3 days in Santorini, Greece: a dreamy itinerary

If you’re visiting the Greek islands, you may well be planning your Santorini itinerary, so I thought I’d share how I recommend for spending 3 days in Santorini to make the most of your time. One of the most popular islands in the Cyclades, Santorini is known for its white buildings, blue rooftops and lush pink flowers. It’s instantly recognisable from about eleventy million Instagram photos! Although it’s probably one of the most well-known and touristy places I’ve ever visited, which isn’t usually my cup of tea, I do think it’s worth seeing. It’s well known and loved for good reason.

There’s plenty to see, do and eat if you’ve only got 3 days in Santorini, but my only word of warning is that it isn’t cheap. Brace yourself and your bank balance. If you want to avoid bankruptcy, it’s best to really plan ahead. A lot of bars and restaurants are aimed at honeymooners and people on other special-occasion splurges; the quality isn’t necessarily worth the price. If you just wander around and hope for the best, being lured in by a pretty facade and promises of ‘the best view on the island’, your purse is going to take quite a hit. Consider yourself warned.

Pour yourself an ouzo and let’s get stuck into my 3 days in Santorini itinerary…

3 days in Santorini: about this itinerary

Please note this isn’t a massively active Santorini itinerary. It does involve plenty of walking (at your own pace) on all 3 days, but that’s about it for exerting yourself. It mainly focuses on eating, drinking, pretty spots and views, culture and mooching. Essentially, it’s got all the things that make for a great holiday. That’s what the Greek islands are all about.

There’s no car rental involved either: all public transport. If you only have 3 days in Santorini, I wouldn’t say you need to hire a car to get a flavour of the island at all. I try to avoid driving at all costs, especially abroad and on the ‘wrong’ side of the road.

Finally, my itinerary (like all my travel guides) also doesn’t involve any kind of swimming/boats/water-based ‘fun’. I can’t swim so I try not to die while travelling, and don’t even attempt to write about it. But I believe Santorini has plenty of that kind of stuff if you’re after it.

Anyway, let’s go.

3 days in Santorini itinerary: day 1

Explore Fira and take in views of the caldera

It’s best to kick off your Santorini itinerary in Fira (or Thira). This is the capital of Santorini, so it’s where you’ll find the most restaurants, cafés and shops. Perfect for a mooch around and to get a ‘feel’ for the island.

I’d seen some photos of Fira years ago when one of my lovely friends from work went on her honeymoon, and I was totally wowed by how beautiful it is. It does not disappoint in real life. The town is built for soaking in some views because it handily overlooks Santorini’s neighbouring volcanic islands, Palaia Kameni and Nea Kameni, and the famous Santorini caldera.

If you weren’t paying attention in Year 9 geography, a caldera is a sort of cauldron-like hollow left when a magma chamber in a volcano is emptied after an eruption. The hollow in Santorini is incredibly picturesque, so maybe it was the volcano’s apology for making such a dangerous mess in the first place. It’s more than made up for it by being the face of millions of postcards, keyrings and fridge magnets. The wonders of nature, eh?

I was expecting typical tourist tat in Fira’s shops, but actually some of them are really nice (but not cheap). If you want to buy some affordable bits, have a look at the scarves and costume jewellery, as well as floppy straw hats and rattan bags. When in Greece, right?

There’s also this massive plush donkey to pose by.

Start the walk towards Imerovigli, stopping en route…

Take note, photographers and Instagrammers, because loads of gorgeous photography spots in Santorini are concentrated on the walk between Fira and the next town/village, Imerovigli.

Make sure you’re wearing comfy sandals or trainers on the first day of your 3 days in Santorini. It’s only a 25-minute walk from Fira but it’s not flat, and there are so many views to take in on the way, it can take quite a bit longer.

Stop for lunch at To Briki in Firostefani – the first meal of your Santorini itinerary

To Briki, just north of the centre of Fira in an area called Firostefani, is an excellent place to order some ‘picky bits’ for lunch, with a view of course.

When in Greece, it would be sheer madness not to have a Greek salad, and they do a really good one. There’s also plenty of fresh bread, and veggie options. I’d say To Briki is quite reasonably priced (for Santorini). It even serves Donkey Brewery beer too – more on that later.

Walk round the posh villas and see how the other half live

There are loads of private villas and swanky hotels dotted about this bit of Firostefani.

