Greece Archives - LucyLou Travels

Corfu, Greece

Corfu: An Ionian Dream

Corfu is a stunning island. After spending time in the Cycladic Islands and then heading to Athens, Corfu was quite the pleasant surprise. As an island, it has a much more lush and thriving landscape full of mesmerizing sights. While the other islands we visited were gorgeous, the greenery and abundance of Corfu took the cake.

Last year we took our first trip to Greece and we loved it. This post will detail our final stop in Greece to the island of Corfu. I will share highlights from our trip to Corfu and all of the remarkable places we visited around the island. The first post in the series was about Santorini, followed by Milos, Naxos and Athens.

Agios Georgios, Corfu — Views of Agios Geogios Beach.

Trip Planning: Before

We came to visit Corfu as a bit of an accident. I had read about the Ionian Islands in my Greek research, but I wasn’t sure if I could fit them into our itinerary. During my planning, I found a cheap flight on Norwegian Air back to NYC from Corfu via London. Even though it was far from the other islands, I found a way to work in a few days on the island before flying home.

In addition to booking our flight to and from Corfu, I reserved a rental car to get around the island. There isn’t much public transit on Corfu and you’ll need a car to reach many of the beaches. Lastly, since Corfu is such a tourist destination, I booked my Airbnb ahead of time.

Views from the walk down to Rovinia Beach, Corfu.

Getting There

We took a flight on Olympic Air from Athens to Corfu, which was under an hour. Upon arrival in Corfu, the rental car agencies are located in the airport parking lot, making it easy to pick up your rental. There are also a number of ferries between the mainland and nearby islands that travel to Corfu daily. Also, you can take a ferry to Bari, Italy.

Corfu Basics

Corfu, or Kerkyra, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea located off the northwest coast of Greece. It is part of the Ionian Island Group. Corfu is 592.9 square kilometers in size, about 64 km in length and 32 km at it’s largest width. The island sits very close to Albania on it’s northeastern coast, and Italy on the western coast. The island was under Venetian rule for four centuries, so both the architecture and the cuisine have a heavy Venetian influence.

The population of Corfu is over 100,000 people. It has a mild Mediterranean climate that is pleasant year round. There is a large tourist presence on the island, with many tourists from nearby European countries. There are many extraordinary beaches located throughout the island, as well as a large mountainous region in the northern part of the island. In addition to the natural wonders that Corfu has to offer, there are also tons of cultural opportunities and museums to visit.

Where to Stay

We stayed at a basic Airbnb, where we rented a room in someone’s house just outside of Corfu town. We appreciated our passionate host who gave us great ideas about where to visit in our limited time on the island. There are a lot of options to stay in Corfu town, as well as around the various parts of the island. I would recommend staying near one of the island’s coasts, especially in the north or the western side of the island. There are a lot of options on Airbnb, as well as on Booking.com.

What to Eat

There are a lot of food options in Corfu, from elegant restaurants in town to basic food shacks along the beaches. There really is something for everyone. We ate at a few random restaurants during our stay, which held yummy gyros and delicious pizzas. I’d recommend exploring where you are staying for the best food options and you are likely to be impressed.

What to Do

There are so many things to do in Corfu. Most of activities we did centered around the natural beauty and the abundant culture of the island. Here are a few things that I recommend from our short time there.

Go to the Beach

One of the main reasons to visit Corfu are to visit some of the jaw-dropping beaches. Many of the beaches we went to were suggested to us from our host. Since not everything will be on the tourist lists, ask a local for advice. Despite the tiny, windy island roads we took to find some of these beaches, they were all well worth it.

Rovinia Beach

On our first day in Corfu, our host recommended an off-the-grid beach on the west of the island. He painstakingly described directions to us using Google Earth and then sent us on our way. While it was an adventure to take the one-way dirt roads to get there, the beach turned out to be a hidden gem. After paying to park in a small dirt lot, we walked down about half a mile amid olive trees to find the secluded cove of Rovinia Beach. The small pebbled beach has clear turquoise waters and it will feel like you are taking a page out of paradise. Also, bring everything you need because there are no amenities once you get there.

