very popular, Santorini may not be your first choice. That’s most likely due to its lack of fine, golden sand beaches and higher prices as compared to other islands or mainland. As well as that, the only feasible way to get there is by plane. We found a more than reasonable priced combination of flights after serious research.

Where to stay in Santorini?

At first we were dreaming of those ravishing cave-pools with caldera view, and therefore considered paying significantly more than we usually do for accommodation. To be honest, we soon realised this was exceeding our budget by far anyways :). We eventually booked our 4-night stay at Fira Blue Horizon for slightly more than 200€. I must say that’s incredibly cheap by Santorini standards. Our room was quite basic, maybe not the best-looking but it had all we needed. Private bathroom, air-co, a smart tv and even a tiny kitchen which we didn’t use at all. The hotel makes a ten-minutes walk from Thira’s bus terminal. Facilities include a generously-sized pool, as well as a small terrace where you can sip a drink and play with the cute cats living at the property – there were loads of them!

On our request, the owner arranged our transfer from the airport (20€ for us both). The island’s bus system, although otherwise cheap and reliable, does not run after midnight.

Athens layover

For our short two-night stop in Athens, we chose the very well positioned Pella Inn Hostel – right beside Monastiraki Square on Ermou Street. Our room was OK, had decent WiFi and an Acropolis view but also the smallest bathroom I have ever seen :). The building features a nice rooftop bar where guests are provided with free welcome shots.

How to get around in Santorini?

We’ve been only using common means of transportation during our 4 days in Santorini. The island is rather small and very well connected. The price for one journey varies between 1.8 to 2.5€, depending on destination and buses usually depart on time. Therefore, renting a car felt completely useless for us. You can find the bus schedule and other useful info here.

Day 1: What to do in Oia in one day?

Getting to Oia before 8 am gives you plenty of time for pictures and exploring before the town is taken over by hordes of tourists, therefore we desperately wanted to hop on the first bus from Thira.

As soon as you arrive in Oia you will be stunned. The white houses, windmills and blue churches chapels are so beautiful, rising over the caldera. They are definitely worth thousands of pictures! Take care though, for some of them you will most likely have to casually break into people’s private properties. Many will close eyes and let you climb their rooftops, but you might as well encounter furious residents yelling at you to get lost!

Regarding food, there is a wide variety of restaurants you have to choose from. Most of them are very fancy, with awesome scenery, but prices are high and the food quality is rather questionable. If you aim for more affordable and authentic options, try to get away from the center. You will discover numerous little stalls with super delicious traditional spinach pies, gyros, tzatziki or greek salad. After having enough of the narrow, cobblestone streets, we had an overpriced pancake brunch at one of the restaurants facing the waterfront, enjoying the view and the warm sunshine.

Ammoudi Bay

Next, make your way towards Amoudi Bay. It takes no more than fifteen minutes to get down so you don’t need to take any taxi or even worse, a donkey ride. Once you reach the chique little harbour, turn left and go further on the rocky path along the water front. You’ll soon find a perfect swimming spot! The sea is sparkling clean so you can see the bottom even where it’s meters deep. If you are a skilled diver you can jump down from the cliffs and swim back to the shore. Well, if you are barely able to survive in water, like me, you may just lie on the rocks where the sea is shallow and enjoy sunbathing.

When the sun is about to set, make sure you find the best spot to admire the nature’s wonderful colours…in fact, make sure you find a spot first. As I mentioned before, people go bananas this time of the day. The town gets incredibly overcrowded and there are even organized tours bringing people over for the „magical Oia sunset”. We can’t help but admit this kind of hysteria made the experience a bit less enjoyable. We left a little earlier towards the bus station, and that proved to be a wise decision. Buses leaving Oia after sunset are cram-full and you might easily be left waiting.

Day 2: Red Beach, White Beach, Black Beach

On the second day, we took the bus to Akrotiri to visit the three well-known beaches in Santorini: Red Beach, White Beach and Black Beach. Let me cut to the chase: there is almost no sandy beach in Santorini. You will find either gravel or big stones you have to be careful not to crush your feet against. No matter if you think you have sensitive feet or not, trust me, aqua shoes are mandatory.