I highly recommend wandering about (just avoid any private streets…) to have a nose at all the gorgeous villas while also enjoying the view. You can then head back onto the main road to walk on towards Imerovigli.

Once you get to Imerovigli, there are even more pretty buildings to be stared at. It’s known as ‘the balcony to the Aegean’ – what a perfect description.

Imerovigli is the highest town in Santorini so the views are really dramatic: white buildings cascading down to the sea in a higgledy-piggledy scene, interspersed with turquoise swimming pools and pops of pink and red bougainvillaea.

Walk up Skaros Rock at Imerovigli

Skaros Rock is a promontory that used to house one of Santorini’s five fortresses in the 12th century. Much volcanic fun later, all that’s left now are a few weathered ruins of the original fortress. But you can walk up the rock itself for panoramic views. The walk isn’t too long: about 30 minutes each way. If you’re feeling energetic and wake up every morning wearing walking boots, i.e. not me, you might be a bit disappointed by how easy it is. If you just like views and a palatable amount of exercise, you’ll be happy.

Note that you probably shouldn’t do this walk in sandals, but you don’t need walking boots. I was fine in a dress and trainers.

So, to earn your moussaka, start off at Agios Georgios church. Follow the path that leads down towards Skaros. After a few minutes, you’ll find another chapel, Agios Ioannis. Pass some ruined houses (look out for little lizard chaps sunbathing on the stones).

When you reach the end of the steps, you have a choice. There’s a path that goes straight to the top or one to the left that goes around the rock. That’s worth doing after you’ve been to the top because it leads to yet another little chapel, Theoskepasti, which is worth seeing. But do the top first. This is the tricky bit and the reason you need quite grippy shoes. Some lunatics climb right onto the rock itself, but there’s no need. The views are great without that.

On your way back, brace yourself for the stairs back up to Imerovigli. They get steeper on the way up, strangely enough…

Enjoy the sunset and wine at Imerovigli

Imerovigli is an excellent spot for a glass of local wine or three while watching the sun go down. What better way is there to round off day 1 of your gorgeous Santorini itinerary?

I massively recommend The Wine Bar. An original name it is not, but it’s unique and lovely with an uninterrupted view and good service. Whatever bar you pick to watch the sunset from, though, you’ve got to get there well ahead of time to get a table as this is Santorini and everyone is after a sunset photo. Be very careful to check what time sunset is and plan around that. I’d even recommend booking a table, and make sure you ask for one with a view.

The local wine is gorgeous, but the Wine Bar also does Donkey Beer too if you’re not a wine fan.

Tuck into an evening meal after the sunset

There are SO many restaurants in Santorini that you’re basically spoilt for choice. But I’d recommend having something traditionally Greek for the first night.

One option is Avocado Restaurant, just because it’s close by to the bar I’ve just recommended. It isn’t cheap, but this is pretty standard for Santorini and it has this view right outside it, so you know… 

3 days in Santorini itinerary: day 2

Start the day in Oia

Oia is everyone’s top priority when it comes to views in Santorini. It’s the place with the famous blue-domed church. You know the one. If you have Instagram, you’ll likely have seen it over 400 times a day.

If you’re spending more than 3 in Santorini, I’d probably advise going to Oia twice if you can: once at sunset because it’s all about those rosy skies, and again at a quieter time of day so you can actually see the view without queuing behind throngs of people. 

Unfortunately, there are usually queues of people wanting photos with the blue-domed roof, including people who’ve hired photographers for the day. I can’t even say to come very early in the morning because all the professional photographers are out then; you sort of just have to accept that it’s one of the busiest photo spots in Europe. I enjoyed other views (like the below) around Oia, without the church in, just as much.

Browse the open-air shops around the streets of Oia

Oia has loads of gorgeous shops. Granted, they’re all ridiculously expensive (about 5 x the price of similar shops on the nearby island Naxos, too!) but there are still some lovely things worth a look. If money is no object, knock yourself out.

I really recommend getting lost in the streets of Oia. Try to escape the crowds, and who knows what little shops you’ll stumble across.

There are also some of the nicest beach bars in Santorini here.

Have lunch at Karma in Oia

Karma is almost too beautiful to be real, but it is.