Loggas Beach

Loggas Beach was highly recommended on a number of places that I researched and it did not disappoint. We took a number of small country roads to get to this northwestern beach. Once there, we found a large parking lot and an easy walk down to the beach. There are a few shops and a restaurant above the beach that you can purchase snacks and food at. The beach itself is a long, narrow stretch of soft sand with lapping waves.

Hike to Porto Timoni Beach

This beach was the highlight of our beach trips in Corfu. To get to Porto Timoni Beach, you drive to the small town of Afionias up in the hills of the northwestern part of the island. After parking, you follow a small rocky path for about thirty minutes to reach the beach. The hike is moderate, but short. You can also access the beach via boat from nearby Agios Georgios Beach.

After hiking down to the beach, you are greeted with back to back coves with crystal clear waters. The beach is made up of lots of pebbles and rocks, so it is not smooth sand but still nice to lay out on. There are no amenities once you get down to the bottom. Bring lots of water for the hike and snacks, beach towels and an umbrella for the beach.

Overall, we loved the adventure of hiking to the secluded beach. It was one of our top memories from the entire trip. I definitely recommend it!

Visit the Old Venetian Fortress

On our last full day in Corfu, we explored the Old Venetian Fortress in Corfu Town. It was an interesting, if hot, view into some of the history of the island. The fortress is worth a solid hour or two of exploring, ideally accompanied with a walk into Old Town. After getting sweaty from all of that walking, we found our way to the Faliraki Bathing Beach. While it wasn’t as beautiful as some of the other beaches of our trip, it was a cool break within the city. There is also a small restaurant here where you can order drinks and snacks while you lounge around.

Harbor Corfu — Views of the harbor from the fortress.

Walk around Corfu Old Town

I highly recommend setting aside some time for exploring Old Town. There are tons of interesting shops, cafes and restaurants to visit in this area. We enjoyed walking among the ancient cobblestones and viewing the historical architecture of the ancient city.

Running Corfu

Strava Corfu — Strava view of Corfu running.

Running in Corfu was a bit of a challenge. It was hot and there was a lot of traffic on the roads near where we stayed. Nonetheless, we made due. We were able to utilize the sidewalks along the water and that kept us pretty safe. I suspect you’d have better luck getting some runs in the smaller country roads outside of the main town.

Goodbye Greece

I’m so grateful that we got to visit this gorgeous country and all the amazing islands within it. Corfu was a wonderful ending to our Greek adventure. I would love to return to Greece some day, as well as return to the Ionian Islands to explore them some more.

Athens, Greece

Athens: An Essential for any Greek Trip

Athens is both parts mesmerizing and chaotic. We visited Athens last year expecting it to be a short but necessary stop in between Greek Islands. What we found instead was completely different than we had anticipated. From the ancient Acropolis looming above the city, to the cute courtyard cafes spilling out onto alleyways, to the culture you can find at every turn, Athens is a true wonder. Believe me when I say that you don’t want to miss this fascinating city.

Last year we took our first trip to Greece and we loved it. This post will detail our third stop to the capital of Greece: Athens. In it, I will share highlights from our very brief visit to Athens. The first post in the series was about Santorini, followed by Milos and then Naxos. The final post of the series will be about our last stop to the Ionian Island of Corfu.

Trip Planning: Before

I spent a lot of time planning for my trip to Greece. My focus was on creating an itinerary that showed us various islands at a good pace. For Athens, I planned it as a stopover on our way from the Cycladic Islands to our last stop on the Ionian Island of Corfu.

Prior to arriving in Athens, I booked our two nights of lodging in a central location that was accessible via public transportation. I also booked our flight out of the city. Since there is good public transit in the city, we didn’t rent a car.

Getting There

We took a large ferry from Naxos to the Athens port, which was a smooth ride. I booked the ferry directly through Sea Jets. From the port, we took a subway to our hostel downtown. The subway was fairly easy to navigate once we figured out how to buy a subway ticket. Once at our hostel, we walked everywhere.

