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Let me guess – you are finally booking your bucket list trip to Santorini, and want to plan the perfect itinerary? I can totally relate to the simultaneous excitement and anxiety that entails. Finally sitting down to book our Santorini trip was a sweet, sweet day for me too, but of course I wanted it to be perfect!
There’s no denying the Aegean island of Santorini is one of the dreamiest places on earth. After all, who could resist the tall cliffs of the caldera dropping down into mesmerizingly blue water, with white-washed villages perched along the edge?
If I’m being honest, I put off going to Santorini for a long time, fearing that this popular cruise port would be overrated and miserable with crowds. I didn’t want my grand visions of this famous Greek island to be dashed. Thankfully, this turned out to be (mostly) unfounded, as my husband and I employed solid crowd-avoiding strategies.
Below, I am sharing our entire Santorini itinerary, along with my best tips for having an incredible and stress-free trip. It won’t be long before you are in a dream world of black sand beaches and perfect sunsets.
How to Spend 3 Days in Santorini: Complete Itinerary
While some trips are packed to the brim with activities, I recommend slowing down as often as possible in Santorini to enjoy the view. It’s the best way to lose yourself in the island’s surreal gorgeousness.
Arrival Day
Try to arrive into Santorini the night before your first full day. That way, you have a chance to recover from any red eye flights. From Ohio, we had a 16-hour travel day, so it was nice to pad our itinerary with some recovery time.
Layover in Athens
If flying to Santorini, you will probably arrive into Athens first. Here are the things Aaron and I always do upon arrival into an international airport:
- Go through immigration line; get passport stamp.
- Find an ATM in airport to take out some cash. For two of us we took out $200 euros.
- Get your bags from baggage claim (if you checked any). Re-check to Santorini, if necessary.
- If your origin was outside the EU, you will need to go through security again before boarding your Santorini flight.
- Find an airport lounge if you have extra time before your next flight. With our Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, we have free access to airport lounges all over the world.
What to do upon arrival in Santorini
After a scenic thirty-minute flight to Santorini, here’s what to do next:
- Grab your rental car at the airport, or take a bus or taxi to your hotel. We chose to rent a car so we could explore the island at our own pace.
- Check in to said hotel
- Go grocery shopping for essentials like water and sunscreen. Tap water is not safe to drink on Santorini.
Aaron and I stayed in the village of Imerovigli, which sits on the caldera path between the bigger towns of Fira and Oia. Staying in this more low-key area allowed us to have awesome sunset views without the crowds.
Dine Along the Caldera
If you arrive early enough, why not kick-off your stay with dinner along the caldera edge? Restaurants in these locations can be overpriced, but it’s something you should do at least once, like we did at Le Moustache. I mean, where else can you dine with such panoramic volcanic gorgeousness?
3 Days in Santorini Itinerary: Day 1
Spend your first day in Santorini with all the essentials: a short hike, the beach, Greek wine, local food, and sunset views. If I only had one day to spend in Santorini, those would be my priorities.
Skaros Rock Hike
Begin your first morning on Santorini by doing the half hour hike to Skaros Rock. The trailhead was super convenient to us, beginning right in Imerovigli.
The Skaros Rock hike is .9 miles and of moderate intensity, offering panoramic caldera views, the rubble of medieval ruins, and a remote, cliff-side chapel. Some brave climbers (not us) take the dicey vertical scramble to the top, but plenty of people miss the chapel beyond the giant rock.
The Skaros Rock hike took one leisurely hour to complete, and we paused for plenty of photos. There was one caveat though: both ways, we had to get past a wet, smelly staircase partially covered in donkey poo. I think (hope) we just caught it on a bad day, as the reviews don’t mention this at all.
Donkey poop aside, this hike was still completely worth it to me for the awesome views and virtual isolation near the chapel. Hiking in the fresh morning breeze off the Aegean Sea made it even more enjoyable.
Perissa Beach
What’s better than a dip in the sea after a sweaty hike? Plus, it’s a chance to check out one of Santorini’s characteristic features: its black sand beaches. I will not claim that these are the best beaches in Greece, but they have their own unique charm.
Aaron and I easily found street parking across from the little restaurants and shops lining the beach road. The buses on Santorini also provide good beach access.
Once parked, you can grab one of the many beach chairs and umbrellas already set up in the sand. However, you will be expected to purchase something off the menu from the adjacent restaurant across the street.
Once settled, Aaron and I primarily enjoyed the scenery from our chairs while eating lunch. The black sand was made of fine pebbles and felt hot on my feet from the sun. I only waded in the gentle water since it was kind of cold, preferring to take it in from afar while sipping an Aperol Spritz.
Visit Art Space Winery
Santorini has a wonderful winery scene that often flies under the radar. In fact, a winery tour is one of the top activities on Santorini, but we’re saving that for day three.
