Santorini Travel Guide: What to Know Before You Go
Santorini is small. You can drive from one end to the other in under an hour. What makes it tiring is the shape: a thin crescent of land that is all cliff on one side and gentle slope down to the sea on the other, with almost everyone trying to be on the cliff side at the same time.
How the island is laid out
The caldera villages run along the western rim. From south to north: Fira, the main town, then Firostefani, Imerovigli and, at the tip, Oia. They are linked by a clifftop footpath. Inland and to the south sit the old wine villages, Pyrgos, Megalochori and Emporio. The east coast is flat, with long beaches of black sand at Kamari and Perissa. The airport is in the middle, and the ferry port of Athinios is tucked at the bottom of the cliffs south of Fira.
How many days
Three nights is the sweet spot for a first visit. That gives you one day on the caldera path, one on the south of the island (Akrotiri, a beach, a winery), and one for a boat trip or doing very little. Day-trippers from cruise ships and people on two-night stays tend to leave saying the island is overrun. It is, between about 11am and sunset in Oia. Mornings are a different place.
After the 2025 earthquakes
In February 2025 a long swarm of earthquakes hit the sea between Santorini and Amorgos. A state of emergency was declared, many people left for a few weeks, and rockfalls closed parts of the coast. Activity died down that spring and tourism returned to normal. In April 2026 civil protection measures were put in place until 31 March 2027: a restricted zone inside Fira's Old Port (the cable car and the steps stay open), a ban on most traffic on the road down to Ammoudi, a closed footpath from Ammoudi to the Agios Nikolaos rock, and traffic controls at Athinios. Rules can change at short notice, so look at the latest local news before you go.
Money
Santorini costs more than most Greek islands, mostly because of caldera hotels and caldera restaurants. The same meal inland in Pyrgos can be half the price of one with a sunset view. Cards are widely accepted. Carry some cash for buses outside Fira and Oia, small tavernas and boat trips to the beaches.
Small practical things
Tap water is desalinated and not great to drink, so most people buy bottled. Plugs are the European two-pin type. Caldera hotels involve a lot of steps, often with no road access right to the door, so ask about porters if you have heavy bags. Greece is in the Schengen Area. Check the current entry rules for your passport before you travel.