Often, highly recommended places don't call to us--Will we like Santorini?
 

We are off to Greece for 16 days in the end of May. I'm still sorting things out as far as an itinerary (we've only had the plane tickeets for a week) and find myself vacillating about Santorini. On the one hand, I hear it is very, very unique and is an absolutely gorgeous, don't miss place. On the other hand, I understand it is really, really touristy even during the shoulder season. But, there are other nearby islands that also sound quite nice--Tinos and Naxos for example.

Frankly, in the past we haven't been that shot with some very typically visited European locales that normally come highly recommended because they just seemed way too touristy to us. Here are some easy examples. We visited Carcassone a second time to see if the less than perfect weather the first visit had been what left us feeling not particularly enthused about the place. Time two, things didn't change. Honfleur in Normandy also didn't do much for us. And, Rothenburg in Germany to us was so-so, and we actually preferred other small towns in the area. Now, can you see why I am wondering about Santorini.

We are low-key, middle-aged people who aren't into shopping, fancy meals, resorts, night life or luxury lodging. We like gorgeous scenery, active outdoor pursuits, unique architecture, the arts, places with historic interest, and we often visit more off-the-beaten-path locales.

Thoughts? Suggestions? What do you think? Include it in the itinerary, or skip it? Thanks.

JulieS: With all respect for the Santorini-philes here, and there are many, the island left the two of us pretty cold.

We spent about 5-6 days there in late September a few years ago. The views are truly some of the most awesome I've ever seen and the architecture is wonderful. Oia is charming, but totally overrun with tourists.

I truly did not warm to the whole experience of being there. Part of this might have been due to circumstances, but if I return to that part of the world, I would seek out an island with far less tourist activity.

Since we've agreed on the towns you've mentioned as being a
little 'over-touristed' and since we've spent time on both
Santorini and Naxos, I'll take the chance of being called
a snob and say, yes, I'd take Naxos for certain!

Looking over the caldera on S. is indeed awesome, but you're
in a crush of cruise ship passengers and honeymooners and
a legion of shopkeepers wanted you to buy gold and trinkets.
Now, this is Fira - Oia is a little quieter and there are
some other places on the island to escape the crowds but
you are never without them. And we were there in May.

We loved Naxos - the internal villages are charming, the
beaches lovely, the Venetian aspects interesting and the
boskiness a relief. The island does not have the drama
of Santorini but it has a lot to offer - space and quiet.

We also enjoyed Paros and Amorgos and this year we're
exploring Samos. All more low-keyed Greekier (!) islands.

This is a very difficult one. As more and more people travel, often in large groups, beautiful places become inundated. It's becoming more and more difficult to find 'untouristed' places of natural beauty.
But to get to your basic question, yes you should go once. Santorini is one of the most spectacular places on the planet. It will take your breath away. I did it just as an overnight in October, and managed to find a quiet time after the tour groups had left. This will probably be enough for you. Afterwards you can move on to less spectacular Naxos/Paros/wherever and get away from it all.

The scenery is absolutley gorgeous in Santorini. Don't know how terribly crowded it will be in May. We were there years ago in April and it was pretty empty and just recently in the end of September -- not so empty, but not horrible. When the cruise ships are gone, it's quite nice. In Sept they only hit Oia where we stayed every few days I believe so we had several days without them. We enjoyed just sitting on our balcony and gazing out at the beautiful view. hiked down to the little town with beaches below and really just hung out. U can hike along the edge from Oia to Fira. Perhaps staying at one of the smaller villages such as Imerovigli might appeal to u and u could still experience the beauty?
The interior o fNaxos is beautiful and defintely not touristed. However the main area of Naxos is very busy and tourist oriented and not esp scenic in my view. I do love Naxos though. U should check to see if Akrotiri on Santorini is open.
If you don't like places that attract tourists for good reason, they're beautiful, I'd skip both Naxos and Santorini and go to some of the lesser visited islands.

