Best of Santorini, Greece: An Island Travel Guide
Exploring Beautiful Santorini, Greece with a Fujifilm camera in hand.
Are you looking for a summer island trip with friends or a romantic gateway?
Look no further than Santorini, Greece.
It’s probably one of the most famous Greek islands—and for good reason!
In 2018, I was a bridesmaid for one of my very good friends who was getting married in Bulgaria. And my now husband and I decided to turn this destination wedding trip into a 2-week European summer holiday. It was one of our big overseas trips together.
Coincidentally, the Santorini portion of the trip fell during my birthday.
We started our trip in Santorini, followed by Sofia, Bulgaria and then finishing up in Budapest, Hungary.
The Santorino landscapes and buildings are iconic.
They’re so easily recognisable when you see them in any blog, travel guide or magazine. Whitewashed buildings, deep blue seas spanning beyond the horizon and stunning sunsets.
A photographer's paradise.
It was hardly surprising that Santorini on so many travellers' bucketlist.
Santorini is also known as the most romantic Greek island. We saw plenty of couples doing wedding or engagement photoshoots. If you live in Europe, Santorini is just a cheap flight and a stone’s throw away.
If Santorini is not already on your bucketlist, hopefully it will be after you read this.
Know Before You Go
Currency: Euro (€)
Language: Greek, English
Religion: Predominantly Greek Orthodox
Visas: Australian passport holders can enter Greece (and other Schengen Area countries) for up to 90 days in any 180-day period as tourist, without a visa.
Weather: Santorini is located south of Athens and enjoys the typical Mediterranean climate. Hot, dry summers (June to September) with temps in the high 20s°C to mid-30s°C. Winters (December to February) are mild but can be windy and wet. Many places on Santorini actually closes outside of the busy summer tourist season.
We spent 4 days on the exploring and relaxing on beautiful Santorini during peak of the European summer in July.
The weather was hot, humid and the crowd was thick.
Camera Gear
I’ve been photographing with a Fujifilm X-series camera since 2015.
My first was the little Fujifilm X-T10 camera. These days, I’m shooting with the Fujifilm X-T4 camera.
For our trip to Europe, Fujifilm Australia kindly loaned me their (back then) newly released Fujifilm X-T20 camera and the 23mm f2 lens.
For this trip to Europe, I also brought along my favourite travel lens that has been with me for forever—the very versatile Fujinon 18-55mm f2.8-4 lens.
This nimble travel photo kit stayed out of my way, but was always readily available while I explored the different European cities and towns.
Getting here
We flew on Qatar Airways from Perth, Australia to Athens, Greece via Doha.
Then we took a short hopper flight on Olympic Air from Athens to Santorini’s little island airport.
Perth is known as one of the most isolated cities in the world. And it took 24+ hours to get from Perth to Santorini!
Stay
Fira is the biggest and busiest town on the island, filled with tourists, shops and hotels. Stay here if you want to be where the night life and restaurants are
Oia is a smaller town, north of Fira. It’s famous for beautiful sunsets and expensive cliff side hotels. It’s also where honeymooners typically go.
We wanted to stay close to town, but without the price tag or the party crowd. Imerovigli was the perfect location for that. It’s about 30 minutes walk from Fira, in between Fira and Oia.
I would highly recommend staying at Imerovigli if you visit Santorini.
It's less crowded than Fira and less expensive than Oia.
During our time in Santorini, I watched the sunset in Fira, Oia and Imerovigli. No matter where you go the sunset is stunning and I couldn't get enough of it. And in my humble opinion the sunset from Imerovigli was the best.
We stayed at Andronikos Santorini Hotel, a little boutique hotel by the cliffside and were treated to beautiful sunsets every day.
Santorini isn’t a cheap island to visit, but you’ll be able to find budget options in Fira through to extremely luxurious seaside hotels in Oia.
See and Do
For a fairly small island, there are plenty to see and do on Santorini.
Hike from Fira to Oia
A highlight of our time on Santorini was the hike from Fira to Oia. It’s a must-do if you don't mind hiking for around 10km.
The walk takes you along the caldera cliff and through to the villages of Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli, and Oia. The walk from Fira to Imerovigli is mostly along the caldera-edge pathway. Once you leave Imerovigli it can be a bit rough and hilly.
