One of the best countries we loved visiting in Europe is Greece. We loved the food, kindness & warmth of people everywhere right from our airbnb host to the restaurant owner who greets everybody visiting his place.
Greece is surrounded by many beautiful islands such as paras,mykonos,santorini,crete etc.If you are visiting greece for the first time then I suggest you to start with Santorini.
It is every dreamers paradise.Blue dome shaped structures, caldera, black sand beach and painted white homes makes Santorini one of the best islands to visit in Greece. Santorini was in our bucket list for a long time and finally we managed to squeeze in during our Europe trip in December (Low season).It was calm, beautiful and picturesque from every corner.
AMMOUDI BAY :
Your trip to Santorini will be incomplete without a visit to the beautiful Ammoudi Bay.The beautiful port is located 300 steps away from the little town of oia.
You can start on an early morning during the summer to avoid the heat.you can also make use of the donkey rides available to reach the port.It costs around per person.You will experience the most amazing views on your journey to ammoudi bay.
You will find many sea side tavernas where you can indulge in a traditional greek food overlooking the sea along with donkey beer made locally in Santorini. Ammoudi bay is also the perfect spot to take a dip in the sea.The water is incredibly blue and you will have the best view with the beautiful view of the little white buildings in oia & the huge waves hitting the large black rocks on the shore.
Beautiful clear blue water
Greek foods to try :
Enjoy local greek food at many small restaurants and cafes at Santorini.Most of them offer a nice view and tasty sea food to indulge.Try classic greek dishes like Gyra,souvlaki and fava. Don't forget to try the locally brewed Crazy Donkey Beer along with the food.You can even visit the brewery if you have time during the trip.
Restaurants to visit:
Enjoy the local wine tasting tours:
Santorini is well known for its locally brewed beer and wine.There are many winery tours that you can take during your trip to santorini.Both Santo and Venetsanos offer the best amazing views of the caldera.You can either choose to visit the winery tour on your own or book a tour that will take you to multiple wineries.
Wineries in Santorini:
Santo Venetsanos Art Space Santorini Domaine Sigalas Koutsoyannopoulos wine Museum
Watch the sunset:
Sunsets in Santorini are magical.The best place to view the sunset is from Oia .Since there will be a lot of people waiting to catch a glimpse it, I recommend you to go early and decide on the place from where you can get a good view.You can also make a reservation at one of the restaurants at Ammoudi Bay with a great sunset view.Other less touristy places to watch the sunset are along the coast of Ammoudi Bay.
watching the sunset in santorini is a beautiful experience
Sail away:
There are number of boat tours and luxury cruises in Santorini.You can book half day tours, sunset tours and luxury cruises.The most popular is the Red beach tour which takes you to a picteresque location where you can enjoy swimming/ snorkelling as part of this tour experience.You can also book the thermal springs tour for a relaxing dip in the warm water.
Boat Tours Depart : Ammoudi Bay & Athinios