Aside from the many ferry options arriving into Athens, there is also a large airport with many daily flights to nearby islands and European cities.

Athens Basics

Athens is the capital of Greece and it’s largest city. The recorded history of the city spans over 3,400 years, with the earliest human presence between the 11th to 7th millennium BC. It’s size is around 15 square miles and there are more than 664,000 people living in the Athens metro area, with over 3 million inhabitants in the greater Athens area.

The city is fairly easy to navigate on foot, but also has a workable, while dated, subway system. ATMs are abundant and most places in the popular tourist districts offer English language information and menus.

Where to Stay

There are a lot of options for lodging in Athens. We stayed downtown in the Psirri neighborhood so that we were in walking distance to the main sights, including the Acropolis. I booked us a private room at the City Circus Hostel, which had a small, but clean room and some great common spaces. When you book directly through the website, they include breakfast in the price.

What to Do in Athens

Visit the Acropolis

With only one full day to explore Athens, we spent our time visiting the Acropolis site. We first took a run around the Acropolis, which was very impressive in the early morning. Later in the day we made a visit to enter the Acropolis. Even though it was an extremely hot visit, I am very happy that I got to see such an iconic piece of history.

This article outlines how best to visit the Acropolis and how you can buy your tickets in advance. To avoid the lines, I highly recommend getting your tickets ahead of time, as well as making your visit early in the day. Since we didn’t get our tickets beforehand, we were met with a long line. Luckily, we were able to figure out how to purchase our tickets online and got to skip the ticket line.

Inside the Acropolis it was very crowded and there were lots of people vying for good photo spots. There is also hardly any shade in the Acropolis complex, so dress appropriately if you go in summer. I also recommend bringing plenty of water with you.

Wander the Neighborhoods and Shops

The nearby neighborhoods around the Acropolis are filled with lots of shopping and food options. We meandered around the shops and got some gifts for family. Even though it was very crowded, we found it to be an interesting experience.

If you are able to spend more time in Athens, there are lots of other recommended places to visit. I have heard great things about the Acropolis Museum, as well as many of the other famous ancient structures around town. There are extensive articles about what to do in Athens. You can find some of them here or here.

What to Eat

We din’t get to fully explore Athen’s food scene due to our limited time, but there are A LOT of food options. I would recommend walking amongst the many sidewalk cafes and restaurants to see what looks good, as well as asking locals for advice.

On our second day, we tried food from TsiknaBoom, a small local restaurant that was recommended at our hostel. It had a very low-key feel and the souvlaki were amazing.

Here, here and here are a few articles for food suggestions in Athens.

Running in Athens

Running in Athens is a mesmerizing experience. As you run around, you are likely to bump into various ancient temples, artifacts or monuments. Our only run while in Athens allowed us to literally circle the Acropolis. That was definitely one of the more epic travel runs we have ever done! It was hilly and hot, but inspiring to run in the presence of such history.

Getting Away: Next Stop Corfu

We took a subway from our hostel to the Athens airport, which was fairly easy to navigate. We then boarded a short plane flight from Athens to the island of Corfu, which was our final stop in Greece. Once we arrived in Corfu, we were able to pick up our rental car right outside of the departure gates and head to our Airbnb.

Milos, Greece

Milos: My Favorite Greek Island (so far)

The island of Milos is spectacular. It feels like a hidden gem, though it is starting to get more recognition recently. In fact, it wasn’t even on my radar when I first started planning our trip to Greece. After reading about it on a few travel blogs, I decided to add it to our itinerary. I am so grateful that I did. If you are visiting the Cycladic Island Group, or Greece in general, I strongly urge you to add Milos to your trip. It was by far my favorite island in the Cyclades and it is one of the most enthralling and relaxed places I have ever visited.

Last June we took our first trip to Greece and we loved it. This post will detail our second stop in Greece to the island of Milos. My first post in the series was about our stop in Santorini. Follow up posts will outline our other stops on the trip. This includes the Cycladic Islands (Santorini, Milos and Naxos), Athens, and the Ionian Island of Corfu.