In summer, this hike feels hot and humid so be sunsmart—cover up, use sunscreen and start as early as possible before the heat feels scorching.
But totally worth it for the views you get to photograph along the way!
Romantic town of Oia
The best way to explore the different towns on Santorini is by foot.
We wandered the streets of Oia with my Fujifilm X-T20 camera in hand. It was light to carry around my neck or wrist, which meant I always had it with me and I felt like I never missed a shot.
Though I probably stopped every few metres to take a photo because I couldn't get enough of those Greek island views!
Once you hit the town centre of town, every street is lined with shops, restaurants and hotels. Most restaurants and cafes naturally target their food towards the tourists, despite that I still thoroughly enjoyed the Greek food.
The towns get particularly crowded just before and during sunset when the crowds of tourist head into town for the best spots to catch the sunset.
The weather was sunny and beautiful the whole time we were there, I couldn’t have asked for more.
Bustling port town of Fira
The streets of Fira are similar to Oia, though I found the streets of Fira narrower and more crowded with tourists.
Take your time and walk down different alleys and streets. Exploring the towns on Santorini honestly felt quite safe (just take your usual precautions and have your wits about you).
What I loved about both Fira and Oia is that these towns are filled with beautiful architectural and historical buildings everywhere you turn.
Clockwise from top left:
Iconic church found along the way during my walk from Imerovigli to Fira.
The Three Bells of Fira at Firostefani.
The view of Fira from a distance, walking from Imerovigli to Fira.
Catholic Cathedral, Fira.
Santorini is also a hugely popular cruise destination in the Aegean Sea.
We saw plenty of giant cruise ships lingering near the Old Port in Fira. Tourists were then transported onto the island using smaller boats since the Old Port is relatively small.
Pyrgos: Off the beaten path
If you want to spend some time away from crowded towns of Fira and Oia, check out the much smaller town of Pyrgos.
It’s located close to the centre of Santorini island and is one of the highest points on the island. It was fun to wander through the charming backstreets of Pyrgos without the hustle and bustle of tourists being everywhere.
Be prepared for the gradual walk upwards to the Venetian castle ruins.
You’ll be treated to some impressive views of Santorini island from the top.
Perissa Beach
Perissa is a little village toward towards the south-east of the island, away from the bustling towns of Fira and Oia.
Head to Perissa Beach if you’re looking a day trip away from the crowds or simply want to check out the iconic black volcanic sand of Santorini. We spent a few hours here lounging under one of the beach cabanas with a drink in hand.
If you are willing to brave the Santorini roads, you can hire a car or an ATV to get from Fira or Oia to this part of the island.
We chose to brave the rather hot and unpredictable public bus on the island to get us from the main town to Perissa beach.
Evenings and sunsets in Santorini
Santorini is equally beautiful during the day, at dusk and at night.
At night, you can even see stars in the night sky!
I tried my hand at some long exposure photography using the Fujifilm X-T20 on a tripod with the Fujinon 23mm f2 lens. Long exposure really increased the glow of the lights lighting up buildings along the walkways.
I enjoy photography the most when I can walk about freely and inconspicuously.
Using the combination of the X-T20 and the 23mm f2 or the 18-55mm f2.8-4 gave me that freedom. Capturing the scene and experienced before me so that when I look back through my photos in years to come, it will bring me back to that moment in time, that experience, the feeling I had.
I’ve tried and enjoyed a number of Fujinon lenses, but the 23mm f2 has quickly become one of my favourite walkaround lenses.
The lens is light and quick to focus, which means I rarely miss a shot.
Eat + Drink
Santorini is an extremely touristy destination—but that doesn’t mean the food is bad!
In fact, we had some of the best seafood during our 4 day stay in Santorini. If nothing else, try some seafood while you’re in Santori.
We loved the giant octopus we had.
That’s it!
Is Santorini on your bucket list for travel?
Happy travelling!
(P.s. Are you interested to see more destination guides like this?—would love to hear your thoughts!)
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Nice! Paros was my favorite in Greece!
We went to Greece for our honeymoon and loved Santorini. We really enjoyed staying in Perissa (because that’s where our package booked us 😂) and loved the restaurants on the black sand beach.