It’s a gorgeous little courtyard café/restaurant, complete with a pond (with fish who are very well looked after and not overcrowded, which is rare in cafés!) and lots of beautiful flowers.

The food is great and it’s so quiet and peaceful compared with the touristy buzz of outside. A proper little oasis.

See the beautiful Church of Panagia – a highlight of this Santorini itinerary

I’m always quite underwhelmed by churches, and it’s very easy to become ‘churched out’ when you’re visiting any new place in Europe. This one is an absolute belter, though, and screams ‘Greek’ in every way. Check out those six bells!

Surprisingly, it’s a fairly modern church (built after the 1950s earthquake) but done in the same style as everything else so it fits in perfectly. 

Also, as regular readers will know, I never normally take photographs with people in and tend to stand around waiting for them to move so I can get The Shot. But I’ve included a rare photo with people in – a real couple, not models, who were having their wedding photos done. She looked AMAZING in her silver sequin dress. As a fellow non-white-wedding-dress wearer (I wore a gold wedding dress for mine), I felt an affinity with her, and also some sympathy at the thought of being in head-to-toe sequins in 28-degree sunshine. 

Visit the famous Atlantis Books, a fairytale bookshop in Oia

Before you leave Oia, the one thing you cannot miss is Atlantis Books.

This frequently makes it into features onto lists of the best bookshops in the world online and in magazines/coffee-table books. And for good reason.

As a reading addict, I’d heard of it years before I’d planned to go to Santorini and had completely forgotten it was there, only remembering it was somewhere in Greece. So I was chuffed when it came up during my research and knew I had to go.

It’s now a real Aladdin’s cave of treasures, tucked down below street level but also with a fantastic (and very windy!) roof terrace. There are plenty of English-language books and merchandise, so please do support them by actually buying something and not just going in to take photographs. 

Visit the local craft beer brewery and some wineries

Greece has a great microbrewery scene, although the hipster craft beer craze hasn’t entirely taken off on the Cyclades islands just yet.

The local Santorini Brewing Company has some excellent brews, namely Donkey Beer. If you want to see their brewery and taste some beer, you don’t need to book in advance, and the staff will happily show you around the brewery.

To get there, head back to Fira and get the bus heading to Kamari; if you’re not confident with Google-Mapping it and checking when you’re nearly there, just ask the driver to stop at the brewery in Mesa Gonia. It takes about 30 minutes but do check as bus times can change or run differently throughout the year.

Once there, you get to sample three beers (I recommend Yellow Donkey).

Then, you know the old ‘beer then wine, you’ll be fine’ saying? You can put this to the test.

Walk over to the nearby wineries, Estate Argyros Winery and Canava Roussos Winery, and do more tastings in both of them.

The former is quite modern, and one of the most popular wineries on the island. The wine is gorgeous. Then the latter has a beautiful courtyard, filled with old trees, vines and beautiful flowers. Apparently, that’s the oldest winery on the island too, and it doesn’t get as busy as some of the larger ones.

Have your evening meal back in Fira and make sure it involves some baked feta

After guzzling beer and wine all afternoon, you should probably think about something to soak it up. By the time you’ve got the bus back from Mesa Gonia, it’ll probably be hangry o’clock.

One of my favourite things to eat on Santorini (and in Greece in general) is the baked feta cheese with honey and sesame seeds. I’m not going to recommend somewhere specific for this because it’s absolutely everywhere, and there are just too many places to eat to narrow it down to just one. But I recommend ordering it at every opportunity. 

Watch a film at the open-air cinema in Kamari

If you’re not knackered by this point, I have one more excellent idea for day 2 of your 3 days in Santorini itinerary.

Films at this unique little cinema start around 9:30pm. There aren’t many places you can watch a film outside as the sun sets and the sky grows dark, sipping on wine, cocktails and/or beer. Well, not many places a) warm enough and b) with that kind of facilities. Most of us have to make do with being ripped off at our local Odeon and spending about £40 to get angry at other people’s phone screens.

There’s a bus stop directly across the street, with a regular service from Fira. Double-check times so you don’t miss the last bus, though, and take a denim jacket or something in case it gets chilly as the sun fades.

That’s the end of the second day of this Santorini itinerary. For the last day, let’s do something a bit different…

3 days in Santorini itinerary: day 3

Having spent 2 days on the island, if you’re anything like me you might want to see one of Santorini’s neighbours. I can’t resist adding another destination to any trip.

