They say that Santorini is “Living on the Edge”. When I visited this sensational Greek island, I understood its meaning. The topography of the island, and its beautiful towns are located along the edges of cliffs, which is quite dramatic. It is a remarkable island to visit, especially if you like life on the edge.
There are many extraordinary activities to do and places to see on this island, which makes it a popular place for holiday. Depending on how much time you have, and your interests it will govern how you will spend time in Santorini.
When I visited Santorini, we stayed in Fira (Thira), which is the main town on the island. It was a good stay, and close to the restaurants, the Old Port, and a bus ride away from Oia.
I suggest that you spend several days on the island if possible. There are many day trippers who come in from cruise ships, but a day in Santorini would not even scratch the surface of what this island has to offer.
If you are looking at visiting Santorini, here are a few of my favorites on this sensational Greek island.
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Fira
Fira, officially Thira, is the vibrant capital of Santorini. It is one of the most visited towns on the island, and is considered the entertainment, cultural, and commercial center of Santorini. There is plenty to do here from shopping to dining, and being the town directly above Old Port it is popular with day trippers.
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Old Port
The Old Port in Fira is a small harbor, which you will more than likely pass through on your visit to Santorini. If you are on a cruise ship, this is the port where you will be brought into by small boats. If you are taking a day trip to the volcano for example, you will leave from the Old Port.
Getting to and from the Old Port to the town of Fira there are a few ways:
- Walking up and down almost 600 steps (20 minutes)
- Cable car
- Donkey
We chose the Cable Car!
The Cable Car is the quickest way to get up and down the cliffs, plus you can take luggage if you wish for an additional fee. Please Note that although this is the quickest and most convenient way, the lines may be very long especially during the summer.
We took the cable car early in the day, an hour or so before our volcano tour. Then we kept busy in the Old Port for awhile. When we returned to the town of Fira, the lines to take the cable car down were enormous. I can see why some people walk down the 588 steps.
If you are okay with riding a donkey up and down the cliff to Fira/ Old Port there are many waiting to carry you. The zig zag path is one you will be sharing with those who are walking the 588 steps. This may be a good option if you are fit, as the cable car line may get long and may halt during windy days.
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Santorini’s Volcano
One of Santorini’s major attraction is its volcano, which is still considered active. It is dormant though, and has not erupted since the 1950s. The volcano is very significant to Santorini because it was responsible for the island’s morphology and structure.
The volcano of Santorini was the site of one of the largest eruptions in recorded history, the Thera (Minoan) eruption. It occurred 3,600 years ago, which left a large caldera that was surrounded by volcanic ash deposits hundreds of meters deep.
We visited the volcano and hiked to and from he crater, which took about an hour. It was a fascinating site to explore, with its dry and barren landscape, as well as the large black lava rocks. It was a great experience, and I do recommend it.
There are guided tours that you can book on line or in town that will take you to the volcano. I booked the tour from an agency while in Fira, and received a better deal than online.
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One of the many reasons visitors come to Santorini is to visit the gorgeous cliff side town of Oia. Its picturesque stone white houses overlooking the crystal blue sea, and its glorious sunsets are what draws crowds from all over the world.
👩🏻💻 For more information and my blog of Oia, please visit my blog post → Oia – Magical Sunsets of Santorini | Discovering Greece
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Greek Food
The cuisine in Greece is undeniably delicious, and different from what is served outside the country. The fresh food including same-day catch seafood on the islands, and the local ingredients creates flavorsome dishes.
On my trips to Greece including Santorini, I had feasted on numerous traditional dishes that had all the fresh and local ingredients that I spoke about. If you are interested on what to eat in Greece and recommendations, please read my additional food blog.
👩🏻💻 For more information on Greek Food, please read my blog post→ What I ate in GREECE – A Food Journal
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Getting to Santorini By Ferry
Considering Santorini is an island, there are only two ways to get to there- By flight or by boat. If you take the ferry into Santorini from anywhere in Greece, you will more than likely dock at the New Port.
We arrived to Santorini by a high speed ferry from Mykonos, which took about three hours and it was a nice ride. If you are taking the ferry, more than likely you will land in the New Port of Santorini. Similar to Old Port it is at the base of a cliff, but there is a driving road unlike the Old Port.
There are taxis and shuttles that will take you to the town you need to go. I booked a service online before we arrived that waited for us, and drove us to our hotel. It was much easier than hailing a cab.
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However you get into Santorini and however long you stay, have an unforgettable visit and make many memories
We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us…
🌎 Thank you for visiting my website and NEVER STOP EXPLORING!
📸 All photos are mine unless otherwise noted
Trixie Navarre 
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