06 Jan A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Santorini is a beautiful island. Our stay on the island happened to coincide with a particularly windy week in October. If you were sailing to, from or around the island on any of those days, the wind would be a hinder; however, for us, it turned into quite a treat. The wind meant that not as many cruise ships could come into port; thus, the island was much quieter and not overrun every day with hoards of cruise passengers like it normally would be. There were a couple of days where there were either no ships or only one ship at port, but we heard that on normal weather days there can be over 7 ships unloading all at once. We enjoyed the quietness of the island—quietness can’t be mistaken for desolate though, as we were still surrounded by the lovely locals and the travelers who made the island their home for a few days.
We based ourselves in Fira simply because accommodations were more reasonable, and we were happy with our decision to do so. As much as I loved the iconic views of Oia, it was more crowded and costly, and we enjoyed soaking up the other parts of the island, as well. Because we were planning on exploring the island from top to bottom, we decided to rent a car. Driving was intense but the views and opportunities to explore were well worth the stress of curvy, one lane roads with two-way traffic. Even though we were glad that we rented the car, there may have been a few sighs of relief when we finally turned over the keys—thanks to the mostly courteous drivers and Micah’s racecar skills, we made it through unscathed.
Throughout our 6 days on the island, we soaked up the views and sunsets, ate deliciously traditional Greek meals, sampled wine from the wineries, hiked the rim of the caldera from Fira to Oia, sailed to and hiked on a volcano, explored ancient ruins, wandered the winding streets and climbed up and down the stairs to the ports. We had a wonderful time, and thankfully the wind didn’t stop us!
Have a look at our time in Santorini through photos:
Have you been to Santorini? What did you like/would you like to do most there?
John Widmer
Posted at 11:02h, 06 JanuaryTwitter: roamingdaworld
Stunning photography! Great job on capturing the beauty of the island. Really enjoyed reading your post, especially because we were in Santorini in October as well. Like you, we stayed in Fira. The highlight for us was the hike from Fira to Oia. The weather was perfect and I was surprised that we were the only people on the trail.
Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 01:16h, 14 JanuaryThank you! Wasn’t that hike great? It was our highlight as well! Glad you enjoyed the island, too!
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Jeremy Scott Foster
Posted at 11:06h, 06 JanuaryTwitter: travelFREAK_
What an incredible architecture! Those red rocks look awesome. Hope that I will make there someday!
Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 01:13h, 14 JanuaryHope you make it there too! The red rocks were at the red sand beach–it was such a pretty area!!
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Ryan Biddulph
Posted at 13:10h, 06 JanuaryTwitter: RyanBiddulph
Jenna I so loved the kitty photos. The dog on a roof is also priceless.
What shots! Your eye and camera are something else.
I’ve not been to Greece but the look of the water and the landscape makes it a must visit spot. Like, right now 😉
Ryan
Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 01:11h, 14 JanuaryThanks so much–we really appreciate it! I definitely think it’s a must visit spot. Everything was so gorgeous!! 🙂
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Samantha
Posted at 22:57h, 06 JanuaryTwitter: mytanfeet
My goodness you took some gorgeous shots! Santorini is a dream destination for me, who knows maybe hopefully I’ll go for my honeymoon or something. It always looks absolutely breathtaking whenever I see pictures including yours. Extreme wanderlust! I love the cat shots, especially the one where it’s looking over the city. That feline has one of the best views in the world, lucky little fella!
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Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 01:06h, 14 JanuaryThanks, Samantha! It would be such a good honeymoon spot! And I agree–the cat sure does have a great view! 🙂
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Amy
Posted at 07:23h, 07 JanuaryTwitter: tenpennydreams
I was hoping to visit Santorini this summer, but it looks like we won’t make it. Your beautiful photos have inspired me to try again to make it happen!
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Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 01:02h, 14 JanuaryAww that’s a bummer–hope you can visit at some point!!
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Sandra
Posted at 13:00h, 07 JanuaryTwitter: TheTripperApp
Absolutely gorgeous and I confess not the Santorini I was expecting! 🙂
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Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 00:56h, 14 JanuaryThanks! Glad to show you a different side than you were expecting! 🙂
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
zof
Posted at 13:41h, 10 JanuaryTwitter: thepicktures
I love the colors, the light and the cats. Great shots.
zof recently posted…Travel Flashback #5
Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 00:53h, 14 JanuaryThank you, Zof!
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Lauren
Posted at 14:24h, 10 JanuaryTwitter: JustinLaurenXO
I love how isolated it looks there compared to some photos I’ve seen! And those cat photos will always capture my heart 🙂 Beautiful!
Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 00:53h, 14 JanuaryThanks, Lauren! It was really nice that we visited at such a quiet time–I’ve heard how busy it gets so we really enjoyed the peace and quiet!!
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Brent and Stacey-jean Inion
Posted at 01:17h, 11 JanuaryTwitter: TravelDeepNWide
These pictures are stunning. Reading your article made me feel that I was on the island with you. Great post. Great pictures. You covered a lot of ground in six days.
Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 00:52h, 14 JanuaryThanks so much! We did cover quite a bit of ground, so it’s hard to believe there are still things left that I want to see! I guess we will have to head back some day 🙂
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Marie-Carmen
Posted at 01:18h, 11 JanuaryTwitter: orientex_travel
Lovely photos! My favourite one is the one with the old man on his donkey!
