How to Avoid Crowds in Santorini
Santorini is one of the most popular destinations in all of the Greek Islands. To some, this may be all the more reason to go. If you know anything about Pierre, this may be more of a reason not to go. We’ve seen the beautiful postcard pictures and images of blue roofs floating around Instagram, but we’ve also heard horror stories about needing to wait in lines in order to snap a simple photo. This is not what we envision our ideal trip to be. Nevertheless, I managed to kidnap him away for a day while we were waiting for the winds to pick up in Naxos.
Is Santorini really worth the hype?
Yes – Santorini is exactly what you imagined it to be. If you’re thinking of the Greek Islands, images of white façade buildings with bright blue domes and the deep blue sea in the background probably float to mind. If you’re a bit more luxurious, you’re probably also thinking of infinity pools overlooking the same deep blue sea. Whatever comes to mind, Santorini lives up to that image. It’s difficult to describe the beauty of this place in words so please check out of video below and see for yourself – there is some pretty awesome drone footage of the island as well!
How to Avoid Crowds?
- Go at the start (April) or end (September) of the peak season.
- Once your on the island and in a specific village, literally start walking in the opposite direction of the rest of the tourists. In Oia, start to walk down away from the main street. In Fira, walk in the opposite direction of the main cathedral. If you walk far enough, you’ll manage to find corners that you’ll be able to have all to yourself. We couldn’t help running around town like little kids. Santorini is like a photographers dream come true with its white facades acting as a natural light reflector. You’ll be able to take all the photos you want away from crowds.
How to get there?
If you’re not flying directly to Santorini, this easiest way to get to the island is by ferry. We only had time to visit for the day. From Naxos (3hrs by boat), we booked a day trip via the Alexander ferry for 65€. We’re usually not fans of organized tours but doing so for a day made planning very easy. We left at 8:30 am and were back in Naxos by 8:00 pm. The tour included a bus ride to two villages (Oia & Fira). Once we arrived in town, we were able to explore on our own terms so long as we were back on the bus by the designated time. Needless to say, we found ourselves running back to catch the last bus back to the ferry. We were indeed the last to arrive on the bus.
Up Next: Santorini in 10 Instagram Photos
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