bjamie

Hey! My husband and I are traveling to Greece for the first time in early July of this year. We will be in Santorini for 2-3 nights and are wondering if as first-timers we should really stay in Fira or if Oia is the better choice given the time of year we are going. We really don't care about nightlife and would prefer a bit more quiet, but we also don't want to miss out on the 'traditional' Santorini experience. Are we missing anything by staying outside of Fira?

brotherleelove2004

Believe me, there's nothing 'traditional' about Fira in July! There will be thousands of ferry boat, cruise ship and charter flight passengers arriving every day, not to mention all the other visitors passing through on their way to other parts of the island as well as those who've come to Fira for the shopping. The narrow footpath lanes will be clogged and the streets will be jammed with autos, trucks, buses and motorbikes. The real question is: what will you miss by staying in Fira? The answer: your sanity.

Oia will be crowded as well, but not to such a drastic degree. If you want more peace and quiet look in Imerovigli, or even in Firostefani which is is a 15-minute walk from Fira but a lot less-congested.

Here's a link to a hotel website with lots of hotels separated by village: http://www.santonet.gr/hotels

cheryllj

"Missing" something? Like wall to wall bodies?

Listen to bll, he's the expert. I was there at the end of May and Fira was too crowded for me. Oia seemed like a peaceful oasis of tranquility by comparison, although at sunset it got crowded down near the overlook too. (Imerovigli was a little too quiet for us, because we wanted more restaurants and shopping nearby but it would be great if you wanted true serenity.)

The only reason I would stay in Fira is if I planned a lot of clubhopping at night, and needed to be able to stumble back to my room. I would never call that a "traditional" experience though, unless you think the "traditional" Santorini experience involves being overrun by cruisers on shore leave. I could only stand it for a little while before I had to go back to Oia, and I was glad we even stayed a little away from the center of Oia (not far though).

Weadles

Fira was a zoo when we visited in July. Absolutely hated it, and were thrilled that we were staying in Oia instead.

littlejane

I agree - Oia will be lovely and my vote would be to stay there rather than Fira if nightlife is not important to you. If you are there for 3 nights I would suggest going into Fira for dinner one evening, there's a different buzz there and it's a great spot to stroll around before and after dinner.