Twenty-Seven Hours in Santorini

Finally, the rocking of the ferry slowed and I was able to open my eyes. I peered out the window in front of me— carefully keeping my eyes on the horizon to avoid being seasick again— and was greeted with a view of towering rust colored cliffs. Shoot, I thought, this was not going to be good. I had forgotten that Santorini is not for those prone to motion sickness. One half of the island is at sea level and the other is atop monstrous cliffs. My stomach churned as I watched the massive coach buses maneuver their way up and down the tiny winding road. With a jolt, the boat docked and we quickly departed the ferry with the hordes of tourists. The port was bustling with activity, vendors were shouting out deals on buses, taxis, ATVs and scooters. We followed the stream of people towards an ancient looking coach bus that I knew could only be the local bus.

Transportation

The bus system in Santorini is functional at the very least. The buses go up and down the switchbacks of the windy port road to the capital city of Thira (Fira) for a mere 2-3 euros—but that price doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a seat. Even prior to boarding the bus we had to push and shove our way to the front of the line and hope that the driver took the change from our outstretched hands and allowed us to board. The buses were constantly crowded with every seat filled in addition to people standing in the aisle and clinging to the backs of seats for support. Almost every bus goes to Thira first prior to arriving at its destination. For example, if you want to go from the port to Oia, you have to stop in Thira first before continuing on to Oia. The main station in Thira is one of the most disorganized things I have ever seen. Some of the buses have cards on the front saying where they are going and some do not. You can find the tentative bus schedule here but no promises that the buses will arrive or leave on time.

The buses may be unreliable and crowded, but you will definitely be saving money. When heading back to the airport, we read the bus schedule wrong (classic us) and had to take a taxi from Thira to the airport instead of the bus. For the 10 minute journey, it was 20 euros. But did we make our flight? Of course! Did we save money? No heckin way!

Accommodation

Hey, MTV welcome to my crib. As you can see, I am clearly living my best life. Sometimes when traveling, I will give myself a little ‘treat’. Meaning, if I have saved a lot of money on other things (i.e. transportation, please see above) I will splurge on something else (i.e. this amazing Airbnb). But lets be real, everywhere in Santorini—especially in Oia— will be a splurge. It may not be as upscale as Mykonos but damn, this island was expensive! Most of the Airbnb’s I looked at were at least $150 a night. However, to get the full Santorini experience, I would absolutely recommend spending a bit more money and staying in a traditional cave house. First of all, its so cool— literally. The houses are built right into the cliffs so the temperature inside is perfect compared to the boiling temperature outside. Second, the view is to die for, any of the houses along the cliffs of Oia look out over the ocean and the other Greek islands on the horizon. Finally, when you’re looking for a place to watch the legendary Santorini sunset, look no further than out your window or on your terrace. You won’t have to fight the crowds and stand on your tiptoes—like you will for the bus—and you can sit back, relax, and watch the sun sink behind the horizon.

I would recommend staying in Oia (pronounced ee-yah) rather than Thira (pronounced Fee-rah). To be frank, Santorini’s capital city is a bit dodgy and a rather basic. Many tourists stay in Thira and only make it to Oia for an afternoon so you should be able to walk around Oia without pushing through throngs of tourists. Oia has more of a small town vibe and you can walk anywhere in the town quite easily whereas Thira is a bit more spread out. In addition, those #travelgoals sunset photos you see all over instagram are from the cliffs of Oia. So just save yourself the money and the trouble of scrambling to make a dinner reservation to watch the sunset and just rent an Airbnb there instead.

The Santorini Experience

1:00pm If you have taken any type of ferry or monstrous cruise ship, you have probably just made it out of the bustling port. Get yourself on a bus and to your hotel, your Airbnb, your sailboat, wherever you can put your bags down and breathe. Take in the beautiful view and relax. Make sure your first stop is to a grocery store, or more likely, an overpriced grocery market to get yourself some bottled water. Hydration is key and you can’t drink the tap water there!

9:00pm Thankfully, most of the tourists leave Oia relatively early so the town is nearly devoid of people after the last rays of sunlight have disappeared. The town is quiet and peaceful— perfect for an early night. Oia is the quieter of the two big towns in Santorini, if you’re looking for a party scene, I would recommend you try your luck at the clubs in Thira.

9:00am Wake up early, do your workout, make your breakfast before 10am so that you can relax for a bit before joining the hustle and bustle of tourists in Oia. Pack your bags and leave them with the porter and get ready to join the masses.

11:00am Its time for a day of exploring and photography. The white stucco buildings, the cerulean blue churches, and the sparkling sea down below all make for the perfect photo. Bring your bluest, whitest outfit and snap away. Or if you prefer to stand out like I do, wear a yellow or red. Stroll through the streets snapping pics and munching on the delicious snack that is Santonuts.

2:00pm The crowds and lines at the restaurants should have dispersed by now and its the perfect time to grab a late lunch, a cocktail, or take those photos where it looks like you’re the only person in Oia. For some reason, all of the tourists from the gargantuan cruise ships visit Oia in the mornings and have dispersed by the afternoon leaving the streets nearly deserted. I would recommend trying out a restaurant with rooftop seating around this time. At sunset, forget about getting a seat, but in mid afternoon you’ll likely have the view all to yourselves.

5:00pm Unfortunately or fortunately, it was about time for us to make our way to the airport and get back on the crowded, smelly buses. After a long day of exploring, I was ready to get the heck off of this island and away from the crowds. Did I enjoy my time in Santorini? Yes. Would I go back? Probably not. At no fault of the island or its people, Santorini was just too crowded and too expensive for my taste. Its definitely one of the most popular Greek Islands—two million people descended upon its shores in 2017— and somewhere you should go once, but in my opinion, there are better islands in the Aegean sea.