The day following our full day in Athens we headed to Santorini via ferry. The ferry left at 0700 and took approximately five hours. I believe this is the fastest ferry option there is and recommend booking online in advance because I heard the fast ferries sell out!
After arriving in Santorini we dropped our bags off at our hotel and explored the town of Fira. Fira is one of the most popular areas to stay in, but much cheaper than Oia! We had no regrets about staying there, and to this day our hotel in Fira is my favorite hotel I have ever stayed in. The best part was the private hot tub. I worried it would be too warm for a hot tub in Santorini in July but it felt amazing at the end of the day.
We stayed at Fanari Vista Suites. Booking.com link here.
After exploring the town and checking into our hotel room, we had a sunset dinner reservation at Nausso. I can’t speak for all restaurants, at this highly rated one, the fact that we had a reservation meant nothing. We had to wait over an hour for a table, missing the sunset, and were seated in the same order as those who showed up without a reservation.
My favorite dinner was when we just sat outside our hotel room with take out Chinese food and watched the sunset from the comfort of our private balcony.
Day two in Santorini involved a full day Caldera tour. See the trip advisor link here.
Santorini’s Caldera is beautiful and worth a visit. Bring a good pair of walking shoes as there is a bit of a hike on the Caldera! Following the caldera the ship takes you to some natural hot springs. Note, the water is not actually hot. It is barely warm and there are so many people there that it is kind of gross to think about. Finally, the ship makes a stop on the island of Thirasia where you have time to explore and grab a late lunch before heading back to santorini.
We agreed that were we to do the trip again, we would skip the cheap Caldera tour and opt for a more expensive and private sailing tour. Nevertheless the experience was fun.
Day three, and our last day in Santorini, was my absolute favorite. We hiked from Fira to Oia and then spent the afternoon exploring Oia before taking a bus back to Fira. Santorini Dave has a great article on the hike, linked here. The hike was beautiful, went along the coast, and was quite strenuous! It was a good workout to to do on vacation and the views were incredible. Oia itself is also a beautiful city, although definitely more expensive than Fira. We loved Oia but had no regrets about booking our accommodations in Fira.
The next day was our last and we took a cab from our hotel to the airport after breakfast to head back home. Three full days was enough to fully enjoy Santorini, although I definitely would not have minded another day or two. Overall, the trip was magical and I hope to go back and explore more of Greece some day. 🙂
Until next time,
Sarah