From the bus station we walked towards Red Beach, the only one of the three above reachable by foot. Fifteen minutes later we could take a glimpse of the instantly recognisable red lava cliffs. We spent a couple of hours sunbathing and aftwerwards we boarded on a boat heading to the other two beaches. Boats leave Akrotiri every half an hour on route Red Beach – White Beach – Black Beach and return. We paid 15€ each for a wristband that allowed us to jump on any boat that day. Just like a hop-on – hop-off boat system.

White Beach – your hidden private beach

White Beach was certainly our favourite one. Our boat’s sailor told us the sea gets very deep within meters off the shore on both Red and Black Beach. On White Beach however, you could get as long as 20-25 meters away from the coast and still have shallow waters. At first glance you will see a narrow, rocky beach. If you want to lay in the sun right away, you have to rent one of the poshy lounge chairs. Here comes our tip though: go furthest right and pass through the water round the cliff. You will shortly step on your tiny free private beach. This was the only fine sand area we found, and it was all ours! It felt so remote and intimate that we wanted to stay there for hours!

In the evening we had a wonderful meal at a restaurant in Akrotiri, just by the water. It was the typical small family-run business, with friendly people, a superb view and extremely tasty food. We had some local appetizers, a fresh fish main course and a glass of wine – around 12-13€ each.

Another tip: organise your day in such way that you go to Red Beach in the afternoon. That’s when the sun shines onto the red cliffs and creates the best light for pictures.

Day 3: Hot springs, Nea Kameni, Thirasia

In case you didn’t already know that, today’s Santorini was formed as result of a volcanic eruption. Beyond the main island, Thira, there is also Nea Kameni island (New Earth), which continues to be an active volcano. We chose to book a guided tour that was going to open our ignorant tourists’ eyes. This place means much more than blue rooftops, astonishing sunsets and glamorous Instagram photos. The day trip with Kamari Tours costed 35€/person. Included: a guided hike on Nea Kameni, swimming at the hot springs and a two-hour leisure stop on Thirasia island. No food or drinks are included, yet there is a small bar on the ship. You can get sandwiches, coffee, beer or other alcoholic cocktails to make your ride even more enjoyable :). Make sure you book in advance!

The hotsprings stop wasn’t particularly appealing to me. There were no swimming vests on the boat for less self-confident swimmers. Being one of those, I just enjoyed an iced frappucino and admired the views from the deck. Nevertheless, Vlad took a swim in the springs and wasn’t impressed either, mainly because of the water’s smell. Thus, although a „must-do”, we wouldn’t really recommend this activity. On the other hand, the Nea Kameni Hike was very nice and informative. We found out how the island was born, where the towns’ names come from and loads of other interesting facts about Santorini’s history. Also, Thirasia has a handful of quiet, traditional restaurants, where you can have a savoury lunch. We ourselves tried some squid and octopus, garlic potatoes aside of course! Once you go left past the eateries, you can have a dip in the crystal clear waters.

Day 4: Perissa, Imerovigli

In the last of our 4 days in Santorini we wanted to explore the black sand beach in Perissa, the largest on the island. The area is more appropriate for families with children and those who came here mostly to lie on the beach. The „sand” is agreeable, but once you step into the water you will feel like you are walking on plain pieces of concrete. While not necessarily unpleasant, it was definitely a strange sensation. It can also turn out to be very slippery so, once again, mind your steps and use your slippers!

Lunch was unforgettable. We had a fabulous with appetizers, Greek mousaka, slow cooked lamb and white wine for under 30€. Also, as customers we were allowed to use their private beach with sunbeds, umbrellas and showers for free. Make sure you check out Acropolis restaurant when passing by!

During the evening we took a stroll from Fira to Imerovigli. An awesome, less-crowded place, with all those postcard accommodations with private infinity-pools and cave-jacuzzis. The walk should take around 30 minutes in theory. However, you will easily double that by stopping every few steps to take photos and embrace the romantic atmosphere. We also spent ages to find a certain view we had seen pictures with. And of course, we did, a bit too late though cause golden hour was nearly gone 🙁 . Quite tired but completely satisfied with our four full days in Santorini, we sipped a cocktail while watching our last caldera sunset.

After these amazing 4 days in Santorini, I completely fell in love with Greece and already planned our next visit.