Trip Planning: Before

As I mentioned in my Santorini blog post, I did a lot of research and planning before visiting Greece. My main focus was on building a good itinerary that didn’t feel too rushed. Specific to Milos, I made sure I had our transportation and lodging booked ahead of time. I researched anything related to Milos that could help me understand the island better. A few articles that helped me are here, here and here.

For transportation, I booked our ferry and rental car beforehand. Most of the islands in the area are not too far apart, so ferry hopping is easy to do. For lodging, I looked at a lot of hotels and Airbnbs, but ended up picking an Airbnb that was affordable and in a great location. I generally leave the day to day activity planning until once I have arrived.

Getting There & Around

We took a short two hour ferry from Santorini to Milos. I booked my tickets by looking at schedules on this site and then booking directly with Seajets. On the ferry you have assigned seats and you can purchase food on board. There is also an airport on Milos with direct connections to Athens.

Once we arrived at the Adámantas port, we were able to take a short walk to the car rental agency. We used our car to get everywhere and we were grateful to have it. If you’re not planning on renting, many hotels and Airbnbs offer to pick you up from the ferry port or airport. It’s important to note that there are limited public transportation options on the island. Due to how spread out everything is, I’d suggest you rent a car for at least part of your visit to experience the picturesque villages and unique beaches.

Milos Basics

Pollonia Milos — Catching the sunset in Pollonia, Milos.

Milos is the fifth largest Cycladic island, at a size of roughly 58 square miles. The population is just under 5,000 people. The main language spoken on Milos is Greek, with many people also speaking English. Most of the menus at restaurants are in both Greek and English. ATMs are widely available and many places take credit card.

Milos can feel like you are on another planet with it’s otherworldly landscapes and geological formations. It was created from a series of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, which explains the lunar looking surfaces and dramatic coastlines. There are large swaths of the western part of the island that are inaccessible to tourists, with rugged terrain in some areas that should be avoided in a rental car.

The weather in Milos is hot and sunny in the summer. It was hot during our visit, so we spent most of our time at the beach to avoid the heat. We were grateful to have AC at our lodging in the evenings. Due to the location of the island, it can get quite windy at times. This is something to consider when traveling by sea.

The picturesque Zoodokos Pighi church on Milos.

Where to Stay

Milos Airbnb — View from our Airbnb balcony.

There are a lot of options for lodging on Milos, with most of it located on the northern part of the island. The main lodging areas are the port of Adámantas, the main town of Plaka, and the smaller villages of Klima and Pollonia. Where you choose to stay depends a lot on where you want to be on the island. Some like to be closer to the port or in town, but we opted to be in a more tranquil village setting in close proximity to the beaches.

We stayed at a basic, but cute little Airbnb in Pollonia, which is a charming fishing village on the northeast part of the island. The village has an intimate collection of houses and fishing boats mixed in with tourist lodging and seaside restaurants. Our Airbnb had AC, a small refrigerator and a balcony looking out onto the water. Our host was very knowledgeable and gave us great advice for food, beaches and what to do with our time. We couldn’t have asked for more during our stay.

The Food

We had some amazing food on Milos. We lucked out that our Airbnb host gave us a great list of places to eat at and all of her recommendations were spot on. Even better, so many were within walking distance from where we were staying.

On our first night, we visited the Armenaki Restaurant in Pollonia, which had some really yummy selections. The restaurant has outdoor seating along the beach and a staff with a sweet personal touch. Armenaki also has an extensive cellar collection of wines from all over Greece.

On our second day there, we ate at a hidden gem called Ergína’s Restaurant. It is located on a hilly perch in Trypiti with great views out to the sea. The food at Ergina’s was amazing and the salads were some of the best we had during our entire trip. I highly recommend making a stop there for lunch or dinner.

Greek salad — Delicious salad at Ergína’s in Trypiti.

We stopped by the Kivotos ton Gefseon bakery and restaurant repeatedly for their delicious bakery and breakfast items. The restaurant sits at the entrance to Pollonia and it is an easy stop on your way out of town. It has delicious and well priced food and baked goods with an adorable back courtyard. This place is well worth a visit for a meal or some baked goods.