On day one I recommend making a separate trip to Art Space Winery, which was my overall favorite winery on Santorini. It’s one of the best on the island, with wine made from local grape varieties, but is too small to accept bus tours. Therefore, it’s easiest to reach by car.
Besides a counter tasting, Art Space also offers a winery tour and walk through the original 1861 cave that now houses an art gallery. The owner’s tasting descriptions, sometimes hard to decipher through his thick Greek accent, only enhanced the experience. We ended up purchasing a bottle to drink on our balcony during sunset later that evening.
Eat Local
During your stay in Santorini, it is imperative to get off the main tourist path to try some authentic local cuisine. Most of the time, this will be a few streets back from the views and more popular areas.
In Imerovigli, we found a friendly and quaint open-air restaurant called Mama Lena, where we ordered fresh grilled octopus and moussaka. Let me tell you, a heavy dish like moussaka is not usually up my alley, but the one at this restaurant was melt-in-your mouth delicious. As far as the octopus, it’s one of my favorite seafoods, and it did not let me down!
Watch the Sunset
Santorini is legendary for sunsets, so you should try to catch them as often as possible. Since our room in Imerovigli had a caldera view, we could simply step out onto our small balcony every night to watch the show.
Oia, which sits further north along the caldera from Imerovigli, has Santorini’s most famous sunsets. You may choose to drive or bus to one of its scenic bars for golden hour if you are not already staying there.
3 Days in Santorini Itinerary: Day 2
It’s time for another perfect day, where you will cover two more Santorini itinerary essentials: visiting ancient Akrotiri and a sunset caldera cruise.
Akrotiri
Located on the south-western end of Santorini, Akrotiri was once a thriving urban center and Aegean port that dates back to at least 4,000 BC. This prosperity came to an end in the 17th century BC, when earthquakes forced the inhabitants to leave and a subsequent eruption buried the city in ash.
As a silver lining, the volcanic ash kept the city preserved underground over the millennia, so today there are extensive ruins that tourists can visit. The site is quite large and to an untrained eye (like mine), it might just look like a pile of rocks. Therefore, it’s smart to do a guided tour like this one to better understand what you’re looking at.
Grab Lunch
One of my favorite little eateries in Imerovigli was Dear Elie for its fresh and bright salads and brunch items. I especially adored the Greek salad, which was more “stuff” than lettuce, piled with creamy feta cheese, tomatoes, capers, and cucumbers. I recommend dining on the rooftop patio for lunch accompanied by sea views.
Sunset Caldera Cruise
Getting out on the Aegean is a must on every Santorini itinerary. Many companies offer boat tours either early in the day or during sunset. For our sunset cruise, the company picked us up and dropped us off right by our hotel.
Most caldera cruises stop at the same few places around Santorini, some of which were crowded or required a bit of swimming. I personally found pleasure in viewing Santorini’s cliffs from the deck, especially with the complimentary beer and wine at hand.
The one stop that I did leave the boat for was the geothermal area, since it was the most unique. The rust colored water demanded that you wear a dark colored swimsuit, so as not to stain it. We only had about fifteen minutes at this stop, which was enough to swim out, feel the slight warmth of the water, and hurry right back to the catamaran.
Besides the ever-impressive sunset, one of the best parts of this tour was the dinner consisting of homemade, typical Greek ingredients. The fresh vegetables and fish were prepared right on the boat.
Eat Baklava
You can’t leave Greece without trying this famous dessert, made with filo dough layered with honey and chopped nuts. Aaron and I got snacky a few hours after the caldera cruise, so we ordered some baklava from Vigla, which was walking distance from our hotel. One to share is plenty because while baklava is delicious, boy does it get sweet!
3 Days in Santorini Itinerary: Day 3
Having a third day to spend in Santorini means diving even deeper into what this island has to offer. I recommend spending your last day of your Santorini itinerary outdoors to make the most of its incomparably gorgeous scenery.
Hike to Oia
Hands down, the most epic hike in Santorini is along the caldera path from Fira to Oia. The views are just insane, from the deep blue Aegean below to the tiny villages in the distance.
This hike is around 6.5 miles long (shorter and less steep when starting in Imerovigli) and takes about three hours, with some inclines and rocky patches. It’s best to set out early to avoid the heat and arrive in Oia in time for lunch. Although this hike is popular, Aaron and I did not find the path to be crowded at all.
I realize that not everyone likes the idea of hiking on a vacation, and you could always sleep in instead. Trust me, as someone who almost slept in, the unreal scenery makes it completely worth it!
Lunch in Oia
After an awesome hike, take a breather with some lunch in Oia. This town is a favorite for Instagrammers due to its iconic blue-domed roofs, and you’ll undoubtedly want to wander a little bit too.
My husband and I grabbed lunch at Flora Comfort Cuisine, which was tasty but a little pricey, as far as sandwiches and benedicts go. However, glitzy Oia does cater to honeymooners and cruise ship passengers and tends to be on the pricier side.
