How To Spend A Week In Santorini

By Gemma Tedaldi | Published: 30th September 2017 | Updated: 13th December 2024

Looking for how to spend a week in Santorini? Having a week on this beautiful Greek island is a chance to see white sugar cube houses with blue domed rooftops clinging to the cliff sides of the caldera, whilst watching stunning sunsets day after day. Oh, and eating some rather good food!

Part of the Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea of Greece, Santorini with its black, red, and white sand beaches, is the perfect place to spend a week of rest and relaxation. Saying that the week spent there with my great friend Harriette wasn’t all relaxation…

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Is a week in Santorini too long?

A week in Santorini is the perfect amount of time, with days for exploring as well as relaxing. If you only went for a weekend, it could be a bit rushed if you’re trying to visit Fira, Oia and a famous black sand beach.

What is the best month to go to Santorini?

April to October is technically the high season as it is the warmest but also the busiest time to visit, with November to March being the low season. We visited in September and would say that it was the perfect time to go. The weather was still really warm, and the summer masses were reduced as it wasn’t too busy anywhere on the island.

How to get to Santorini

If you’re arriving from another Greek island the easiest way to get to Santorini is by boat. There are great connections throughout the Cyclades and out to further Greek islands. From elsewhere the best way to reach Santorini is by plane. You can fly direct to the island from all over Europe, which is what we did.

Getting around Santorini

Santorini is fairly easy to get around by public transport, boat, or on foot. We didn’t hire a car or quad bike whilst we were there as they just seemed a bit expensive and the island isn’t terribly easy to drive around. The bus can be between 1.80 and 2 euros per trip and there are great connections throughout the island.

Where to stay in Santorini

With really easy links to the airport, (if you fly in), and some of the cheaper accommodation on the island, Kamari is a great place to stay for a week in Santorini. There is a large black sand beach lined with restaurants and bars, and all the local shopping places you might need too.

A week in Santorini itinerary

Day 1 – Kamari

The black sand beach of Kamari was where we were based throughout our trip and is well worth visiting. It is a bit odd seeing black sand rather than the typical white, but you get used to it after relaxing on a rented sun lounge with an umbrella for a few hours. The one thing you will always forget though is the temperature of that darn sand. You’ll step on that hot sand and seconds later regret it before attempting to either A. get your feet off the floor by any means possible or B. get to the sea to cool them off! It is seriously hot sand people!

Other than the sand both Kamari and Perissa are lined with so many bars and restaurants along the beachfront to choose from. I’m not sure we even ate in the same place twice!

After lounging all day by the beach or hotel pool what’s better than going to an open-air cinema? Well turns out there is one a short walk out of the main town of Kamari, with popcorn, a bar, and a great view of the sky as the sun sets and the stars begin to make an appearance. A must-visit if you’re in Kamari!

Day 2 – Visit Fira

Fira is another must in Santorini. Oia’s little brother has arguably even better views for eating out with countless restaurants overlooking the ocean. Donkeys with colourful bridles and saddles also wander the narrow streets, creating a scene you just wouldn’t believe with a backdrop of whitewashed buildings.

The sunsets in Fira, in our view, are equally as good as they are in Oia and much less crowded! We watched the sun dip below the sea with a glass of wine in hand and an incredible cliff restaurant with not a crowd of tourists in sight!

Day 3 – Hike Fira to Oia

We were based in Kamari so at the first sign of dawn we were up and on the 20-minute bus ride to Fira to start the hike along the coast to Oia. It takes about 3 hours at a leisurely photo stopping, view gawking pace, so getting up early to beat the heat of the day is a must!

Starting in Fira wasn’t great… We got lost! We were up and down winding alleyways with whitewash houses and pebble stone flooring, enjoying the surroundings but needless to say, lost. Then after spotting a couple of people who looked like they were out for a hike too, we decided to take the risk and follow.