Santorini looks amazing! It’s going on the list when we come back in Europe.
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Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 00:49h, 14 JanuaryThank you! Hope you enjoy it when you go–it’s a beautiful spot!
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Sky
Posted at 14:03h, 11 JanuaryTwitter: skyvsworld
I’ve never been to Greece but Santorini is one my list of “dream destinations”. It’s so lovely that you got to have the special experience of having so few tourists on the island. The photos you took look so beautiful. I absolutely love the one with the puppy!
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Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 00:47h, 14 JanuaryWe loved the puppy too–so adorable! It was a great time, and we really enjoyed it. Thanks!
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Betsy Wuebker
Posted at 15:25h, 11 JanuaryTwitter: betsywuebker
such gorgeous vistas. How wonderful to enjoy them with fewer people around. Love the whitewashed quality of the light against the vivid colors. Really nice photos.
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Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 00:43h, 14 JanuaryThanks! Yeah, it was nice to enjoy the island with fewer people. It is a beautiful spot!!
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Raphael Alexander Zoren
Posted at 05:17h, 12 JanuaryTwitter: journeywonders
Cats and wine, two of Greece’s best known features. I’m glad you enjoyed your time in Santorini, it’s truly awesome!
Raphael Alexander Zoren recently posted…Ice, Ice, Ready? Europe’s Best Winter Destinations
Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 00:40h, 14 JanuaryDefinitely two of the best features 🙂
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Donna Meyer
Posted at 17:05h, 12 JanuaryTwitter: donnainsma
Your words intrigued me, then the photos captured me heart and soul. I must go to Santorini!
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Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 00:39h, 14 JanuaryThank you! Hope you enjoy it when you go! 🙂
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Hitch-Hikers Handbook
Posted at 17:42h, 12 JanuaryTwitter: hitchhikershand
Stunning photos! I’ve never really wanted to go to Santorini because it’s such an obvious tourist destination and I’ve heard that it’s quite expensive for this exact reason, but your images make me want to go there now. Well done, great work!
Hitch-Hikers Handbook recently posted…Travel Photography Competition – week 119
Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 00:39h, 14 JanuaryThanks! Yeah, I hear you–I thought the same thing as you, but when we were researching where to go, I couldn’t resist checking out Santorini with its iconic buildings! I’m glad we did though–we really enjoyed it, and thankfully we went on an off time so it wasn’t crazy busy!
Jenna Kvidt recently posted…A Photo Essay: Santorini, Greece
Debbie D.
Posted at 19:29h, 22 JanuaryTwitter: DebbieDoglady
Beautiful photos! Brings back memories of our time there. ♥
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Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 02:24h, 27 JanuaryThank you–glad to bring back memories!
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Monique
Posted at 17:03h, 31 JanuaryTwitter: therealblankmap
Beautiful shots! We’ll be in Santorini in July, cannot wait… looking forward to the views, sun and the food 🙂
Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 03:13h, 03 FebruaryThanks–hope you have a wonderful time!! 🙂
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Maaike
Posted at 11:31h, 14 MarchTwitter: TravellousWorld
Santorini really looks like photographer-heaven. Absolutely gorgeous! I would pack my bags and go there now if I could.
Maaike recently posted…Walk the Walk: The Betuwe
Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 03:25h, 29 MarchIt was such a beautiful island–we would love to pack up and head back right now, too! 🙂
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Les Petits Pas de Juls
Posted at 04:43h, 12 MarchHow gorgeous! We’re thinking about spending 1 week in Santorini next month! When I see your pictures and read once again your posts about the island, I’m more and more convinced we should go!
Do you have a place to stay to recommend? What was your hostel like in Fira?
Thanks for any piece of advice you can spare us!
Cheers and Happy adventuring!
Les Petits Pas de Juls recently posted…Panoramas of Italy: 3 Cities, 3 Shots
Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 14:36h, 12 MarchHope you have fun if you go!! We loved Santorini and really want to go back again! We stayed in one place the entire time–at the Galatia Villas Santorini. It was a clean, cute place and the owners were really nice, but it was a bit out of the way. It was about a 15-20 minute walk from the center of Fira and at the bottom of a really big hill. We didn’t mind the walk and enjoyed our stay, but it would have been nice to be closer, too. We did rent a car though to explore the other towns on the island and was nice to have flexibility!
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Jen
Posted at 12:35h, 14 AprilLoved reading through everything and your photos are so beautiful!
We plan on being in Santorini in early July….wondering if you had any recommendation on restaurants!
Jenna Kvidt
Posted at 03:52h, 23 AprilThanks so much, Jen! We mostly ate at small street food type places for gyros, so unfortunately I’m not much help with restaurants. The caldera view restaurants are really great because of the views but they are usually much more expensive too, so there are a lot of great spots inland just a bit. But, one spot we enjoyed was Skiza Cafe–wasn’t the cheapest spot, but it’s a casual cafe and the views were gorgeous–we loved having a late lunch and dessert there. Another one we ate at was Skala Restaurant–mainly because it had great views and the prices weren’t quite as crazy as many of the other caldera view restaurants. We enjoyed our food, but the views were amazing just because it was on the caldera! If you like seafood, I’ve heard the restaurants along the Bay of Ammoudi in Oia are great–we didn’t stop at any of them, but they looked wonderful. Hope you have a great trip!
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