I don't think anyone can answer that question for you. I had been travelling to the Cyclades for years before getting around to visiting Santorini, because I felt the same way as you. Santorini has gorgeous scenery and unique architecture, thereby meeting some of your criteria. Its major place of historic interest, Akrotiri, is closed, but the museum in Fira displays murals, pottery, and many other items from the site. There is also Ancient Thera, the ruins well worth a visit.

There are so many different islands, each with its own special character. You can't see them all in 16 days, but three or four would be feasible.

BTW, I was there at the end of May 2007, and didn't think it was very busy. Oia was peaceful, except for a few hours each day when the cruise ship passengers were there, but once they left it became quiet again. I will probably spend a couple of days there again this year, in the middle of June. Got that, Lee? ;-)

I can't believe all the responses I got to this is in just the time it took me to throw a load of clothes in the washer. Once again, mixed reviews of the place. But, I am starting to wonder if it is for us since some others, who had the same negative reactions to so places we didn't like, also weren't thrilled with Santorini.

I had thought of Oia as the place to stay if we do visit, but perhaps the suggestion of Imerovigli would be a better option if we do visit since it sounds like the tour ships don't stop there. Unfortunately, I've seen for myself how the nature of a locale changes when the ship or busload of tourists hit it for a few hours. Since we are more the slow travel-type people, I had assumed if I included Santorini in the itinerary, we'd spent about 3 or 4 nights. But, perhaps the compromise could be just a quick one night stop there to see the place and then move on to another island. Greece is so large, and there are so many places to see that we need to be careful about what we choose and how we spend our time. It may end up that we eliminate the islands and instead visit the Peloponese area and other mainland areas or limit ourselves to Crete and Athens. I guess I should have put in my original post that while we definitely enjoy seaside locales, quaint fishing vilages etc., we are often more interested in little-visited, quaint interior locales where we could hike between little towns and villages. And, we are not at all interested in going to the beach. Decisions, decisions....Thanks much.

It seems to me you're pre-disposed to dislike Santorini. If you have so many doubts and reservations about going there then I do think it's best that you avoid it and go somewhere else where you are 100% sure you won't be disappointed. But does a guarantee like that exist? Certainly no one here can predict your reaction. How do you do that?

I stayed in Imerovigli. Unless something has changed since 2005, I would not recommend this area if you want a village atmosphere. It is really just a collection of hotels and restaurants, mostly along the lip of the caldera. There was no real village. The businesses were oriented toward tourists--small food shops, etc.

I thought again after I posted the first time because I want to be fair. After all, the Amalfi Coast is totally touristy, but we adored it and plan to return. Perhaps the part of the problem, for me, was the total lack of a common language. At least I can get along with fractured Italian, but Greek is, well, Greek to me. So I felt that I could not talk to anyone outside the tourist restaurants and shops.. (But then again, I love SE Asia, and places in Africa where I had no common language, so maybe that is NOT the issue...)

The place felt like a stage set to me. Beautiful but with no soul that I could uncover. But I can't place the blame on myself--perhaps I did not try hard enough, or we were not there long enough.

Sorry--I meant that I should not place the blame on Santorini--perhaps it was MY fault that I did not take the time to uncover more on the island.

Crete is fabulous and one could easily spend 2 weeks exploring it.

Well said, eks - that's how we felt about S. - a stage set.

We were in Imeroviglia also - gorgeous views but not a
village. However, the 30 min walk back into Fira along
the hillside looking down over the Cycladic rooftops was
just wonderful.

OP's sage advice to overnight is a recommendation I'd follow.

Naxos is a perfect island for hikes to unspoilt hilltop
villages in the interior with the odd kouros thrown in
and kitron for refreshment! Fun.

I was looking forward to Santorini and it was my least favorite place in Greece. I would never return there. I loved the other Greek islands, Crete and the Peloponesean peninsula. It was also the only place in Greece where we didn't receive that wonderful Greek hospitality , most likely because we were dealing with so many non-Greeks in the tourist industry there. I would recommend a day trip to Santorini to see the famous view and then go to Naxos or Paros for a much better experience. I didn't listen to the advice given by Greek friends in Athens to only stay two nights and move on. We stayed in Oia in a hotel that recieved great reviews; it was average at best. I now try to pick seaside locations where there are no cruise ships coming into port.

