In today’s post, I’m sharing the perfect 1 day Santorini itinerary.
We spent nine days in Greece on our trip to Europe this past June. You can check out our full Greece itinerary here, but we kicked off our time in Greece with two nights in Santorini.
In this guide, I’m going to walk through my general thoughts on Santorini and some helpful information about planning a trip to Santorini. This cycladic island can be controversial, so I’m excited to share my opinion after years of wanting to see it for myself.
Then, I’ll share our tips for how to spend 1 day in Santorini and an easy Santorini itinerary if you just have one day to experience the island.
How to Spend 1 Day in Santorini: The Perfect 1 Day Santorini Itinerary
Located in the Aegean Sea south of Greece’s mainland, Santorini is the poster child of the group of islands known as the Cyclades. The Cyclades are famous for their rugged landscapes and iconic white washed architecture.
The island of Santorini itself is actually a volcanic rock and used to be shaped like a cone, a fact we found absolutely fascinating. The Minoan eruption occurred a few thousand years ago and caused the central part of the island to sink into an underwater crater called a caldera. You can see on the map that what’s left of the island almost forms a circle around the body of water in the middle. SO cool!
The two main towns in Santorini are Fira and Oia. Fira is bigger and more bustling, while Oia is known for its quaint alleyways, blue domed church, and postcard-worthy sunsets. We stayed in and around Oia for our entire visit and had an amazing experience.
Is Santorini worth visiting?
My husband and I have both always wanted to visit Santorini, but the reviews were mixed: from “unbelievably gorgeous” to “too crowded,” from “bucket-list worthy” to “tourist trap.” We went back and forth on if it would be worth it for us to visit Santorini and ultimately based our decision on travel. We ended up flying direct from London to Santorini as our way of getting to the Greek islands, so we decided we might as well check it out.
I am SO glad we decided to visit Santorini. It was ridiculously crowded during the days especially (cruise ships bring thousands of daytrippers to the island each day!), but it is, hands down, one of the most beautiful and unique places I’ve ever visited.
The way the town of Oia is situated on the cliff with the caldera looming beyond is just insane. It is a geological and architectural marvel, unlike anywhere we’ve seen and, in our opinion, well worth the two nights we stayed on the island.
To answer the question now: is Santorini worth visiting? I would say, yes, it certainly is, but you don’t need to spend more than a couple of nights. I would compare Santorini to Venice or even Positano. It’s worth a stop but not a necessarily long one, as the crowds do get tiring.
How many days to spend in Santorini?
That brings me to my next point. Santorini is a popular destination for daytrippers, and you can certainly see the best of it in one day which I’ll get into below.
However, we did really enjoy staying in Oia for two nights. This gave us the chance to enjoy the views from our apartment in peace and one full day to explore the island. The mornings and evenings were actually quite calm and serene since most people come to Oia only for the day and for sunset. Wandering through Oia at night is one of my favorite memories of our trip. And then by the time we woke up that second morning, we were ready to move on to a more low key island.
In an ideal world, I would recommend two nights in Santorini to give you the full experience, but at the very least, it’s worth spending one full day.
Is Santorini family friendly?
Of all the Greek islands we visited, Santorini was definitely the least family friendly, simply because of how crowded and claustrophobic Oia felt during the day. It’s not really a place where kids can “run free,” so to speak. It was also quite expensive compared to the other spots we visited. That said, I’m still really glad we made the stop. If you are planning a trip to Santorini with kids, I would just recommend keeping your stay short and sweet like we did.
When is the best time to visit Santorini?
Like most of Europe, Santorini is the most crowded in the summer, with tourism peaking in July and August. We were there smack dab in the middle of June, and it was already quite crowded. In a perfect world, the shoulder season is the best time to go, meaning May or September.
How to get to Santorini
There are a few ways to get to Santorini. We flew directly from London into the JTR airport in Santorini. These flights were cheap when we bought them but do rise as it gets closer to summer.
