Taking a little break from Costa Rica this week to bring you some extra content from my trip to Santorini!
On our last day in Greece, on the island of Santorini, Carolina and I decided to explore one last area. The Akrotiri peninsula includes a few nice highlights that are worth the bus ride down for part of the day.
We went to the red beach and to the Venetian Castle of Akrotiri. Both of these were free to visit. We had the option to also visit the Akrotiri Museum but we opted not to. Sometimes there are certain highlights that I choose to pass up on trips especially when they cost money. The fee and not feeling enthusiastic enough about the museum turned us away.
Otherwise we had a nice visit to Akrotiri before we departed for our next adventure in Sweden and Norway!
Our Fira host, Alex, recommended to us a secret place to get in the caldera waters in Oia. He showed us on a map and told us we couldn’t miss it.
He mentioned a tiny island with a church called Saint Nicholas on it. “Swim out to this island,” he said, “it’s not far. Then jump off the wall!”
We had no idea what to really expect but when you get a recommendation for something so unique—you go! This little off-the-beaten path spot turned out to be an unexpected highlight of our time in Santorini!
As an adventure traveler, I am always trying to sniff out the next activity that is a bit off-the-beaten path and perhaps a little daring. I initially expected to have a pretty typical, touristy time in Santorini—but then I discovered something unexpected!
I anticipated from photos of Santorini that my short 3-day stay would consist only of sunset views, resort culture, wineries, restaurants, and nightlife. As I looked deeper, I found there was more to Santorini than meets the eye.
Turns out, the Santorini island group is made up of the most historically destructive volcanic activity in the world! And I just had to get a closer look.
For our last few days in Greece, our visit to Santorini forced us to take it up a notch in terms of food prices and dinner views. Our eating experience was different from our time in Crete mainly because it was so centered around getting the best seats for sunset.
I managed to find ways to balance out the price of our view-centered dinners. Alas, we could not have experienced the best of what Santorini had to offer without recommendations from our villa stay host. We ended up taking up several of his suggestions and they were all excellent.
The best part was the last night when I finally got to eat one, single vegetable that he insisted we must not miss: a Santorini cucumber.
The original source of inspiration for my trip to Santorini was photos of the sunset from Oia. Like so many tourists, those photos are what drew me to Greece and the Greek Isles in particular.
As a budget traveler, I wasn’t interested in or able to stay at the luxury resorts overlooking the caldera sunset right there in Oia—and I didn’t need to! The castle in Oia provides the perfect perch from which to get an expansive and “rich” view.
But if you don’t know where to go, or more importantly when to go, you could be cheated out of the experience. You’ll be battling crowds for an optimal view and standing uncomfortably as people shove into you. Yes, the tourists are a bit much here!
You may not be able to avoid the pushy tourists entirely, but this post gives some insight into the experience of getting optimal, no-cost sunset views in Oia!
The first activity I did after arriving to Santorini was go on the only hike worth taking—from Fira to Oia. This is an iconic hike and by far my favorite part of my time there. I believe it was the best way to introduce myself to this Greek island I’d seen only in pictures.
I strolled between white-washed Cyclades-style buildings with the sunken caldera to my left and sun beaming overhead. I also took a side trek to an outcropping called Skaros Rock near the town of Imerovigli.
In addition to tips for what to expect, I share plenty of photos of the architecture in the towns and views along the rim of the caldera overlooking the Santorini islands.
Santorini is one of the more expensive places to visit in Greece. The Cyclades-style white-washed homes, blue dome churches, paved pathways, sunset views, restaurant culture, and 5-star luxury hotels make Santorini a top travel destination for people worldwide.
Major touristy destinations are not really my thing. But I wanted to visit Santorini before I even knew just how popular Instagram would make it. I saw one photo of the white-washed homes at sunset and Santorini was on my bucket list back in the late 2000s. Once I learned it was so expensive, I was determined to spend as little as possible.
As I previously wrote about my Greece trip, I was not trying to save like I normally do when I travel. I was splurging after 2.5 years of no international travel. I was also not traveling solo which meant being a little more carefree in my spending. Nevertheless, I managed to strike a balance between enjoying myself and saving. I had a great time, covered a lot of territory, and experienced all I wanted to over 3 days and 2 nights in Santorini for just over $550 total.
