The two best ferries between Athens and Santorini are Blue Star (7-8 hours) and the high speed Hellenic Seaways (5 hours). They say that the high-speed ferry can be rocky and bad for anyone prone to seasickness, but I personally didn’t notice a huge difference between the two. We spent about 4 days in Santorini and stayed in Fira (Thira).
#KoolKeeperSummer Santorini
Contributing Author Abby Bruns
Pirate Ship Volcano Tour
On the first day we did a pirate ship volcano tour. You meet them at the port and sail out to the volcano that created the island, go to the thermal mud springs, lunch on Fishermans island, and then you have the choice of disembarking at Oia or going back to Fira. The volcano hike is about 20 minutes to the top and there you can see most of the island, smoking craters, and sulfur deposits. The thermal springs were worth going to, but if your time is limited and you have other adventures to pursue, you can take this one off the list. The water is warmed by the volcano, but is still only lukewarm and the mud will stain any light-colored swimwear.
Fisherman’s island was also a bit underwhelming but again something that was cool to see. Only 320 people still reside on the island, and restaurants line the cove. From there we traveled to Oia and rode donkeys up the cliff side as opposed to taking the stairs and got dinner at Lotza. Overall the volcano tour can be a little bit overrated, but if you have nothing else to do, it’s a great way to fill the time and see different parts of the island.
Relaxation Destinations
The next day we went to the beach in Kamari. It’s a black rock/sand beach, however, the whole area is lined with loungers, umbrellas, and restaurants that offer chairside service. It was a great, relaxing day. Other great beaches include Perivolos/ Perissa, Vlychada (aka white beach), Red Beach, and Monolithos. That night we attended a Greek wedding at the White Door Theater in Fira. There was wine, food, dancing, and of course, plate breaking. On the final day, we did a catamaran tour, visiting the white and red beaches of the island and a cliff jumping spot near Amoudi Bay. There was unlimited wine made by the locals and a FANTASTIC Greek Barbeque for lunch.