Milos bakery — *In the courtyard of the Kivotos ton Gefseon bakery.*

What To Do

Milos is relatively spread out and there are many things to do with your time. You won’t regret taking a drive around the island and visiting some of the smaller villages, churches and restaurants. Aside from the beaches, there are some cool points of history to check out. One of the most popular are the Milos Catacombs. We tried to make a visit there, but it was unfortunately closed when we went. There is also a mining museum and an archaeological museum if you are up for that type of activity.

Go To The Beaches

Papafraga Beach & Caves

The Papafraga beach and caves are more of a geographical wonder to gawk at than they are a beach to swim in. The rock and cave formations are very unique and worth checking out, even if briefly. You can hike down the craggy rocks to the water to see the underside of the cave area. Many people do go swimming, but we opted to take some pics from above and move on to the next spot.

Algomandra Beach

The Algomandra Beach is very beautiful cove-like setting with a small beach and crystal clear turquoise water. We were able to lay out on a small area of the beach and take a dip in the cool and refreshing water.

Sarakiniko Beach

The Sarakiniko Beach feels like you are on the moon. The lightly hued rock formations are in stark contrast to the emerald blue water and sky. There is an inlet of water that enters the rocks where most people fan out to swim or lay out. This area doesn’t seem so much like a beach, but more like a rocky swimming hole. I recommend making a stop here to check out the fascinating rock formations and taking a quick swim.

Paliochori Beach

The Paliochori Beach was the largest, most typical feeling beach that we visited while on Milos. It has some really cool colors due to the geothermal rock formations. The water is a beautiful dark turquoise that nicely contrasts with the orange red hue of the sand and rocks. There are chairs and umbrellas for rent all along the beach that offer protection from the sun. The water was chilly, but it helped beat the heat. We enjoyed our time here and I would recommend making a visit.

RUNNING ON MILOS

We took all of our runs in Milos on the roads around Pollonia and directly outside of town. Since Milos is not super crowded like Santorini, we felt safe enough running on the main roads. We were vigilant about cars and ran opposite traffic. Due to the heat, we took our runs in the evening, which was a lot cooler. The sunset views on our runs were absolutely incredible.

Getting Away: Scary Ferry to Naxos

We took a ferry to get to our next stop of Naxos. The morning we were due to head out, our Airbnb host warned us that the wind was bad and that the sea would be rough. We proceeded as planned to our ferry. During the 4-5 hour ride, we were tossed around as if we were in a washing machine. It was an extremely unpleasant experience, but I learned a lot from it. Mainly that you should always pay attention to local advice. If it is very windy out and the sea is rough, change your plans accordingly. Thankfully, our next ferry ride to Athens was extremely smooth sailing.

Visit Milos

In short, we loved the chill atmosphere, stunning beaches and scrumptious food of Milos. I hope to return again some day and I recommend that you add it to your next trip, too.

Santorini, Greece

Last June we took our first trip to Greece and we loved it. This post will detail our first stop in Greece to the island of Santorini. Follow up posts will outline our other stops on the trip. This includes the Cycladic Islands (Santorini, Milos and Naxos), Athens, and the Ionian Island of Corfu.

These posts are by no means meant to be a comprehensive guide to Greece. There are tons of ways to take a trip here and many towns, islands and places to visit. I was a bit overwhelmed in my planning to choose the *best* route. However, there is no real *best* route. How you visit Greece should be what works best for you. Our trip just barely scratched the surface of what you can see and do. Take this as one example of a trip and feel free to use it to build your *best* trip there in the future.

Island Basics

Santorini, or Thíra as it is known, is in the Cycladic Island group. In fact, it is actually a group of islands, which include Thíra, Thirassiá, Asproníssi, Palea and Nea Kaméni. Santorini is a rather small island at just about 76 square kilometers or roughly the size of Manhattan. The crescent shaped island is 16km in length and 1km to 5km in width. It is located in the Aegean Sea, about 200km southeast of Athens. The island is considered to be an active volcano, but is not currently at risk of erupting.