You can also reach Santorini by Greece’s extensive ferry system. We used the ferries to travel between islands and had a positive experience, although I know they can be unreliable at times. (I shared more details on this in my Greece itinerary post).
Where to stay in Santorini: Blu Bianco Cave House
While you might find more (and possibly cheaper) lodging options over in Fira, we loved staying in Oia. Experiencing this picturesque town in the quiet mornings and evenings is something I’ll never forget, and I cannot overstate how stunning the views from our patio were.
Also, many of the most iconic “must see” spots in Santorini are located in Oia, so it made sense for us to stay right there as opposed to driving over from Fira or another part of the island.
We stayed at Blu Bianco Cave House in the heart of Oia and absolutely loved it. Our apartment was tucked away down some stairs from the main alleyway. We were actually right underneath and to the right of the famous Blue Domed Church but somehow still felt totally secluded and private.
The apartment was a traditional white cave house which made the whole experience a true bucket list moment. It was definitely compact: two tiny bedrooms and a small kitchen/living space, but it was all we needed for a quick two night stay. And the host was amazing. He helped us find parking nearby and even helped Tyler schlep all of our suitcases to and from our apartment which was no small feat. I can’t recommend this place enough.
The Perfect 1 Day Santorini Itinerary
For this 1 day Greece itinerary, we will focus on Oia and the surrounding area. I’ll share a few ideas for if you have more than one day in Santorini at the end of the post.
Breakfast at Karma
I don’t make the rules–no day in Santorini can begin without a bowl of Greek yogurt piled high with fresh fruit and a cappuccino freddo. We had an amazing, peaceful breakfast at Karma. Don’t miss the oat pancakes!!
Walk down to Ammoudi Bay
After breakfast, meander through Oia. The earlier the start, the better, as it gets hotter and more crowded as the morning goes on. There are so many adorable shops and lookout points, so you’ll want to take your time and “get lost.”
Then, follow the stone path down to Ammoudi Bay. The walk will provide absolutely stunning views of the island and caldera, and you might even pass some donkeys making their way up (our girls got a huge kick out of this).
Ammoudi Bay looks like something out of a postcard and is well worth a visit. There are a handful of incredible restaurants (we really liked Sunset Ammoudi for lunch after our swim) and an ice cream stop called Cool Cave that you’ll want to hit.
Ammoudi Bay Swimming Spot
Once you make it to the water, follow the path to the left through the bay-front restaurants and around the cove. The path is rocky but leads to the prettiest swimming spot which the girls and Tyler took full advantage of.
Explore + watch the sunset in Oia
Once you’re finished up at Ammoudi Bay, you can either walk up that same giant path back to Oia or grab a shuttle from the other side of the bay. The shuttles are free and take you just halfway up the hill to Oia on the opposite side of town. From there, you can walk the rest of the way (or taxi!) which will take you right by Oia’s iconic windmills.
The most popular spot to watch the sunset in Oia is from the castle area. This spot will give you an unencumbered view of the entire horizon as the sun sets, but this area does get unbelievably crowded. When we walked through, people were starting to line up and claim their spot over an hour before sunset. We decided to keep walking and watch from the patio of our apartment. We couldn’t see the actual sun descending but enjoyed sweeping views of the golden and pink sky just the same.
Dinner with a view
We ate dinner at Pelekanos which ended up being one of our favorite meals in Greece, both because of the food and the insane views. The rooftop patio here provides sweeping views of the entire caldera. You’ll definitely want to make a reservation ahead of time.
If you have more time in Santorini…
If you have more time in Santorini, you might want to drive over to the coastal village of Perissa and its famous Black Sand Beach. Another option is to explore the charming Megalochori. And if you’re into wine, the Domaine Sigalas came highly recommended to us.
Oh, and I almost forgot: if you’re looking for a cheap lunch or dinner in Santorini, you absolutely cannot miss Pitogyros Grill House!! This was the first thing we ate after we flew into Greece, and it was incredible.
Thanks for checking out my 1 day Santorini itinerary! I hope this was helpful. Please let me know how your trip goes!!
On that note…
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