As I am preparing to write about my days in Santorini last summer in Greece, I was motivated to write this quick post summarizing the highlights from my time in Crete.
There were 7 major experiences I had that were the best of the best. I wrote in depth about each location, which you can click to read more about at the links provided. This post provides a nice overview—a quick guide, if you will!
Next time I visit, I would like to see more toward the center and Eastern side of Crete but I know I would definitely revisit several of these experiences. If you have the opportunity to go to Crete, do not miss the following!
I knew Crete had hiking. But I didn’t know Crete had a hiking experience that would make it to my top 5 list!
Samariá boasts a difficult, steep, downhill hike that levels off through an absolutely stunning gorge. The views of Crete’s White Mountains on the bus ride there and the hike down only add to the overall experience. The scenery is unique and varied throughout Samariá. As a national park, there are amenities and clean water the whole way that make it as comfortable and safe as possible, too.
I had very few expectations about this hike except that I was afraid it would be too much of a touristy experience for me. Having to take a bus tour there did not sit with my independent, adventurous style. But I listened to other hikers advice and did it a different way from my usual standard—and it paid off! This hike was perfection from start to finish!
What could possibly make a beach a unique and interesting experience? At a typical beach, you’ve got sand, you’ve got ocean, you’ve maybe got some decent beach amenities like lounge chairs and food options.
But Preveli Beach is not your typical beach.
Preveli is special because a freshwater river dumps into the sea there. This river also flows its way through one of Crete’s largest, most beautiful palm forests! If that weren’t enough, Preveli Beach has crystal clear water with a perfect area for snorkeling.
All of this combined makes Preveli one of the most adventurous, diverse, and unique beach experiences I’ve had in a long time!
I absolutely love Greek food. For 6 years, I lived near Ditmars Boulevard and Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens, a major Greek neighborhood of New York City. In that neighborhood are many traditional Greek restaurants, serving up delicious fresh seafood and souvlaki. Outside of my graduate school in Manhattan, there was a Mediterranean-style food truck that I would often go to for my lunch break—tzatziki sauce, anyone?
I fell in love with this cuisine back then and now I was going to experience it while visiting the country where it came from. The food was absolutely a top reason why I chose Greece as my destination this past summer.
Crete has its own special Greek foods as well as the traditional style found all over the country. From homemade Mediterranean breakfast spreads to the dish of the day at local tavernas, Crete was an amazing food experience all around.
I try to dive at least once in every location I visit in the world. Crete gave me the opportunity to dive the Mediterranean Sea for the first time!
Crete is known for its various caves, both on land and under the surface. I decided to dive two of the less commonly visited caves while in Chania.
While another group of divers in the area messed up our experience of one cave, I really enjoyed diving Seal Cave which was the longest cave I’ve ever been in!
I found another one of my top favorite locations in the world while in Crete. Balos Beach is definitely up there in my top 5 somewhere. The reason is clear, as you’ve already caught the main photo on this post!
The dreamy views of the Balos lagoon and surrounding islands alone are amazing. Swimming in these magical waters was incredible. But what made this experience top notch was exploring the surrounding landscape.
From a private little snorkel spot to sea salt-infused rocky tidal pools, I really loved our full day spent at Balos Beach. We stayed until all the tourists cleared out to catch a totally natural sunset view which made this an especially unique experience.
Sometimes I randomly pick adventures to go on without doing much research in advance. This has it’s benefits and its drawbacks!
The first adventure Carolina and I went on outside of Chania was one of these unresearched occasions. I thought we would go on a short, meandering hike to a beautiful, ocean chasm for a nice swim on a hot day. In reality, it was a sun-soaked and complicated path down to unknowingly treacherous waters!
While this hike to Katholiko Bay had some difficult twists and dramatic turns, I still can’t wait to share all the beautiful scenery, the ancient ruins, the cool caves, and the turquoise waters we encountered. In the end, I highly recommend this hike but definitely pay attention to some of the lessons I learned!
