I suppose most people think of Santorini as a Greek Island covered by whitewashed houses. That’s what most all the travel pictures show. That’s pretty much what I thought of it before I ventured there.

It turns out that the island of Santorini, potential home of the lost city of Atlantis, ancient volcanic caldera responsible for the demise of the Minoan civilization, historic holder of volcanic covered cities, or fancy blue-capped whitewashed buildings is something else; it’s a major cruise ship stop! I mean an Aegean primary cruise ship stop. Multiple cruise ships at a time tie up inside the calm waters of the caldera, and unleash thousands of day-tripping t-shirt shopper on the island one tender boat at a time.

If this last bit is all you know of the island, that’s actually really sad. The island, apart from the irritating throng of cruisers, is a lazy, sleepy place. Small towns cling precariously to volcanic slopes, each having its own vibe. The people are quite enjoyable and welcoming. And the entertainments are easy enough to find. After the tenders take all the cruise people away, the island turns into a quiet and fantastical Greek Island, exactly as one would expect it to.

Getting to the island.

Getting to the island is easy! You can chose either water or air options. The island is serviced by the cruise ship industry, and by a host of ferry lines. The ferries and cruise ships have different ports, at different parts of the island, but are easy enough to get to by taxi.

Santorini also has an airport. It’s a short flight from several points around the Aegean. I flew in from Athens on a short flight, first thing in the morning. The airport is a sparse affair, and is serviced by taxis and a local bus service. (Don’t depend on the island’s bus service, especially if you have a bunch of luggage.)

The Cruise Ship Business.

Okay, I beat up the cruise ship people at the beginning. If you are not part of the environment they can seem like a plague of locusts. The reality is probably something different.

The cruise ships tie up inside the caldera, below the steep cliffs of Fira, it’s the center of the populated part of the island. An expedient gondola service lifts people from the cruise ship dock up to the edge of Fira town. The gondola also provides a great view of the island’s inside edge. Just go when it’s quiet.

Fira is a tight-woven warren of shops attempting to separate day-tripper’s from their money. And, their good at it! Most people make their way through the streets of shops down to the central bus station. Once there, they either go north to the blue domed churches or south to the ruins and beaches. Many will rent scooters or all terrain vehicles from one of the countless rental shops. (Make sure you have an International Drivers License with you if you plan on renting.) the scooter people zip around recklessly for about half the day, and then return to their ship.

The cruise ship timing is well established on the island. If you work around the swell of people from the ships, you can move around basically unbothered.

Working on Island Time.

Where Athens and the continent have a hurried and somewhat structured feeling to them, the Greek islands do not. I found that Santorini had a feeling akin to the Bahamas or the islands of Thailand. Time is an entity unto itself.

Where the whole place can seem somewhat hurried when the cruise ship crowds are descending down upon the various towns on Thera, when the same big boats pull out the whole thing changes. The island slows down. It becomes quite lazy. People linger and meander. The restaurants tend to let you sit and converse longer, not needing to turn over their tables. Having a drink and watching the sun set is an actual activity to look forward to.

And, it’s fantastic! I mean absolutely fantastic! You can actually feel yourself decompress. And you feel it more, the longer you stay. The long casual walk uphill into town from my little hotel was enjoyable, the light evening breeze cascading down the hillside through the trees and carrying along the fragrance of the fruits. Waiting for the waiter to get done with their conversation before he/she ambles over to the table you chose out of the empty street side arrangement of the restaurant is quite acceptable. Having a second drink after dinner (or breakfast) is perfectly enjoyable.

It’s all good! Once you embrace it, you will enjoy it.

Another thing to consider about working on island time is getting around the island. Travel around the island for your basic traveler comes in two forms.

First, you can rent a scooter or ATV to whiz around the island on. Rental counters are literally everywhere! They may be in even more places than that. Outside of full time rental companies, most every hotel has rentals. A lot of regular shops have them as well. One thing to consider, you’ll need to have an international drivers license to rent something. They get pretty sticky about it too, so take one.

