Santorini: Red, White & Black Beaches, Blue-Domed Churches and Stray Animals

Oia at Dusk

Santorini, the remnant of a volcanic caldera, is the most-visited Greek island and serves as a popular wedding and honeymoon destination (which may be why when we checked into The Petra Nera Hotel, the desk attendant asked Kay-Lin and I if we wanted one bed or two). The images you have probably seen of the picturesque blue-domed, white-housed Santorini (located in Oia) do not do justice to the overwhelming beauty that the island offers. We divided most of our time between the following three parts of the island: Oia, Fira and Perissa (other popular tourist destinations include Kamari beach, which neighbors Perissa; Perivolos beach; and Akrotiri, famous for the ruins of the ancient Minoan). Oia (pronounced “EE-ah” and not “OY-ah”) in known for its white-painted houses built into niches (traditionally used by the crews of ships) on the lip of a volcanic crater. Blue-roofed churches with cupolas are common and the houses are built directly above one another. Fira (or “Thíra”, the ancient name of the island itself) is built upon the edge of the caldera on the western portion of the semi-circular island. Fira serves as the main transportation hub and buses (the only form of public transportation on the island) filter through here. The main nightlife is in Fira and the windy cobblestone streets are filled with small shops and restaurants. Then there is Perissa, (where our hotel was located) which is on the opposite end of the island from Oia and is a small beach town with black sand beaches. Shuttling back and forth between the different areas proved rather difficult (a common thing to do is rent a scooter or an ATV to get around) because the buses are wildly unreliable and the attendants (who collect your money on the bus) can be a bit rude. Taxis are also an option and I believe that there is usually a flat rate of €18 to get from one area of the island to another.

A church in Oia

Another church in Oia

Kay-Lin and I arrived via ferry from Athens at the Athinios port. Our first day, we headed straight for the black-sanded beach in Perissa where we had lunch (octopus salad) and took naps on lounge chairs. At night we attempted to go out in Fira. We took the bus from Perissa and I had the pleasure of sitting next to a middle-aged Santorinian artist who showed us samples of his wooden fruit and vegetables, smelled like he hadn’t showered in five days (five hot summer days), told us about how he met Lady Gaga, proceeded to namedrop and made me look at the tag of his t-shirt (it was Versace) and told me that it was worth €10,000. “Famous people come to Santorini all the time!” He asked us when we were leaving, asked where we were staying and told us he wanted to see us again before we departed. He also tried to get us to meet him at a bar and when we thought he wasn’t going to leave us alone we ran into a crowded Fira street immediately upon exiting the bus as he was still struggling to get his pieces off of the vehicle. After we ditched the artist, we had crepes and gelato as we scoped out the scene. We tried a place called Town Bar (at the recommendation of one of the waiters from lunch), but it was pretty trashy (think of the European version of American spring-break kids, read: Eurotrash) and the bars seemed to either be filled with teenagers freshly passing through the puberty threshold or older men. The club promoters were also very aggressive and everyone is offering happy hours and free shots to lure unsuspecting tourists into their (creepy) virtually empty clubs. We (again, just as we had been in Athens) were bombarded with Asian greetings. Needless to say, this experience was enough to deter us from exploring any more nightlife in Santorini.

Church built into a cliff in Perissa

The next day, we took a bus to Ancient Thira and hiked to the top of the ruins. (It was a €2 entrance fee). Ancient Thira was inhabited from the 9th century BC until 726 AD. The site ruins include private houses, a theater, the agora (market/meeting place), a temple and the Basilike Stoa, which marked the center of public life. After hiking up (and first driving halfway up), we hiked down the opposite side of the mountain toward Perissa and took a detour to climb to a church built into the cliffs (pictured above) at the tip of a friendly British man we rode the bus with earlier that morning. The climb was steep and it felt, at times, like we were not supposed to be there. There were wires and a waterline running into the church, but no sign of any inhabitants or visitors.

Red Beach, Santorini

After we climbed down to Perissa, we took a bus to Akrotiri and hiked (more hiking!) about 15 minutes to the Red Beach (pictured above). This hike is also pretty steep, the path is covered in rocks, and is not for those in poor health. There’s no sand on the beach (just small rocks) and it’s pretty crowded since it’s so small. There are umbrellas and chairs for rent (and there’s hardly any room to put a towel down). It’s worth a visit for the views, but there are definitely better beaches on the island (the black beach in Perissa was better for swimming and sunbathing). That night we had dinner in Perissa (overlooking the beach) at a place called Apollon Tavern. We (accidentally) ordered three entrees (grilled calamari, gyro and souvaki) and I was informed that I have been mispronouncing gyro my entire life and it is actually pronounced (geer-oh).

A small side note: There are so many stray cats and dogs everywhere in Santorini, but they seem to be pretty well taken care of by the local community. Most of the animals had collars (some denoting that they were strays) and the locals give them a daily offering of food and water.

View from the hike from Fira to Oia

Our last full day in Santorini, we completed the hike from Fira to Oia. It’s a 9-10 km (roughly 5-6 mile) journey and took us about 4 hours (but we were walking at a very leisurely pace and stopped frequently for pictures). The hike is very challenging at times and there are a few points there the trail ends and it’s a bit unclear where to continue, but it was one of the best (if not THE best) thing we did in Santorini. The views along the caldera are not easily described using words and the hike should be on every traveler’s bucket list. At the end of the hike, we claimed a spot in Oia to watch the sunset over the town. Oia at sunset is insanely crowded, but it’s worth putting up with the congestion to see the amazing views and the white-houses and churches illuminated by the orange hue of the setting sun.