Bus Back to Imerovigli (or Fira)
After your hike, you won’t have to worry about trekking back the way you came. There are frequent, inexpensive buses that you can easily transport you back to Fira, Imerovigli or Firostefani. Just be sure to check if the bus makes stops, as some go directly from Oia to Fira.
Kamari Beach
I have suggested a winery tour for this day, but you could choose to forgo the tour and visit one or two wineries on your own. If you are doing a winery tour, continue onto to the next section of this post.
If you’re skipping the tour, then you have time to see one more beach. Let’s face it – the cool water likely sounds great after the hike you just did!
Either drive or bus down to Kamari Beach, which is another black sand beach with slightly larger pebbles. It’s adjacent to a cute beach town with shops and eateries, and is an absolutely stunning place to relax for a few minutes.
Winery Tour
If you haven’t visited any Santorini wineries yet, now is your chance. As it turns out, Santorini’s volcanic soil produces some excellent dry white wines.
The best way to visit several wineries in one go is by doing a winery bus tour. A guide will shuttle you around to three to four different wineries, ending at one with sunset views.
Though I initially booked a tour, my husband and I visited during “the times” and did not feel comfortable riding in close quarters with other travelers. Therefore, we drove ourselves, spreading our winery visits out over the days of our stay.
On our last day in Santorini, we did tastings at Estate Argyros and Santo Wines. Argyros had the better wine and views out to the sea, but there’s no denying that Santo is simply spectacular at sunset.
Late Night Gyros
For your last night in Santorini, gyros makes are both casual and inexpensive to consume while packing your luggage. Aaron and I ordered two for takeout from Let’s Eat in Imerovigli, who delivered them to us on our balcony. I don’t have any photos, as we were solely focused on eating, which is how you know they were totally delicious.
How to Reach Santorini
You can reach Santorini either by plane or ferry. If you choose to fly, you will arrive into Santorini International Airport (JTR). Flights leaves several times a day from Athens, but it is not possible to fly directly to Santorini from another Greek island. Some other European cities have direct flights to Santorini as well.
If you take the ferry from Athens to Athinios Port, the ride will take between four to eight hours, depending on whether you take the fast or slow ferry. This option is sometimes less expensive than flying and is worth looking into if your itinerary allows. That said, flying is much quicker, taking about thirty or forty minutes.
Ferries are also the number one mode of transportation for island hopping. However, schedules can be altered or cancelled due to high winds and resulting rough seas. It’s always good to double check that your ferry is still going the night before your scheduled departure in case you need to adjust your plans.
I recommend searching for flights to the Greek islands on Skyscanner and checking ferry prices on Ferryhopper.
Getting Around Santorini
The best way to get around Santorini is either by bus or rental car. Many people also rent ATV’s or motorbikes, but be ready to apply sunscreen vigilantly if this is your choice!
We rented our car right at the Santorini airport, but ran into a hiccup with an expired international driver’s license. Be sure to get your international driver’s license from a local AAA before heading to Greece.
The agent still gave us the car, but let us know we’d be on the hook if we were pulled over by the cops for any reason. Of course, make sure you bring your driver’s license from home too.
Be ready to navigate narrow roads in the villages that only fit one car and to sometimes back up to let another car through. Also, be careful with scrapes, as we were charged $100 for very minimal bumper damage.
Finally, the bus service on Santorini (called KTEL) is an inexpensive option to transport you between most sights and villages. Bus fares must be paid in cash upon boarding, and you can check prices and schedules here.
Where to Stay During 3 Days in Santorini
This Santorini itinerary works best if you base yourself along the caldera in Fira, Imerovigli, Oia or Firostefani. Of the options, Fira is the most convenient for bus routes and catching the ferry. Oia has fabulous sunset views and lots of high-end lodging and restaurant choices, but is the most expensive.
We personally stayed in Imerovigli, which to me is the next best place to stay after Oia for sunsets. Our hotel, Afroessa, was the perfect medium, being a somewhat affordable choice right on the caldera path, and with a fraction of the crowds of the bigger towns. The only downside to Imerovigli was it had less restaurant options than Fira and Oia, but this was not important to us.
If you are traveling to Santorini on a budget, and don’t mind working a little harder, it can also be cheaper to stay on the beach-facing side of the island. You will still have Aegean sea views, just not of the caldera. Santorini is not big, so it’s very doable to drive or bus into Oia or Fira for dinner or the sunset.
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Have you even seen a trip so magical? During this 3 day Santorini itinerary, you are bound to be enchanted once or twice, if not the entire time! Even if you do nothing but enjoy the view and try the Greek wine, you’ll still be completely immersed in a dream world of Aegean blues.
After experiencing this Santorini itinerary with my husband, I can say with certainty that this Cycladic island has my heart forever.