Santorini has a population of about 15,000 people, but it swells with visitors during the summer months. Peak travel time is June through September and you can expect crowded hot spots and traffic filled island roads. You can avoid most of that by visiting in shoulder season from October to November or March to May.

Is Santorini Worth the Crowds?

I am somewhat conflicted when it comes to Santorini and how I would recommend it (or not). On one hand it is super touristy. Like tacky touristy in the overwhelming nature of the crowds, souvenirs and selfie sticks. We visited the island in June, which is high tourist season. After our trip, I would recommend you avoid Santorini during that time. Not only is it hot in June, but there are tons of people and getting around can be challenging.

However, it is also a very majestic island that is worth a visit. The cascading cliffs and the coastline views from the caldera side of the island are stunning. If you visit in shoulder season, you will likely have lighter crowds and cooler temperatures. When you do go, marvel at the beauty of the gleaming blue sea. Puzzle at the layout of white stucco houses down the cliffside, one built into the next. Take in the red sand of the volcanic Red Beach. Explore the alleyways filled with shops and restaurants and bakeries. And stand in awe of the glowing orange sunsets from a perch in Oia.

Santorini sunsets — Checking out that famed Oia sunset.

Trip Planning: Before

I did a lot of research before visiting Greece. The hardest part was narrowing down where to go and what to do for our two week itinerary. It can be overwhelming to narrow down all of the information since there are so many good options. Even after a trip there under my wings, I still haven’t seen the tip of it. I hope to return to Greece someday to grasp more of the beauty and magic of the country.

It is advisable to travel to Greece, and Santorini, with a plan. Santorini is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Europe, so knowing where you will stay ahead of time will save you a lot of stress. Since the island is small, there are limited lodging options. If you are looking to stay in hot ticket places with views of the caldera, book ahead. Also, if you plan to rent a car, you might want to do that beforehand as well.

I got a ton of help planning my itinerary from various travel blogs. Santorini Dave has all types of lists and maps of the island. You can also check out Lonely Planet, Hand Luggage Only and Nomadic Matt for some trip guidance.

Getting There

There are no direct flights to Santorini from the US, Canada or Australia. Most often you will have to fly through Europe to get there. We took a flight from Amsterdam to Santorini on the budget airline Transavia. Our flight only took 3 hours and it was an easy experience. Do some quick searching on places like Kayak to find an affordable flight that fits your needs.

You can also get to Santorini via ferry from many of the nearby islands or from Athens. We took a ferry when we left for our next stop of Milos and the journey wasn’t too bad.

Santorini: Things to know

The first thing you will notice about Santorini in summer is the heat. We had read the weather reports, but did not expect the heat to hit us as hard as it did. It cools down a bit in the evenings and mornings, but once the sun comes out in full force, the heat can be intense. I suggest looking for a place with an AC and avoiding walking around mid-day.

Also, we rented a car to get around the island. I would recommend you figure out what types of activities you plan to do to factor in if you need to rent. For example, on our first day we walked down to Amoudi Bay and barely drove and the second day we did a boat tour so we didn’t need a car. Ultimately, we may not have needed a car for our four day visit.

Food options and restaurants are aplenty on Santorini. We asked our Airbnb host for advice, which is a good place to start for recommendations. Many of the cliffside restaurants, especially those with views of the sunset, can be expensive. We skipped those places and chose family style and casual spots off the main strip in Oia. We returned to Pitogyros many times for the yummy and low cost gyros. Many of the travel blogs have extensive lists of restaurant recommendations.

Where to Stay

We stayed at a beautiful Airbnb located in Oia with a great cliffside view of the sea. The place was a typical cave house, like many that dot the cliffs of Santorini. Due to the material and structure of these cave houses, they are able to retain heat in winter and cooler temperatures during summer months. This lodging was our big splurge of the trip, but we loved staying here for all the amenities it had to offer, including the unbeatable views.

We had a kitchen for making a few basic meals, a patio and an AC in our bedroom. Like many places on the island, there were a lot of steps to get there, but it was very manageable.

If you plan to visit Santorini during summer months, I would recommend staying in one of the less touristy towns. While I enjoyed Oia, I felt that it was overwhelming because of all of the tourists who flocked there.