Second, you can take the bus. The bus runs everywhere. It runs pretty consistently. Now, you won’t find any timetables on any websites. The timetable is handwritten. It’s posted at the bus station wall in Fira with a thumbtack. No joke. I actually walked over and took pictures of it for later use. Also, they put everybody on the bus that will fit before it leaves. A gentleman makes his way through the bus and sell ride tickets while underway. You pay cash for the tickets, so keep some coins with you. When the bus is over-full it can take some time to get a ticket. The buses can be like serious third world country overfilled. But, they tend to show up on time, and their cheap.

The List of Things to Do.

Street shopping

Both Fira and Oia are literally build around the shopping experience. Both have a big section of town designated as shopping zones. You can get any of the standard tourist items. Oddly, for being such a magnet for Atlantis conspiracies, you can’t get an Atlantis tshirt (or I couldn’t find one!). That aside, you can find whatever you want. The streets are narrow and crowded, so have some patience and enjoy island time shopping.

The Beach

There are a plethora of beaches on Santorini. I mean, it is an island after all. There are beaches for all occasions. However, there are three more famous beaches among them. They are somewhat uninspiringly referred to as the red beach, the white beach, and the black beach (which is actually named Perissa Beach but known as the black beach.)

All three of the famous beaches are located along the southern section of the Santorini caldera. Two of them, the red beach and the white beach, can be reached from the southern bus stop (the bus stop for the ruins). The black beach is a little more secluded, and requires a water taxi which is also available at the bus stop.

I took a walk over to the red beach. The trail is sketchy, at best, and winds it’s way across the rock ledges of the water’s edge. It’s not a difficult walk, just narrow and heavily trafficked. The water is refreshing, so it’s worth the walk over to the beach.

Note. Parking around that area is limited. So if you’re traveling by rental scooter or car, you may need to wait a minute or two to get a parking space. People come and go constantly, so it’s not a big deal.

The Ruins

At the southern end of Santorini are the buried ruins of the city of Akrotiri. The ruins date back to when Thera blew its top in the volcanic eruption. Though not buried anymore, they are a nice window into what the place looked like, back in the day.

The ruins are quite easy to get to. The bus that runs to the south end of the island (number 2, I think) has a bus stop right next to the entrance to the archeological complex. From Fira it’s an easy ride.

Today the Akrotiri site is covered by a large roof enclosure. It moderates the heat of the day and gives you an escape from the sun. Inside the exhibition the route around the ruins are laid out in a series of numbered stops. Each stop has large signs in a couple languages explaining individual items of note. It’s easy to traverse just by walking and reading.

Not overly pricey, and easy to reach. I enjoyed the ruins quite well.

The Blue-Domed Buildings

If you’re looking for a scavenger hunt, this is it. You would think a view as internationally known as this would be easy to find. It’s actually not. I’m not going into the turn by turn directions, as many blog sites already have done that. I suggest you look up the path before you go.

Also, the area where you can get a quality picture has limited space. It will inevitably also be swelled with throngs of cruise ship people. Be patient and polite. It’s really that simple.

Now getting to Oia is pretty easy. There is a bus that runs from Fira to Oia fairly regularly. The bus drops off just outside the market area. From there you just head uphill toward the congestion. The Blue Domes are Oia’s big draw. They’re worth the bus ride and scouting trip necessary to find them. After that, and two dozen pictures, Oia is worth an exploration for lunch and souvenirs. Then, you’re back on the bus.

The sunset

There’s supposedly a famous place on the north side of the island where people go to watch the sun set. I don’t know where it is, because I never went. By that point in the day, I was already drinking. Sorry!

Thoughts.

When I arrived on Santorini, I had three whole days to kick around and explore. I literally thought I was going to go insane doing nothing. Once I downshifted to Island time I didn’t want to leave. It was soooooo excellent to not need to be any particular place, at any particular time. Even sitting by the hotel pool drinking ouzo was the best use of my time, if I chose it.

It is such a chill place. The people are very gracious and accommodating. The weather is spectacular. The water was even warm and accepting. It was everything you want an island to be. It was excellent. I highly recommend it. The Greek island of Santorini is absolutely worth a stop.

Now, get out there and find an island experience to enjoy!