Santorini’s weather​

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Before booking your vacation to Santorini, you must consider the weather. August is the best month to visit Santorini as it will be sunny and hot, but there will be some wind.

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It is by far the most popular time of the year. But if you want to avoid the crowds, the best time to visit Santorini is before the start of the beach season, for instance, in May.

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At that time of year, Santorini will be sunny and warm but not too hot. The warm season starts exactly in May.

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One particularity of Santorini is that the wind that blows on the island makes the temperatures a bit cooler than you would expect in Greece. In fact, in May, the average temperature reaches a high of 23°C at the warmest hours of the day, while in August, you can have a high of 27°C.

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Another unique feature of Santorini is that the weather can be very predictable. And that is not a bad thing. How good is it to book a vacation months in advance and know exactly what weather to expect?

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Knowing how to get there is crucial after deciding the time of the year to book a trip to Santorini. Will you choose a flight or a ferry?

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Santorini’s flights from Athens

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There are a few options for reaching Santorini by airplane. You can use Ryanair or Aegean Airlines. The best price for a flight to Santorini on Ryanair, with all comfort, luggage, allowance, and ticket flexibility, will be €219.35.

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As a local airline, Aegean Airlines is also a good choice. The price will be €258.99 for a business class seat, with all the amenities you can expect.

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These direct flights make the trip even less stressful and more convenient. It will also be swift. The distance between Athens and Santorini's international airport, also known as Thira Airport, is only 220 km (137 miles). Yes, the flights to Santorini take only 49 minutes!

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But you may choose other ways to get there. And your choice may very well be a ferry. This will be exceptionally relaxing, especially if the trip is long, because the views are to die for...

 

Santorini’s ferry

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Another way to reach Santorini is by ferry. Two ports in Athens, Piraeus and Rafina, provide that route.

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Rafina is a great choice if you want to go to the port immediately after landing in Athens. The ferries depart at 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and the ticket prices start at €56, €144 with a car.

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However, if you plan to stay in Athens for a while, the most convenient port will be Piraeus. The port is only 15km from the centre of Athens, and you can get there by car, bus, metro, or taxi. The ferries depart around 7:00 a.m., and the tickets vary from €35 to €60. If you take your car, it will be €142.50.

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Some ferries may take five hours, and others will take eight and a half hours. But whatever type of ferry you choose, a ferry is ideal if you want to relax and enjoy the incomparable sea view.

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This will make a trip to Santorini a charming and relaxing experience. But after booking a trip to Santorini by flight or ferry, you will face the dilemma of renting a car or taxi.

 

Rent a car in Santorini or take a taxi

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Taxis are an excellent choice to avoid driving up the hills of Santorini by yourself. But if you rent a car, you will have the entire island at your fingertips, and you will be exploring it all at your own pace.​

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Nothing will be out of your reach, not even the island’s villages, all the historical sites, churches, pathways, and shops.

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If you hire a taxi to the hotel, the fares vary between €20 and €40. On the other hand, renting a car in Santorini will cost you between €161 and €371.

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Yet, renting a buggy is an excellent choice if you are an adventurous traveller. The prices range from €154 to €200, and a buggy is fantastic if you want to get around the island in places that are a bit hard to reach, like the beaches or going up the hills.

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But what about a hotel? The options are huge and deserve careful consideration.

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Best hotels in Santorini

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When choosing a hotel, you must consider the ones that cover all your needs and expectations. But, beforehand, you must select the village where you want to stay. The most famous and beautiful villages in Santorini are Oia and Thira in the Caldera.

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Only a few luxury hotels in Oia and Thira will offer just that, to have the best view of the caldera, the Aegean Sea, and the magical sunset.

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The budget hotels will be located in the back of the caldera. But for the best experience in Santorini, the hotels that face west are what you want.

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A private pool, an amazing sea view, the best meals and wine, and the sunset will be there. With all shades of red, the sunset in Santorini is why so many people head to the island.

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But what about venturing outside of your hotel and enjoying the best-refined meals and wine in Santorini’s best restaurants?

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Santorini’s best restaurants

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In Santorini, there are some of the most unique restaurants. The best Santorini restaurants offer many choices of fresh fish, the most succulent meat, wonderful appetizers and desserts, and wine and cocktails.

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Fine dining and views of the Aegean Sea go together. The calm and crystal sea of Santorini is by far one of the best views in the world, especially when night approaches and the sun smoothly lands in the sea.

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But what about exploring the island on a tour? From sea views to wine tours and everything in between, all will be possible to experience in a tour around Santorini.

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Santorini tours

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You can book any type of tour, including private, winery, and boat tours. But which one should you choose?

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For winery tours, a tour takes you to many locations on the island where you can enjoy the best wines of Santorini. Other tours include romantic cruises where you can have lunch or dinner, depending on the tour you book, and volcanic cruises showing you the caldera, the old port, and other perks, such as the town of Oia and the sunset.

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But these are just a few of the tours you can book. There are many more tours to choose from. Unless a tour is out of the question, that is fine, too.

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Enjoying the views, dining in the best restaurants, and watching the sunset from a hotel or restaurant or just about anywhere are also excellent choices.

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Last but not least, Santorini has several beaches where you can relax near nature and the sea if that is your thing. Just put on your sunglasses, and you will be ready!

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Santorini’s beaches

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The red beach is one of Santorini’s best beaches. It is a small beach surrounded by red and black volcanic rocks.

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Although this is a marvelous beach, it is sought-after and often crowded, making it very noisy. But there are other beaches to cherish while staying in Santorini.

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For example, there is Kamari Beach. On this beach, not far away from Thira, a rock called Mesa Vouno shines at night and surprisingly emerges from the Aegean waters.

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The sand is black, but it is still stunning. Around the beach are many restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, and a pathway to Thira. This makes the beach quite popular, so it is not the best place for you when looking for privacy.

 

But there is, for example, a beach in Santorini that gives you the sense of being alone with nature all around. This is the white beach in Akrotiri, 24km from Thira.

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The sand on this beach is also black, but this one has shades of black, grey, and white, and the rocks surrounding the beach are white. That is probably why the locals have named it the white beach.

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Another interesting fact is that access to the beach can only be done by boat, which may very well be why it is more secluded and quieter at times, with fewer people.

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It is popular but has far fewer people than the red beach. Another feature of the white beach is watching the sunset from your sunbed. It is located on the west side of Santorini, the Greek island that will remain in your heart forever.