If you can, it is worth it to splurge on a place on the caldera side. This is more affordable in shoulder season. If you are looking for a lower budget option, there are many nice places inland, as well as on the other side of the island near the beaches.

What to Do

Amoudi Bay

After arriving from the airport, we set down our things and headed to Amoudi Bay. It is a short, but steep hike from Oia, with a total of 300 steps down from the trailhead. As you hike down, you will likely be walking alongside donkeys, who are used to carry people and supplies to and from the bay. We opted to walk down, which was hot and sweaty, but not bad.

Upon reaching the bay, you will see that it is surrounded by deep red cliffs, contrasted by the glistening dark turquoise water and white buildings. There is a small slab of concrete and rock that you can jump off to take a swim. We did that immediately. Aside from that, the bay is fairly small. It is dotted with a few lodging options and a series of similarly overpriced seafood restaurants. We ate at one called Sunset Amoudi and it was quite good. Mainly, we enjoyed relaxing in the breeze amid all the beauty of the bay.

Santorini Boat Tours

We did a sailing trip with Sunset Oia Santorini Sailing our first full day there. They offer a range of sailing trips that visit the famed coves, beaches and nearby islands. We did a half day Santorini Gems tour, which was on a catamaran with a small group size. It allowed us to visit places we wouldn’t have been able to reach in our car.

We got picked up in the late morning and bused to the Amoudi Bay port. The tour visited a few different spots on the island, including the hot springs, White Beach and Red Beach. After arriving at each location, we were allowed to get out and swim. Around noon, the guides made us a delicious lunch. Overall it was a fun experience. While we didn’t get to walk on the beaches, we saw a bunch of nice spots from the water. I would recommend taking a boat trip as a great way to see another side of the island.

Santorini boat tours — Boat tours are very common on Santorini.

Perissa Beach

We spent our next full day at Perissa Beach on the other side of the island from Oia. This beach was easy to get to and parking wasn’t too bad. On the beach, there were tons of restaurants that offered umbrellas and beach chairs for a daily fee. Some were free if you ordered a certain amount of food or drinks at the restaurant. I definitely enjoyed staying out of the sun and relaxing under an umbrella.

Perissa beach, along with it’s neighbor Perivolos, are peaceful black sand beaches with lots of food and drink options. The beach felt less crowded than other parts of the island, which was very welcomed. You can learn more here about other Santorini beaches. I will add though, that in comparison to the beaches we found on Milos and Corfu, Santorini beaches don’t even compare. In short, don’t come to Santorini for the beaches!

The Running Scene

Santorini can be a bit challenging when it comes to getting runs in. The benefit was that there was a fairly accessible local trail that started near our Airbnb. Outside of that, the small island roads and the traffic make going on runs and staying safe somewhat difficult.

For this reason, I stuck to the nearby Fira-Oia trail. This is a 10.5km point to point hiking trail between the two towns. The trail is a bit technical and has a good amount of elevation gain. On the upside, it is safely away from cars and held amazing coastal views. I saw a bunch of hikers on my runs and I was excited to see a few fellow trail runners. Since it gets really hot in summer, I recommend you get your run in early and bring water with you.

If you are staying on other parts of the island, you might be able to get a good run in along the beach or on a more remote road. Since we were based in Oia, it felt safest to stick to the trails.

Reading on Santorini

If you are into books and small bookstores, I highly recommend visiting Atlantis Books while you are in Santorini. It is located right on the main pedestrian path in Oia and easy to find. They offer a wide range of books in different languages. There are books literally stacked up to the ceilings inside the bookstore. For me, this was like a dream!

Getting Away: Next Stop Milos

From Santorini we took a ferry to the island of Milos. I looked up the ferry schedules ahead of time using the Greek Ferries website. I then booked directly with SeaJets. If you pre-ordered your tickets, you can pay a small fee to print out your tickets at the ferry terminal. You can also wing it and book when you arrive. If you rent a car, you will have to return your rental at the airport and then take a taxi to the ferry port.