I noticed that, too--there were many non-Greeks staffing the hotel and the restaurants we visited.

brotherleelove--I do have doubts and reservations, but I don't think I am predisposed to not like the place. I was trying to get a feel for Santorini from others who have also visited, and were disappointed in, some of the same other places I WAS disappointed in despite the glowing recommendations from guidebooks and other people. There have been places I had doubts about and ended up liking much more than I anticipated. In Feb. 2002 we visited the Cote d'Azur, and before our trip I really had some significant doubts. We liked it much more than we anticipated. I just spent 11 days studying Spanish in Antigua, Guatemala, which many say is way too touristy for them. I also liked the place a lot. I am just trying to make some informed decisions, not ask for guarantees. In the past, particularly when researching European destinations, I have gotten sound advice from many here. I have never looked for or sought a guarantee.

To all who have replied, I thank you again for your honest opinions. I know we are all different in our likes and dislikes. Plus, if we all absolutely loved all of the same places, we'd never want to vacation there because all of the world's vacationers would be in the same spot! I also have to throw in here that many of our own friends think we are absolutely whacko because we have vacationed in, and liked, places such as Peru, Vietnam, and Nicaragua that they would never, ever even contemplate visiting.

We were in Santorini in late May 3 years ago- yes, we are those cruise passengers that are mentioned in several notes. We absolutely loved it there and are going back this August. If it was crowded, I didn't see it. We enjoyed a beautiful dinner watching the sun set over the caldera. We enjoyed some wonderful hospitality of wonderfully nice people. We bought some great jewelry. We hiked the caldera. We even became friends with one of the jewelers who has since traveled to our home town! We did find it so funny to see so many businesses named Nick, Nicki's, Nicholaus, Nic, Nikki... it was like were in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". And yes, we took some incredible photos against a clear blue blue blue sky. Every passenger on our ship seemed to have done something different and I heard no complaints from any of them. The advantage you have is the ferry system can take you away....

one more thing... you mention that you enjoy adventure. Hiking that caldera liked to have killed me. I'm 50ish so now I have it in my goal to repeat this year. It was amazing to be able to see the island from the ocean. A view that I won't ever forget. (and as a tip, when you're walking around looking at the true beauty of the island, watch your step or you could end up falling, banging up a knee and breaking a toe- that happened to me but we felt it was a great op to visit a bar filled with locals and get a true sense of the people, which we did. loved it (not the broken toe))

julies - we also had some doubts, in part because we went in the off season (this past Thanksgiving) when a lot of things are closed and weather isn't supposed to be the best. And yes, it was supposed to be very touristy. I, and now we, have been traveling to Europe since 1969, but had never been to Greece and didn't know when we might return.

So we went, with trepidation intact, and stayed in Oia for 3.5 days. We could not have been more rewarded. Our hotel overlooking the caldera had views that were worthy of the best travel posters. The hotel staff treated us royally. The sunsets were mesmerizing. The historical sites were fascinating. The architecture was unique. The walks were memorable. The weather was beautiful and we actually loved the lack of crowds. It was like having paradise to ourselves - and the fact that many shops and restaurants were closed didn't faze us at all. Enough were open that it met our needs just fine. [Most everything was open in Fira, but it was not crowded either].

I can see why some would think mid-summer might be just too crowded; and I surmise we would think so too. But our memories of Oia/Santorini are wonderfully recalled.

I do think it can be very personal, but I hope my comments help.

Santorini is the most beautiful place I have ever been, but a couple of days is enough. We were there in mid-late May, and it was not overrun with tourists, especially after the cruise folks left. Our hotel was built into the cliff overlooking the caldera, and I cannot tell you what a thrill it was to walk out onto our little private terrace each morning to see that sight before us.

OTOH, I thought Honfleur was a pretty place for an overnight, too, and I loved Rothenburg when I was there in the 60ies!

I am not a big fan of Versailles and the Loire, and got flamed on here for saying that, IMO, Versailles is overrated; I've come to learn that I prefer natural beauty to large, grandiose buildings. They are interesting, and I do appreciate their historical significance.

Good luck with making your decision.