Guide to Exploring Santorini, Greece in Just One Day

Santorini is a breathtaking island in the Aegean Sea, famous for its stunning sunsets, blue-domed churches, and whitewashed buildings. If you're dreaming of a picturesque escape, Santorini will exceed your expectations. But what if you are like us and only have one day to explore this beautiful destination? No worries! This guide will help you uncover the island's highlights in just a day, making sure you enjoy every moment. I recommend you hire a tour guide who is familiar with the island and who can help you maximize your time. We hired a local guide ahead of time who picked us up in Fira.

If you find yourself starting your day from a cruise ship in Fira, you will be tendered to shore on small boats at the Old Port. The best way to enter the city is to take a Cable Car which is just a quick 3 minute ride. However, the line is extremely long, especially in the morning. After waiting for over an hour in the very slow moving line I was beyond frustrated that our day was slipping away and knew our guide was waiting for us, I made the decision that we could walk the steep hill which is 587 steps! My husband was not happy with me. You can also opt to take a local donkey ride up the hill, but that did not look fun and I felt sorry for the donkeys. However, walking was horrible because every so often the donkey handlers are rushing herds of donkeys down the hill right at you. We were hot, sweaty and tired and also constantly jumping out of the way of the donkeys. It was an experience that I am happy to say we survived and will never do again. Many say the cable car line is much shorter later in the day, so if you don't want to wait, either get there as early as possible or wait and start your Santorini excursion midday instead.

When we finally reached the top, I walked into a small dress shop and bought a new dress because I was so sweaty from our hike. I am laughing about it now, and I am still married.

We booked a private guide through Touring with Kostas , and our guide, Alex, showed great understanding and flexibility when we were delayed arriving in Fira from the Old Port. Despite our late arrival, he promptly began the tour and welcomed our input on the itinerary while also sharing his own recommendations. I wholeheartedly endorse this tour operator.

Our first stop was along the road between Fira and Oia. Our guide wanted to show us one of the most spectacular views. He also pointed out all of the people walking along the road. Apparently many people choose to hike from Fira to Oia which is about 6.5 miles or 10km. We actually met some people later in the day when returning to our ship that said they walked there and back. WOW! If you choose to experience the Santorini Hike, wear comfortable shoes and plan for some steep rocky areas.

The scenery along the route was stunning, with breathtaking views at each stop.

Explore Oia’s Charm

We made our way to Oia and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the enchanting streets. The narrow, winding pathways are filled with boutiques, art galleries, and shops run by local artisans.

My mom recommended we stop in a small art gallery that she and my dad had discovered on their recent trip, so we popped in and ended up buying two pieces from the artist himself.

While exploring, keep an eye out for unique souvenirs, handmade jewelry, and beautiful artwork. Make sure to visit the iconic blue-domed churches for some of the most recognizable photo opportunities on the island. For instance, the Church of Panagia of Platsani is a must-see with its stunning architecture.

People wait in line to take this picture. The line was long (and apparently always is). I almost didn't want to wait but, what a view!

We really enjoyed seeing Oia, but it was full of tourists and very crowded. After taking several beautiful pictures, stopping in a some shops and art galleries, I was ready to move on.

Wine Tasting

With nine indigenous grape varieties cultivated on the island, including the famous Assyrtiko, there are many wineries making some of the best wine in all of Greece, it is said that with such little rain on the island each year, that wine is more abundant than water. So of course we wanted to visit a winery, our next stop was at the award winning Estate Argyros winery. The winery was established in 1903 and is the largest private owner of vineyards in Santorini.

During our tour, we learned that the vineyards of Santorini are known for basket shaped vines, a training system called Kouloura, where experienced vine dressers weave the canes of the vine into the shape of a large wreath-like basket. This protects the vines from the strong winds on the island, the scorching sun and the lack of water due to such little rainfall. Estate Argyros uses a similar but different system called Koulouri in their vineyards, this method is a low bush vine training system where the canes are woven into small baskets hanging vertical to the ground they believe this gives them better control over the canopy creating a finer balance between fruit and vegetation. Because of this, the vineyards look much different than what we have seen in other regions.

We really enjoyed learning about and tasting the wine.

Pyrgos Village

I mentioned to our tour guide that we'd really like to see where the locals hangout or a less touristy area in Santorini. So he took us to the charming Pyrgos Village, which is the former capital of Santorini and is a well preserved medieval settlement on the Island. Pyrgos was a welcome contrast the the overcrowded touristy areas of Fira and Oia. We enjoyed strolling through the labyrinth of beautiful homes and churches and observing locals proudly living in a modest area where they value the history and importance of maintaining the architectural image of the village.

Lunch

We were eager to enjoy a traditional lunch that locals frequent so Alex took us to Kantouni Restaurant located in the central square of Pyrgos Village. We sat on the tree covered terrace and had the most amazing meal.

The menu is quite large, which made it difficult to narrow down what we wanted to order.

We started with the Zucchini balls with yogurt sauce and stuffed homemade vine leaves.

I couldn't resist ordering the Seafood Orzo, which was beautifully prepared and plated and was absolutely mouthwatering!

Look how fresh and delicious this looks! My husband ordered the Beef filet with rustic papardelle, mushrooms, vintage gruyere flakes and truffle oil.

After lunch we explored some of the many churches in the area and then our guide drove us to the Prophet Elias Monastery which is located 567 meters above sea level making it the highest point on the whole island and offers spectacular 360 degree views!

The Monastery was built in 1711, there is a museum you can visit and it's surrounded by 4 churches and chapels that are also open to visitors. The Monastery is closed to the public.

Should you find yourself with some free time, this spot is perfect for concluding your day and admiring the breathtaking Santorini sunset. Unfortunately, we had to return to Fira to wrap up our tour.

We strolled through Fira during the late afternoon and then got in line for the cable car ride down to the port. I was determined not to take the walking path again : )

The line to go down the cable car was long but moved much faster than earlier in the day.

Santorini is well known for having magnificent sunsets. We observed the spectacle from our balcony on our cruise ship at the end of what was a truly an amazing day.

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Fira, Oia or Pyrgos? Which is your favorite town in Santorini

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