Streaks of white punctuated by blue domes cling to the top of cliffs, looking down on the lagoon where we’re anchored. A few other islands surround us. These islands are remnants of what was formerly one big island before an enormous volcanic eruption collapsed the center of the island and it was swallowed into the sea. Myths say the lost city of Atlantis lays in this very spot, beneath the azure Ionian Sea.
There’s no proper port on Santorini, so we’re tendering, meaning we’re exiting our cruise ship in the middle of the lagoon onto smaller boats that can dock at the small marina. As the tender brings us closer to the island, we finally notice the white stone stairway snaking up the cliff side to the village above. A line of donkeys carry passengers precariously balanced on their backs up the steep steps.
This is precisely how we pictured Greece.
Originally we had planned to hike the volcano on another of the tiny islands, but our reservation couldn’t be confirmed because of the amount of time it takes to come ashore when tendering. It was probably a blessing in disguise. It was so hot even the locals were commenting on the temperature. And had we gone volcano hiking, we wouldn’t have had time to visit the village of Oia. Ah well, it gives us a reason to return someday!
We decided to rent a car and explore the island on our own. We secured a car for the day for just €35 at the marina and opted to take the cable car to the village of Fira, where we could pick up our car.
There were four cruise ships including us in port; 8,000 people packing the tiny, narrow streets of Fira made it difficult to even walk. We hoped in our rental car and zoomed off to the village of Oia (pronounced Ee-ah) where we found far fewer tourists.
We spent most of our time exploring Oia where we wound our way through the cobbled streets and sun-kissed verandas. Tiny shops and art galleries line the streets. Tavernas are plentiful and we stopped to enjoy the views from a rooftop terrace while enjoying smoothies.
The views from the Kasteli of Agios Nikolaos look out over the caldera and to the well-known windmills. The fortress is the most popular place to watch the famed golden sunset.
Santorini has a flourishing wine industry based on the indigenous grape Assyrtiko. The grapes are trained to grow in low-spiraling basket shapes to help protect them from Santorini’s fierce winds. Tim spotted some vintage wines in a little shop in Oia and we bought two bottles to bring home.
On the way to Oia, I had spotted a restaurant right on the cliff side with views that were nothing short of spectacular. We decided to search out this little restaurant for dinner. It is called Restaurant Iris and its proprietor Yannis will show you the true meaning of Greek hospitality! The fish is fresh and all caught daily by fisherman who Yannis then purchases from. We dined on stuffed vine leaves, grilled snapper, and grilled lobster. We washed it all down with a local wine selected by Yannis for us. We loved the wine so much, Yannis actually allowed us to purchase three bottles at market price to bring home with us. He also graciously brought us a special Greek nut cake for dessert while giving us tips on what to see once we got to Olympia, his hometown.
After returning the rental car, we needed to begin making our way back down to the ship. Why on earth we decided to walk down the 300 steps instead of taking the tram is beyond me. Tim hoisted our case of wine up on his shoulder and down we went, zig-zagging to avoid the “obstacles” left by the hundreds of donkeys trekking up and down the steps.
Our timing couldn’t have been better as we reached the bottom and watched the golden sun dip below the horizon.
How To Save
We rented a car from Spiridakos for €35. Tram tickets one way were €4 per person. Norwegian offered an Oia Village shore excursion for $69.99 per person. Total savings = $88.
Jennifer Dombrowski
Jennifer Dombrowski is a location independent globe trotter and bases herself in Prata di Pordenone, Italy. She works as a social media and innovation strategist in higher education and is a regular contributor on johnnyjet.com. Her website, jdombstravels.com, is the 2012 Destinology Travel Bloggy Best Newcomer award winner. Google+
Follow Me:
We’re Jennifer and Tim and We love adventure and we love wine, so we often try to combine the two! By day, you’ll find us out on some crazy adventure like snorkeling in Iceland in winter, but by night, we’re creatures of comfort. We both work full time, so we bring you practical tips for how anyone can fit travel into their busy lives – just like us! So far, we've visited 43 countries, lived in the United States and Italy, and Tim has lived in Korea. And we do it all while both holding down full time jobs. 
Greece 
Italy 
Russia 
United Kingdom 
Thailand 
6 comments
1 ping
Skip to comment form ↓
Andrew
June 25, 2012 at 8:22 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Sounds like a whirlwind trip to the island. I can’t even imagine all those people in such a tiny place. I am sure they all didn’t end up in Fira and hopefully some got out to explore like you did, but still… Oia was one of my favorite places on Santorini. I kind of wish I had actually stayed out there instead of a cheaper place inland near Fira, but that is for next time. Oh and definitely go back and do the Volcano tour. Not only is it really cool to walk around a volcano like that, you get some great views of the island as well.
Andrew recently posted..Ios, Greece – Walk with Photos
[Reply]
Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
June 25th, 2012 at 11:24 am
We really covered a lot in just the 8 hours we had in port. I agree, Andy, Santorini is definitely a place we’d like to go back to. And we too would stay in Oia!
[Reply]
Ali
June 29, 2012 at 3:38 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I loved Santorini! I went there on my first solo trip, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. You and I have a lot of the same photos too! It’s such a gorgeous place!
Ali recently posted..Istanbul in Photos – Blue Mosque
[Reply]
Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
June 29th, 2012 at 10:38 pm
Santorini was my favorite port of call and Mykonos was Tim’s. Both were what we always pictured Greece to look like. I definitely would like to go back to both islands to have more time to explore!
[Reply]
Jessica
January 23, 2013 at 9:45 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Amazing pictures! We just got back from our honeymoon on the Greek islands in June, and it was to die for. Your pictures make me want to go back tomorrow!
One thing- I recommend actually staying in imerovigli (where we stayed) instead of oia, where it was a lot quieter and less full of tourists. They say the best sunsets are in oia, but I beg to differ. Imerovigli has the absolute best views!
we stayed at astra suites- just a suggestion.
Glad you enjoyed santorini. Also, next time you are in Greece, make sure you go gramvousa near Crete. It is unbelievable! I’ll have blog posts about them in a few weeks/months (very behind on my travels…) look out for it!
Jessica recently posted..Parasailing in Punta Cana: A Birds Eye View
[Reply]
Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
January 24th, 2013 at 12:30 am
Excellent suggestions, Jessica! Visiting Santorini on our cruise was just too short a visit. We hope to get back there someday soon. I’ll look forward to your blog posts!
[Reply]
Capture the Colour - Jdomb's Travels
August 14, 2012 at 2:20 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
[...] village of Oia on Santorini was exactly what we pictured Greece to look like. Blue domes, whitewashed buildings, and windmills [...]