Instagrammers guide to Santorini greece

Ah Santorini what a magic!!!! Cliff side white homes and peeking blue painted domes symbolic of Greece are truly a vision, one of the most romantic destinations in the world found on almost everybody’s travel bucket list and an instagrammers paradise. These pictures prove every bit but what they don’t tell is that those dream like instagram worthy pictures are not easy to get. Ok lets face it, being on everyones bucket list means loads of people, tourists to put it better, hoards of them and the reality is that you have to have a few things in place so your pictures turn out to be more frame worthy #createpostcards than just pictures.

First let me equip you 

Visit off season - My first and the best tip is to visit off season, now you may say Chichi are you mad? why will i go to Santorini - the cyclades if i can’t have the sun. Well i don’t mean winter i mean just a little off season, the main season for Santorini as for all of Greece is mid june to mid september, so if you can, please choose dates a little off that time. Mid may to mid june (late spring) or mid september to mid october (early october). The weather is warm enough to enjoy and far less tourists which translates not only to more ease and time for taking pictures but also no worry of other people or their heads or limbs in them!!!

Visit early in the day- Around 8- 8.30 in the morning is a good time as the places usually start to fill up by 10.30 am. Being an early riser as they say has its rewards and in santorini its totally true. 

What to wear in Santorini- When travelling to a touristy place with sun and walking involved it only makes sense to wear lightweight, breathable and comfortable fabric. Flowy maxi dresses or cotton/ linen shorts with off shoulder blouse are your best bet. The outfit colours that look great in Santorini pictures are white and blue, going with the whole mood of white and blue in the place. Also suggest having ur hair off your face in a ponytail or a braid or a bun. Heels are a big No. There is no way you can do those cobbled streets in heels even wedges, just wear ur comfiest flat sandals. Sunglasses or a hat whichever suits you better.

Before leaving for a day around Santorini, make sure ur camera battery is charged and your memory card is empty, so you click without worrying for memory space.

Now where to go to get the dream instagram  Santorini shots

Oia- Most of the pictures that you see on social media of the iconic 3 blue domes together and the sunset on the aegean sea against the backdrop of the windmills and the white houses are taken in Oia a village in the greek island of Santorini. If you follow points 1,2,3 you are better equipped to take on this very touristy village. For that reason i will never suggest to stay in Oia. Whats the fun of chilling in a private jacuzzi when 1000 people are looking at you, yes thats how it is in Oia! Hardly any peace and privacy and on top of that the highest prices on the island. Not worth it!!! Anyways whether you stay or take my advice and do not you have to visit Oia for the pictures. Its a small village, you can go from one end to the other on foot in 30 minutes. So all the hot spots for pictures are very close. Whether you take the taxi or the bus to reach you have to get down at the bus stand and then do the island on foot. 

-  There are four top instagrammable spots and they are all on your left side after you enter the village in the following sequence.

1.  first spot on the way is the 3 blue domes together - barely 300 mtrs from the bus stop a flight of stairs from the main street take you to this place if you follow point 1 and 2 there is very low chance of a cue. 

2. two blue domes and a pink structure with bells- about 100 mtrs from the first spot. There is no one here because the gate through which you enter says private. If you are in luck there are two possibilities 1. you meet someone living in the houses at the gate and he lets you in 2. the gate is open and you are daring enough to ignore the notice and enter. Its all ok just remember to be respectful of the place and the people. 

3. 3rd spot the pink houses with the blue door again just about 100 mtrs but from spot no 2. not many tourists here but the photographer has to be at a distance on the roof or the stairs of the opposite building to get the full shot.

4. The windmills- Best photographed around sunset, in the summer the sun sets on Santorini around 8 and after 5- 5.30 pm people start moving towards the windmill to get the best spots to experience the sunset, if you want to take the glorious pictures i suggest you move as early as you can. Another option is to book a table at a restaurant with a great view of the caldera near the windmill. 

- Be ready to climb on the white roofs to get pictures like the ones below, and when you do so please take off your footwear to not spoil the white wash.

- Go down the staircases for shots like this, the whole village is terraced so you will find many such spots.

- Wander around for your own discoveries.

- Apart from these spots i also recommend visiting Lolita gelato not just for the pictures, which you totally will, but also because the gelato is the best in the world from what i have eaten, even better than anywhere in Italy and trust me i have had the chance to savour the best.

Santorini is not just Oia-  There are so many other beautiful villages and towns in Santorini with their own unique characteristics. It is possible to witness the same kind of sunset from Fira the main hub where the bank and the main bus stand is and where the cruise ships arrive. Kamari on the eastern part of the island has the most beautiful volcanic red beach (think pictures) , super delicious food the skies are gorgeous around sunset and sunrise. In the southern part of the island is Akrotiri a roughly 3500-year-old Minoan town preserved in volcanic ash (like Pompeii) and at its southern end is a lighthouse used by the Greek Navy (photo opportunity). Take a boat ride for 15 mins from Kamari to Perissa for an almost deserted like white church with blue dome, we took our own sweet time around an hour to take pictures here and no one passed by! Unimaginable in Oia or even Fira for that matter. Santorini has many wineries (photo photo) thanks to the fertile volcanic soil for growing grapes. You can do a half day tour through the many wineries. Our kind Airbnb host took Vaibhav to one of his friends vineyards and the wine was pretty awesome. 

How much time to spend in Santorini- We spent four days and visited all the places i mentioned above but i still feel it was not enough, wonder how people do Santorini on a day stopover on cruise ships!! One can easily spend 7 days. Taking leisurely dips in the sea eating good food and relaxing. Also adventure sports if you like.

Where to stay and what to eat- We stayed in Kamari and i totally recommend. Beautiful beach, less crowd, good connectivity to Fira and other parts of Santorini and great food. Our two favourite places to eat in Kamari were Bacchus and Captains Taverna. Real greek food where the greeks would eat, delish to say the least, you can try anything.

We had drinks and evening snacks at Cafe Irini in Fira- good food with stunning views and enjoyed lunch at Thaglassia taverna in Oia.

How to reach Santorini- Flights available but its best reached by sea, the midnight blue water of the caldera, the volcanic lava cliffs with the white houses are quite a sight as you approach this paradise.

Hard to believe that this spectacle of the mediterranean was just another volcanic island with a minoan town on its southern shore until 1620. Today its terraced white and blue dome structures offering the most breathtaking views of the Aegean sea totally make it one of the top most beautiful destinations in the world, very rightly frequented by honeymooners, filmmakers, bloggers and the likes, i have to go back soon!!!!

Coming up next a Santorini outfit lookbook.

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Thank you for stopping by! See you with my next.

Love

Chichi