Bingo! It is actually surprisingly easy to follow when out of Fira, you stick to footpaths along the edge of the caldera and barely come into contact with any vehicular traffic, just donkeys. Along the route, there are a few steep climbs both up and down, with an option for donkeys to take you, but we rathered just grinning and bearing it. It would all be worth it in the end.

Finally, after what seemed like the tallest toughest hill in the world, we rounded the corner to be greeted by the view you see on all the postcards, pure Santorini beauty. This really was one of the top things to see in Santorini.

We wandered around the expensive shops looking particularly bedraggled and sweaty from the 3-hour hike, (it may have only been 10 am but damn it gets hot!), grabbed breakfast in a tiny cafe overlooking Oia then hopped on the bus back to Kamari to relax the rest of the day away on a black sand beach. Of course, depending on where you are staying will depend on where you go following your walk.

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Day 4 – Visit Oia

It is an obvious one but one of the stops you have to make during your week in Santorini is Oia. The typical picture-perfect postcard views of Santorini have to really be seen to be believed. Any cafe you go into or shop you pass has the best views down into the caldera, each one better than the last. Seriously if we had the money to buy one of the houses perched on the cliff face with an infinity pool to the caldera, you would never see us again!

The sunsets are also unimaginable, as other people mention, the crowds really do erupt in a round of applause when the sun disappears leaving the sky painted in watercolours and you a gasp. You have to get to Oia early though if you want a good spot for the sunset, as clearly everyone else on the island is doing the same as you. Be sure to not only explore all the ins and outs of the village hugging the cliff tops but also down at the sea, and Ammoudi beach. Not only is it traditionally Greek but the views lined with drying octopus and fresh fish are beautiful.

Day 5 – Exploring the coloured sand beaches

If you want another beach to spend the day relaxing on, then there are plenty of options for you! Perissa is another black sand beach just around the coast from Kamari, but here are also some other coloured sand beaches. Red beach is well red! It doesn’t have the biggest amount of beach to play with and the route down can be difficult if you aren’t so firm on your feet, but this beach near Akrotiri village is stunning. Another beach near Akrotiri is the White beach, which you guessed it, is white. This beach is only accessible by boat from the next-door Red beach or by a tricky footpath from Cambia beach.

Day 6 – Hot spring and Caldera Cruise

For our final full day in Santorini, we decided to experience one of the top things to do in Santorini… The scenery, hot springs, and beaches from the water on a cruise.

After a short pickup from our hotel, we boarded the traditional wooden boat in the Old Fira Port and set sail around the island’s shores. The first stop was the Nea Kameni volcano. Here you could walk up and around on the volcanic landscape looking back to Fira. Just around the corner, however, was the Nea Kamini springs…

This was the highlight of the cruise if you ask me! Jumping off the boat, which was actually a lot higher than it looked, into the freezing depths of the sea, then swimming up into the Nea Kamini springs with the soothing warm, orange-coloured waters was so much fun! Just don’t wear your best bikini, the orange water will stain as we found out…

After clambering back on board, we dried off with some local beer and a glass of wine and set off for the shores of Thirasia. From here after eating more Greek cuisine than you would have ever thought imaginable, we were able to watch the sunset over the caldera. A much more spectacular sunset than the few we had witnessed on the island itself!

Day 7 – Kamari or Perissa

For the last day of the week in Santorini, it’s back to the black sand beaches and relaxing after all that exploring. Either head back to Kamari or just around the coast to Perissa where you can while away the day dipping in the sea, avoiding the baking black sand, and drinking cocktails!

Now if that isn’t how you should spend a week in Santorini, we don’t know what is!

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Gemma (i.e The Travelling Tedaldi)

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Gemma Tedaldi

Gemma is the owner and author of The Travelling Tedaldi, a travel blog helping travellers to discover the best road trips and travel itineraries throughout the UK and Europe. When she isn’t writing about her favourite travel destinations, she can often be found out exploring local hikes or planning future trips.