Suggestions for activities on Santorini - for young adults plus their middle aged parents?

Question

I'm going to be spending a few days on Santorini this June with my family but haven't decided what we should do during the visit. We'll be staying in Fira and probably renting a car, so we can go pretty much anywhere.

Any suggestions on where to swim, eat, hang out, go on walks, et cetera? I'd appreciate your input. Thanks!

Answer 1

Visit the Great Kamena beach - the name testifies on Macedonian influence (Kamena=Stone, or Petra on Greek).

Answer 2

In addition to the above recommendations, I suggest you visit the archaeological site of Akrotiri (if it is open), where you can actually see the left overs of a city after the volcano erupted. (A propos volcano, it is mostly a waste of time, money and sweat to visit it, there is no crater to see, just a small pitch black island. Maybe it's only worth it so as to see Fira and Oia from the sea, if you don't arrive there by ferry). It could also be interesting, if you rode up the hill separating Kamari beach and Perissa beach, you can have a view and visit the archaeological site up there. A view of almost the whole island you can have from the "mountain" where all the antennas are, Profitis Ilias. Oia is indeed very beautiful - but too crowded at sunsets for my taste. Fira has anyway spectacular views.

The disadvantages of the island are, as already said, the beaches (deep dark waters - but Perivolos is a fairly good option), too many buildings everywhere, the expensive prices and the not so good service, but I hope you'll survive it, the natural beauty of the island is exceptional.

Answer 3

You will stay in Fira! As soon as you get there you will realize that there is no other place like Fira and you will spend hours walking around at night! The best activity for you and your family since you will be on a Greek island is swimming! Perissa,Perivolos,Kamari (beaches) and don't forget to visit Akkrotiri an ancient village which is conserved in a great way,combine this with swimming in the White,Red and Black beach!

Don't forget to visit Oia and spend a day for a daily trip to the volcano and Thirasia!

You should eat at a restaurant called ''Koukoumavlos'' it is in Fira and is one of the best in Greece!

There are so many things to do in Santorini.......

Have fun

Answer 4

Definitely go to Oia (pronounced Ia) to catch a sunset. A rental car will definitely be useful, but you will likely still need to do a lot of walking when you are in the main towns (Fira and Oia). Finding a convenient place to park may be a bit of a challenge, so you might park it and then have to walk quite a bit. The beaches in Santorini are not the best that Greece has to offer, as there is so much black "sand" from the volcanic base of the island. But, there are a few beaches on the southern part of the island that should be fine (I was there just over a month ago, and it was still too cool to think about swimming). The beaches that I recall are Perissa and Perivolas, but there are probably others worth checking out. One tip for you...if you DO rent a car, and you drive a manual-shift transmission, make sure you are shown how to shift into Reverse!! I may just be out of touch with recent vehicles and their individual features, but I could not for the life of me find the Reverse gear! Turns out that there was a metal ring around the stick shift that I needed to pull up and THEN I could put it into Reverse. Scared the bejezus out of me cause I was inching towards the edge of a very steep cliff when I was needing to reverse! There are many good places to eat, so I don't think you'll have trouble finding good food...just look for a place with a seaside view. Try a pasta with sundried tomatoes (a Santorini specialty) and, if you like them, try fava beans (mashed, with a bit of olive oil and chopped onion...also a Santorini specialty). Santorini also has a number of wineries, so definitely sample some of their wines and perhaps go on a tour of one of the wineries. Take a boat trip to the volcano (I didn't have time during my short visit). And SHOP! There are nice art and jewelry stores in Oia (probably in Fira, too, but I stayed in Oia) and, as you will have a rental car, you might happen upon a place (en route to Akrotiri, Southwest on the island) called Amphora Art Gallery. It is located in the town of Megalochori (phone number is 228-608-2076...still have the business card!). There are a number of paintings in the style of Ancient Greece, but there are also some great ceramics made from local materials. But, if you don't find it, you'll find many of other great shops to lay down some cash or credit cards! Have a great trip..it's a beautiful, beautiful place!

Answer 5

Santorini is a great island but due to the volcano the beaches don't have sand, but smashed rocks (if you understand what I mean). Walk at the caldera in Fyra, Emerovigli, Oia, Fyrostefani and Megalohori. Swim at Kamari, Perivolos, Perissa, Kouloubos, Amoudi and the red beach. Go to a winery and do the wine tasting. Wines in Santorini are tasting very good. I recommend it!

And of course you have to go to the volcano with a pair of old shoes, that you don't need any more, but go during the sunset.

Eat fava, which is a famous food in Santorini (personally I don't like it, but I don't count. Everybody says it's really good) and tomatokeftedes.

At Akrotiri go to the tavern "Delfinia" for fish, and to another one there (I don't remember the name) close to Faros. A very good one is the tavern "Pyrgos" at Pyrgos village and at Fyra "Nikolas" tavern, "Kalderimi", "Selini" and "Archipelagos" restaurant. At Monolithos beach tavern "Galini".

For night life Fyra is the best place to stay. Many bars and great view.

Have a nice vacation.

Answer 6

My favorite thing we did in Santorini was visit the Santos winery right at the edge of the Santorini cliff. You arrive and can take a tour. Then for 10 euros, you can buy a wine tasting tray. It comes with seven half-glasses of wine, a tray of breads, cheeses and dipping sauces. You can sit and relax and talk over wine as you watch the sunset fall over the caldera.

Answer 7

OMG YES. The enviorment in America is so different compared to back home. As you said, the workload is different, the culture is different, the temptation is different. Being a first-generation kid in the US is hard, but I try to remember why my parents brought me to this country : To get an education, and to have a better life. BUT... I have decided that if I plan to live in this country, I will NOT put them in private school. Of course Islamic Sunday School and Arabic Classes are a must, but the biggest accomplishment in my opinion is keeping your ground in HS. You may have a different opinion, but I don't want to shield my child from the dangers of the world. I want them to see the world in it's true form (High School is education in it's purest form) and show them what kind of a struggle I, and other kids had to go through just to make it in the real world (ex: attend college) Of course the way I raise my children will be based on my experiences, but I always try to remember, that this is also a new world for my parents, and they're doing the best that they can in order to raise me and my brother in the best way possible.

Answer 8

thnks for posting this question!this summere am going to santorinh as well:)