Things to do in Santorini, Athens | Review of Dana Villas, Santorini
Our visit to Greece was a continuation of our Turkey Travels. We were on a 10 day expedition of which we spent 6 days in Turkey, and 4 days in Greece.
When in Greece a visit to the renowned island of Santorini cannot be missed 😊. We spent 3 days in Santorini and 1 day in the historical city of Athens. Santorini was a high-ranking item on our bucket list and we were so excited to be on this fascinating island. Simply the name Santorini unfolded images of stunning sunsets, walking through narrow streets with a white backdrop and awe-inspiring scenery. The island was everything we had imagined and much more!
We landed at Santorini (Thira) National Airport at 10 PM and spent our first night on the island at Kamari village, which is only 3 miles from the airport.
Tip: We stayed at different towns throughout our stay to get the best feel of the overall island!
Day 1 – Santorini, Greece (7th day of our Turkey/Greece Expedition)
The next morning, we set off for Fira town where we spent our second night of the island.
It was not easy to find transportation from Kamari village. There is a bus that goes to Fira everyday but it was not easy to find the bus stop and google maps wasn’t helpful either as it did not recognize the location. The town was very secluded and locals were not commonly seen – there was hardly anyone to ask for assistance. We did not see any taxi stands either.
We lastly decided started walking towards a street and waited until we saw someone passing by to ask for directions to the bus stop. Finally, we made it to the bus stop after 30 minutes!!
Tips:
- At least for the first day arrange your transports via your resort/host as public transportation can be a little tricky depending on where you are staying.
- Bring along some euros as it is not easy to find a currency exchange place as soon as you get there – again depending on where you are staying. (Fira and Oia are generally more populated than Kamari Village)
At 2pm we hired a taxi towards Pyrgos town. You could use the bus as well but we preferred a taxi for the rest of our stay. Pyrgos has it’s own different charm – This hillside town is one of the more subdued and traditional villages of Santorini.
For the best views of the whole island we drove to the hilltop of Pyrgos town where the Ruins of Kasteli Castle are found….
…and just opposite the castle are the panoramic views of the whole island all the way to the village of Oia.
We headed back to our resort in Fira Town around 4:30 pm. Fira is a charming town on the cliffside with breathtaking views of scenery and the sunsets.
We found Fira to be more upscale than Oia town in terms of the resorts, restaurants and the overall feel. It is also the capital of Santorini and the biggest village on the island.
Santorini was my dream vacation and my husband made it perfect by treating us a night at the infinity suite of Dana Villas. I cannot find the words to describe how perfect the stay was at this exquisite villa but here is a sneak peek of our stay 😊
One of the best moment/memory of our Greece Travels was the marvelous sights from our infinity pool that stood literally on the edge of Caldera cliff merging into Aegean sea creating an endless, perfect blue image!
TRANQUILITY!!
Day 8 – Santorini, Greece
We started off the following day with a short hike from Fira to the alluring town of Imerovigli. Same story, different phrase – it’s a beautiful town on the cliffside with breathtaking sceneries.
We found Imerovigli to be one of the best located towns of the entire island and really enjoyed walking the narrow winding paths through traditional white houses, galleries and churches.
The whitewashed buildings, narrow crisscrossing walking paths and the sapphire backdrop makes Imerovigli one of the most photographed town of Santorini!
Later that afternoon we drove to Oia town where we spent our last night on the island of Santorini.
Just like the others, Oia is also a beautiful town but if I had to give it a ranking it would be at number 2 with Fira and Imerovigli tying at number 1.
Oia is know for having the best sunset point in Santorini..
and said to have one the most spectacular sunset views all over the world!
Tip: Most holidaymakers stay where the beaches are, Kamari and Perissa, but these places really do not represent the island’s amazing distinctiveness. If you can, you should try to stay in Fira, Imerovigli or Oia, the towns on the cliffs, which are very beautiful and full of little cafes, shops and places of interest.
Day 9 – Athens, Greece
We had an early morning (8:00 AM) flight scheduled from Santorini Thira International Airport (JTR) to Athens International Airport (ATH). Unfortunately, due to the heavy winds and inclined weather conditions our flight was delayed till 11pm that same evening ☹ ☹. We were very disappointed as we just had 1 and a half day to explore Athens and the delay till 11pm would take away our entire Athens adventure.
The weather was unfavorable in the morning hours only but there were other airlines flying out from noon onwards. We had no choice but to purchase new tickets to Athens which costed us more money. We did not get any reimbursement on our original tickets with Ryan Air – which had very poor customer service and I would not recommend that airline to anyone.
After all the troubles we still managed to save some time to tour the ancient city of Athens. We walked around the city and delved into following sites.
Our first stop was at the marvelous temple of Olympian Zeus.
Across the temple of Olympian Zeus lied the famous Hadrian’s Arch.
From there we headed to Panathenaic Stadium – the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble and famous for hosting the first modern Olympic games in 1896.
We then passed by Syntagma square and then headed to plaka town which is situated at the base of the Acropolis. Plaka has its own unique charm to it, with plenty of small narrow streets lined with cobblestones, cafes, restaurants and bars. It is a great place to relax for a few hours, enjoy a couple drinks and window shop.
Our last stop for the day, was at Odeon of Herodes Atticus theater also found at the base of Acropolis. It is rated the second-best theatre in the world. However, since it was night time the theater was closed and we only got to get peek inside from its grand entrance.
Day 10 – Return IAD
Our final day, March 25th, fell on the Greek Independence Day during which all archeological sites are closed. We did not get a close look of the famous acropolis as it was closed – this was the best view we got!
We did however, get free entry to the Acropolis museum and the National archeological museum. We also got to observe the Military Parade in Athens that marks the Greece Independence Day!
Tip: If you will be in Athens for just 1 day make sure it does not fall on a Greek National Day as the Archaeological sites will be closed.
Here are some of the restaurants when in Greece:
- Brunch at Dana Villas – Santorini
- Franco’s café – Santorini
- Skiza Café – Santorini
- Jaipur Palace Indian Restaurant – Santorini
- Indian Haveli – Athens
If you are planning a trip to Greece and have additional days to spare, we highly recommend visiting its neighboring country, Turkey. It’s beauty is sure to astonish you 🙂
