Contrary to popular belief, it’s more than possible to visit Santorini on a budget. And although my first visit to the island was for a mere three days- and all by myself- I still got a tonne out of my stay in this Cycladic paradise. Here’s why you need to visit Santorini even if your budget is tight, and everything you need to know, to do it!
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I visited Santorini for the first time in early September 2017. Visiting the island later in the season would have been even more budget-friendly. Here’s what it’s like to visit Santorini in late October.
Book the cheapest flights possible
The best way to find cheap flights to Santorini is to use a search engine like Skyscanner, and be flexible about your dates. In my case, the most affordable flights were first to Athens on the first flight in the morning, where I would spend one night. And then I’d fly on the first flight the following morning from Athens to Santorini. In order to save on any luggage fees, I only took hand luggage.
Knowing that I’d be checking in at around 4am, I even scrimped on accommodation and got the very last train to Gatwick at around midnight, spending a few hours dozing in the actual airport. My hope of getting a short kip was scuppered by a team of sniffer dogs at around 2.30am, but at least I saved the money on a night in a hotel, right!?
In Athens, I spent a day exploring and then a night in a hostel. Thanks to the sniffer dog wake up call, I was severely lacking in sleep, overslept by two whole hours and almost missed my second flight. Almost, but not quite. After all this madness, I was beginning to wonder whether it was really such a great idea to be sticking to my Santorini on a budget rule so strictly; but once I start these things it becomes almost like a game to me, and there is just no stopping me on the extreme budget front.
A little bit about Santorini
Flying into Santorini is pretty full on awesome. From above I could see the area is actually a collection of islands, nestled around a caldera which was formed by a rather large volcanic situation that went down a few thousand years ago. In fact, the islands are basically the rim of the volcano; the caldera is way down under the sea.
‘Caldera’ literally means ‘cauldron,’ and this particular caldera and volcanic history has led many to suggest that the lost city of Atlantis might be located somewhere around these parts. Whether you believe in the existence of Atlantis or not, a volcanic eruption has caused the downfall of an entire civilisation of people in the area (the Minoans, if you’re interested).
After landing, I made my way to the little village of Karterados by bus, and was spat out of the doors into the sweltering heat at Zotos Bakery on the corner- navigating my way down a very quiet hill on which a few kids gave me funny looks and ran away as fast as they could. To be fair to them, I probably looked like a sweaty MESS. And the bag I was carrying was cutting off the circulation in my right arm which definitely showed in my face. At the end of this little hill was the place I was staying.
Using the buses in Santorini
It’s incredibly easy to use public transport in Santorini. The island is not massive by any means, and the bus network is fairly extensive; the only thing that makes it tricky is the fact that all buses run out of Fira. This means that if you want to get from one end of the island to the other, you’ll definitely have to change here.
Buses run to and from the ferry port as well as the airport, however the bus schedule is confusingly dependent on the planes and ferry schedules. Buses are timed to leave the ferry port or airport just after planes and ferries arrive, so in theory whenever you arrive in Santorini there will be a bus waiting to collect you. Buses also leave Fira for the port/airport an hour and a half before a plane or ferry is due to leave.
It’s a strange system to get your head round at first, but it works- and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The buses are more like coaches, which is nice because it means the air conditioning is great and the seats are comfy. To use them, flag a bus down, then board either by the door in the middle or at the front. Sit down, and then a few stops in a man with some spare change in a bumbag will get on and work his way up the aisle taking money and handing out tickets.
Stay in a hostel in Santorini. Or, a cave.
That’s right, pals! During my time on Santorini, I decided to really go EXTREME BUDGET and hide out in an actual cave, Neanderthal style. Nah, just kidding. I stayed in probably one of the best hostels I’ve ever stayed in, Caveland Santorini.
Located in an old vineyard in the village of Karterados, it’s true that guests do sleep in the caves where the wine was once stored. But there are also showers and wifi, meaning it’s not quite the back-to-basics caveman scenario that it could be. In fact, there are plenty of five star hotels and resorts in Santorini offering cave-stay experiences just like this one; at Caveland you get the same thing on a fraction of the budget. What more could you ask for?
In addition to the caves (and breakfast included every morning), there were dogs, cats, and an awesome pool to chill out by whenever you bloody well wanted.
Infinity pool, schminfinity pool.
