itinerary ideas:4 nites in santorini in october
 

Hi fellow travelers,
Husband and I are taking our first trip to Greece in early October. Staying 2 nights in Athens and then 4 nights Santorini, booked at the Nefeles Suites in Fira which looks well-recommended. We are adventurous, fairly fit, & eager to get to know the place and the people. Seeking ideas, daytrips, restaurants, and other suggestions to enjoy our time to the fullest! Thanks so much!

Four nights in S. in October strikes me as a lot. Can you add one island to your tip? In fact, 2 nights (i.e. less than two full days in Athens) seems skimpy.

There are wineries on Santorini and a couple of different winery tours, a few small museums and exhibit halls, an easy cliffside hike between Fira and Oia (7 miles) that passes by Imerovigli on the way, as well as a hike into Ancient Thera above Kamari Beach. You can take a sunset/caldera cruise, take the local shuttle ferry across to explore Therassia, have a meal in one of the fish tavernas on the wharf at Amoudi Bay below Oia. You can check to see if Santorini Mou in Oia and Kyra Niki in Karterados are open so you can enjoy some spontaneous live Greek music.

I wouldn't recommend a second island for such a short trip. You could change to three nights in Santorini and three in Athens, but that's a personal choice - busy city vs laid-back island. Athens would be pleasant in October, with lots to see and do. Santorini will be quieter than summer, with end of season drawing near. Whatever you decide you will have a great time. :-)

Thanks, everyone. Treplow, I'm curious why four nights is alot. I'm hoping it is sunny enough for the beach/pool, visits to towns, and drinking! In Athens, we don't want to - and can't - see every site so 2 days will have to suffice. Other suggestions or thoughts - please pass them along. Appreciate it!

It's a lot only if you get bored easily, are in a constant search for diversion and can't just sit down to relax and enjoy the views and general atmosphere. If you're addicted to sensory overload and have ants in your pants Santorini may not be for you but I can't imagine NOT finding enough things to see and do for 4 nights! :-?

Just sitting on your balcony and gazing at the caldera would quickly get boring, but there is a lot to do on Santorini. I always say that the only people who get bored are boring people. ;-)

Thanks, folks! We lead such busy lives that having the time to sit on our balcony and stare out to sea sure sounds good!

Works for me too!

Well, I can spend three weeks on Antiparos without getting bored, so three days on a balcony in Santorini would work for me too!

thanks for the vote of support! Now onto restaurants: have you been to Selene or 1800? Both have superb writeups. Are they worth the $$$$?

We stayed four nights on Santorini and it was too much, our least favorite place in Greece.Reminded me of the Grand Canyon where you sit and look at a beautiful scenery ( since we didn't hike to bottom.) Much preferred the other islands.

HI,

In Oct. there will few tourist and to have Santorini with less people would be heaven. I myself sat and stared at the view for over an hour at a time. Don't forget to explore the beach area on the other side of the island. I went to a beach, and enjoyed spending the better part of the day resting, swimming, eating, and reading. In early Oct. you should be able to swim. I did not explore the rest of the beach area of the island and I wonder what is there, maybe more beaches, but how bad is that. We walked down the cliff from the Katikies and had dinner at a little restaurant that was all by itself. What wonderful fresh fish. We did need to hike back up after dinner, but if you go slowly it's OK.

I would love 4 days in Santorini. Have fun, Yipper

Great recommendations. Definitely visit Santos and Boutari wineries. Santos has an incredible huge terrace you can sit and enjoy the views and a glass of wine. There's also a smaller winery near Oia you can visit, Sigalas. I love doing the hike between Oia and Fira. Sailboat cruise, visit to Thirassia and the volcano, Spend an evening in Oia wandering and find a nice place to eat. Visit Red Beach, Black Beach. The museum in Fira that Brotherleelove mentioned is great.

There really is plenty to do or not do for four nights. Enjoy!

Thanks, WUG, I printed out the brochure from the Santos website. Looks great!

Any thoughts on 1800 or Selene for our big restaurant splurge?

The view from Ambrosia in Oia is better than from 1800. Also check out Feredini, La Maison, Koukoumavlos and Vanilia (not vanilla).

Feredini looks fantastic. Just what I was going for. Haven't looked into La Maison. Araid many of the reviews on TripAdvisor were not fully favorable for the other two..Brotherleelove, what do you think of Selene?

It has an excellent reputation but I personally prefer more traditional and less-expensive restaurants.

I've eaten at 1800 and yes, it was too expensive. Very good main courses and apetizers, excellent, no, superb service, nasty desserts, nasty. But definitely too expensive for the value. Recommended if you have an hour for a few glasses of very good wine and an appetizer, but I'd look elsewhere for a full meal.

The meals we enjoyed most were at Ammoudi at simple Greek fish tavernas with local produce. We also ate at Kyprida, the cuisine is Cypriot, the menu is extensive, food very good and not expensive. We can eat Italian & Japanese at home.