Despite Santorini being part of the Cyclades, a whole gang of islands, there are only a few that are really doable as a day trip. Well, unless you only want to spend an hour somewhere (TBH I love Naxos so much that I wouldn’t blame you for trying to do that!). You can feasibly do Folegandros, Sikinos or Anafi, which wouldn’t be as tight going as Paros or Naxos, but I wouldn’t advise it unless you’re absolutely desperate to see one of them specifically. 

My top choices of island for a day trip from Santorini are Ios or Therasia:

• The breathtakingly gorgeous island of Ios is doable in under an hour, which means you can spend a good amount of time there and get to see it properly. 
• The little volcanic island of Therasia is even quicker to get to as it’s Santorini’s next-door neighbour, just 20 minutes away. You can do tours from the port of Ammoudi. Therasia is quiet and peaceful. Best of all, it offers amazing views of Santorini, so you can take a photo and wave at it from across the sea, pointing and telling people ‘we’re staying in that bit!’ while not actually sure whether you’re looking at the right area. Good times.

Avoiding donkey cruelty: a final note on your 3 days in Santorini itinerary

If you’re planning a trip to Santorini, you’ve probably heard that there are ‘tourist taxis’ on donkeys there. If you’re an animal lover, that’ll probably have set off alarm bells for you. And you’d be right in being worried.

There are huge issues with donkey and mule cruelty in Santorini, sadly.

Exhausted donkeys and mules can spend long days in the scorching sun, carrying heavy tourists up the steps to Fira from the coast, in the burning sun. I’m an equestrian and have owned horses all my life. I can’t imagine the life these animals live compared with our pampered equines in the UK. Donkeys are around 11 hands high and can only comfortably carry children (55kg, maximum). But that restriction isn’t applied to these working animals: they have a 100kg limit (and who checks whether it’s enforced?). Although some mules are used, which are bigger, there are still a lot of donkeys and there’s no way to know how well they’re looked after.

Given all this, I really didn’t want to ‘promote’ the island in this Santorini itinerary without also mentioning the issues.

What you as a tourist can do to help

• First, the obvious thing to do is to not engage in the ‘donkey taxi’ service. Don’t use them; don’t give them money; don’t have them in your photographs.
• Second, donate to the fantastic Donkey Sanctuary to support their ‘In their hooves‘ campaign for better welfare for working donkeys and mules. I think it’d be fantastic if anyone going to Santorini also donated some of their holiday spends to help the donkeys and mules; I donated all my income from the blog that I earned during my time on the island to write this guide. You can make your donation here, feel totally good about yourself, and toast it with a local Donkey Brewery beer!

3 days in Santorini itinerary – useful information for your trip

Where to stay in Santorini

Let’s face it: accommodation in Santorini is expensive. It’s Scandinavian prices at best, total bankruptcy at worst.

I highly recommend Danae Villa, a set of apartments on the edge of Fira. You can easily walk in (about five minutes) and reach food, buses and bars. It has a little balcony and the shower is decent (showers in Greece seem to be hit and miss!). 

How to get around Santorini

It’s walking and buses on Santorini. Buses are fairly reliable, but check out times on the local KTEL bus service website. If like me, you don’t drive, some Greek islands will be a waste of time. But Santorini is perfectly doable. Hoorah.

When to go to Santorini

Santorini has a Mediterranean climate, so hot and dry summers and mild winters. I’d recommend going in September. The temperature tends to be much nicer than the height of summer and there won’t be as many children about, which is mainly why I always avoid any travel in July/August as I’m highly allergic.

The only downside to a summer trip to Santorini is the Meltemi wind. This can strike all the Cyclades islands at any time throughout summer and you can’t really do much about it. I despise wind, but I know some people don’t mind it and it does keep the Cyclades more temperate than the mainland, which some really value. Just bear it in mind when you’re packing. It may look warm, but it won’t feel as warm as it should for the temperature.

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If you enjoyed this little Santorini itinerary, why not pin it to your Pinterest board?

If you want to read more of my tips for Greece, have a look at:

• 20 things to do in Naxos, Greece
• 20 of the prettiest Greek islands for couples.

If you’ve used one of my travel guides and enjoyed it, you can also buy me a drink. Cheers. 

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