Read my full review of Caveland Santorini here
If there’s one thing that I have learnt in recent years it’s that never should you ever feel guilty for relaxing when on holiday, and this was the ideal place for doing so. Bougainvillea adorned just about every space available, the sound of cockerels crowing could be heard in the distance every morning, and a chilled out poolside combined together to make this the perfect Santorini experience.
Don’t ride the donkeys
Save your money, folks- don’t ride a donkey in Santorini. Budget aside, it’s just plain unethical.
The purpose of the donkeys in Santorini was, once upon a time, to carry things and people up the steep cliffs from harbours to the island’s clifftop villages. It’s said that most of the villages in Santorini couldn’t have been built if donkeys hadn’t been the ones bearing the brunt of the bricks being heaved to each site.
Nowadays however, the purpose of the Santorini donkeys is solely to carry tourists up and down the steps from the old port to the centre of town. There are an awful lot of steps and an awful lot of tourists arriving in giant cruise ships daily, eager to spend their money on this so-called ‘tradition.’
However I politely declined the offer of the donkey-men squawking ‘donkey, donkey!’ in my face as I passed them.
It’s hard to tell from the expression of a donkey whether they’re happy or sad, but I felt that making one carry me down hundreds of steps in the baking sun definitely wasn’t a kind thing to do. I opted to just have a nice chat with a few of them instead, mainly about what great jewellery they had on.
Stick to street-food
Greece does street food brilliantly. I went to Pito Gyros in Oía for a truly top-notch gyros. Traditional gyros are made with pork, and contain onion, tomato, chips and tzatziki wrapped in some kind of flatbread. Wherever you go in Greece, if they charge more than €2 (€2.50 at an absolute push), they are massively ripping you off and you should definitely turn your back and walk away in horror and disgust.
Aside from gyros (and souvlaki too, if you fancy it), stick to your budget in Santorini by minimising your restaurant time. Try some Greek pastries, either classic cheese pies with layers of melt-in-your-mouth filo pastry, or crunchy sweet biscuits- there’s something for just about every taste.
If you’re staying in a hostel, make the most of their kitchen facilities; and the same goes if you’re at an Airbnb.
Explore Oía – it’s free!
Oía is the most famous village in Santorini, without a shadow of a doubt. Pronounced in the same way a cockney says ‘here,’ i.e. ‘eeya,’ this town clinging to the northen-most cliffs of the island is far quieter than nearby Fira. But be warned- it attracts a large number of tourists at sunset as this is the part of Santorini that gets the longest and most glorious sunsets of them all.
Oía is all about the whitewashed buildings, blue domed churches and generally a casual way of life. The main street is built out of marble, which made me think mostly of the yellow brick road and the grand old city of Oz, but the marble also adds a mild element of danger to the atmosphere. It does tend to be a very slippery surface for walking on, particularly when boiling hot.
Underneath the town sits the tiny port of Ammoudi Bay, where you can fling yourself off the rocks into the sea, or alternatively just catch a boat to the little island of Thirasia, for an even more truly Greek experience.
Jutting out at one end of Oía is the castle, which I stumbled across very much accidentally. I’d finished my gyros in as elegant a fashion as possible- which is not very elegant at all, as there was definitely drops of unnoticed tzatziki still soaking into my clothes come dinner time- and kept on strolling. I had no real idea of what my aim for the day was, and was lost in thought when I realised all of a sudden that I was standing at the top of a very high rock jutting out into the sea, in the midst of the crumbling remains of a castle.
It’s not been kept in fantastic condition, and although it is a ruin people also seem to have used it as a dumping ground for unwanted building materials. But even so, it’s a pretty cool place to go and have a nose around. The castle was built when the Venetians were in power by a Byzantine family, to help defend Santorini from pesky pirates and also probably just to make themselves look powerful and intimidating. (Why else do people build castles, after all?) The first time I visited there were just a couple of snoring Greek folk lazing in the shade of the walls, but by sunset the whole place was crawling with visitors wanting to get the best spot to watch the sunset.
Adding to my collection of awesome bookshops seen…
In recent times I seem to have developed a sixth sense for intuiting where really awesome bookshops will be located. To my absolute delight the island of Santorini was not immune to my bookshop-senses.
The entrance to Atlantis Books in Oía is hidden down a short staircase, and inside this cave of wonders is all manner of incredible books in both Greek and English (and a few other languages for luck). The little shop is crammed to the rafters with magical-looking hundred-years-old copies, rare first editions signed by the authors, and small and intriguing books and maps published by the bookshop’s own publishing company. It is a true marvel!
On the roof of the shop are a few more shelves of second hand books, some small nooks for reading them in, and a fantastic view of the caldera- which I’d imagine is even more fantastic at sunset.
If you’ve got time: head further afield
Oía might be at the top of many a bucket list, but there’s way more to Santorini than just this one little village. And most places you’d want to visit are totally accessible by bus.
Whilst one side of the island is all steep cliffs and layers of houses, the other is a much less dramatic affair, with the shore sloping gently into the sea. The beaches of Kamari- the black sand beach- and Perissa, have more of a family vibe about them, and either of these are a perfect place to spend the day.
Further away is Akrotiri- the red sand beach. The colour palette of red cliffs against the turquoise sea are downright stunning, and well worth a visit. Technically entry to the beach is forbidden- despite the fact there’s a small cafe down there and plenty of regular visitors. Cliff falls are a big risk in the area, so bear this in mind when you’re planning a visit.
If you want to head off the beaten path in Santorini, head to the beautiful village of Pyrgos. This little gem of traditional life has somehow been by-passed by the tourist crowd, and a wander through its winding alleyways and up to the castle at the top of the hill is something I’d recommend to anyone and everyone. Alternatively, Megalochori is a bit further along the road, for an even quieter slice of Cyclades life.
Make the most of your hostel
It became clear to me very quickly that in order to eat truly great food in Santorini, it would be imperative that I DID NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES eat in the restaurants targeting tourists in the town of Fira (for example). But I felt mildly awkward about eating out alone. (Sometimes I can do it with ease, but in Santorini, island of coupledom, it was a no to a solo meal from me.)
This is where the beauty of hostels comes in. If you’re staying in a hostel in Santorini- or, a hostel anywhere at all- make the most of any extras they offer. Often hostels will use local tour providers, local restaurants, or just local friends to provide their guests with local experiences. It’s not just a great way of visiting Santorini on a budget, it’s also a brilliant way to support small businesses whilst also have meaningful interactions with locals.
In this case, a big group of us turned up at a taverna down the road and ate a magnificent meal for the bargain price of around €12 each all in. Don’t get me wrong, I sometimes struggle with large groups of people- let alone large groups of people I don’t actually know- but I thought it would probably be a good idea to go along. In this instance the promise of delicious food helped me to beat down my inner hermit. And as it happens, I had a right old laugh.
Fourteen complete strangers from all around the world shared Greek salad, feta, split peas, tomato and zucchini fritters, olives, mousakka, fava beans…the list of food goes on and on and on, but we basically had a little bit of just about everything they presented us with. Rounded off with a few shots of raki for good measure.
Raki does smell like turpentine but I must admit it went down easier than I was expecting. So well done, all around.
The ultimate free thing to do in Santorini
Whether you’re visiting Santorini on a budget or not: watch the sunset.
Topping bucket lists across the world, is watching the sunset in Santorini. And honestly, I can see why; it’s rather spectacular.
On the last of my three days in Santorini, after a peaceful afternoon hanging out by the pool with two Canadian girls, I ventured back to the top corner to witness this sunset in all its glory. And let me tell you this for free, it truly was glorious.
It’s pretty mind blowing to me that there are so many things to do and see in this world- incredible buildings, cities and all manner of man-made brilliance- and yet one of the most spectacular sights of them all is still just a simple sunset which has been happening every single day since whenever the world began.
Want to know the best places to watch the sunset in Santorini? Read on, dear pals!
On day three I found my way to the New Port by bus (going down some pretty steep and extremely bendy roads), accompanied on the journey by an Argentinian banker who had been staying in the hostel too. It was time to leave the Cyclades and catch a ferry to Athens.
Santorini is amazing. In my imagination it is physically heaving with the effort of carrying so many cruise passengers, honeymooning couples and quad bikes laden with selfie-stick weilding people. But unfortunately I suppose, this is the one downside of being such a beautiful place- everyone wants to see it. And who can blame them?
Visiting Santorini on a budget was the first part of a seventeen day trip around Greece. Read more:
Monemvasia, a Magical Hidden Village on a Rock
Exploring Lefkada, a Green Paradise in the Ionian Sea
Thanks for reading, you lovely lot! Want more like this?
Great post. These pictures are absolutely magnificent!
Thankyou!! It’s a pretty magnificent place 😆😆