We all know about Oía and Fira with their sugar-cube houses and cliffside perces, but did you ever hear of Pyrgos, Santorini? This beautiful village is hands down, my favourite place to stay in Santorini.
Santorini, Greece. Island of whitewashed houses, blue-domed churches, and (these days), insta-photoshoots galore. Fira, the island’s capital, and the little village of Oía a little further along the volcanic coast, are crammed with cave hotels, boutique stores and expensive bars and restaurants. With one scan of the horizon in either of these extremely picturesque places, you will almost certainly see a handful of women starring in their own identikit flying dress photoshoots, and even in the quieter months you’ll also probably unwittingly walk through a few of these photoshoots yourself. Fira and Oía are definitely worth visiting- they are beautiful- but what if you want somewhere a bit quieter?
That, my friends, is where the peaceful village of Pyrgos and its pink and blue hazy colour pallett comes in.
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Pyrgos is a hidden gem in Santorini
You can see Pyrgos from Fira; in fact, you can see Pyrgos from almost anywhere on the island of Santorini. The tiny village is perched high up just beneath the shadow of Mount Profitis Ilias, with the windswept ruins of Pyrgos Kasteli- the old Venetian castle- forming its crown.
Once upon a time, Pyrgos was the capital of Santorini, but that’s hard to believe these days. Most of the crowds flock to the tourist traps on the cliffs of the caldera, leaving peaceful little Pyrgos to continue in that type of contented quietness which is still bursting at the seams with life. On the day I arrived, a row of Greek men in flat caps sat on a bench in the golden glow of sunset, while a few children tumbled around on the pavement. Outside cafes and bars on the main square, there was a healthy mix of locals and tourists tucking into plates of fava beans and tzatziki washed down with glasses of wine and bottles of beer.
Narrow alleyways thread their way all the way up the hill, lined with the same domed churches and whitewashed houses as are typical across the rest of Santorini, and donkeys plod up and down the steps, or stand sullenly in fields on the village’s outskirts. Old women dressed all in black hang laundry in their courtyards, and cats peep out of chimneys. Swathing the hill downwards from the village like a cape are vineyards with ground-level vines knotted across the land in layers, stretching all the way out to the caldera in the distance.
Don’t get me wrong, there are hotels in the winding alleyways of Pyrgos- and some great restaurants- but they are far more understated than the gloss of Oía, and I didn’t spot an infinity pool in the entire three days I spent there. (Which I was overall delighted about, to tell you the truth.) This is not the kind of place to visit if you want a fully packed itinerary of ‘things to do in Pyrgos Santorini,’ because to be frank, there aren’t that many things to do at all. But if you’re partial to wandering and love a hidden gem, Pyrgos is the perfect place to stay in Santorini.
How to get to Pyrgos Santorini
Part of the reason Pyrgos has managed to stay so neatly off of the well-trodden tourist path, is that it’s just a little bit too out-of-the-way. And yet- if you’re determined to get there, it’s really not that difficult to reach at all.
All buses on Santorini start their journeys from the bus station in Fira, and none of them have numbers- just a final destination displayed at the bottom of the front window. To get from Fira to Pyrgos you’ll need the bus for either Perissa or Akrotiri. Sometimes the bus will take you directly to the main square in Pyrgos, otherwise you’ll need to get off at Santo Wines and walk about ten minutes uphill to the village. (So if you’re not up for walking with luggage, it’s probably better to check beforehand- ask the driver when you board the bus, and when the ticket man comes round to collect his money, make sure he knows, too.)
For bus timetables, look at KTEL. Although don’t rely too heavily on the timetable; island time is a real thing.
The star attraction of Pyrgos
What do most people visit Pyrgos for? The sunset.
Just as golden hour is setting in, start climbing upwards and keep going until you reach the top. You can either stick to the pathways or be a daredevil and explore some of the narrow staircases and rubble-strewn rooftops of the old abandoned buildings; personally I tried both and they were equally delightful.
The view from the top of the castle is nothing short of spectacular, and unlike Fira and Oía you won’t have to battle a thousand other people in order to see anything. Sunset in Pyrgos is an all together very tranquil affair, and it’s downright stunning to witness the sun go to sleep with a soundtrack of hushed voices and ringing church bells- from the ruins of an actual Venetian castle.
When dusky twilight turns everything to inky blues and purples, it’s even more fun to explore the empty stone corridors of the castle, lit intermittently with glowing lamps. If you want to get even more full on about your Pyrgos experience, consider heading out at sunrise as well. (I get it if you’d rather sleep, but given it’s amazing vantage point in the centre of the island, Pyrgos is equally as well-positioned for sunrise as sunset.)
Where to eat and drink in Pyrgos
Considering the village is so tiny, I was surprised by how many options there are for eating and drinking in Pyrgos.
I found myself waking up before 6am regularly- and intent on seeing Pyrgos at literally any and every hour of the day, I headed out for crack of dawn walks regularly, finishing up at Pyrgos Bakery for breakfast treats. Freshly baked every morning, gone before midday, and way better than any of those daylight robbery pastries on sale in the centre of Fira.
On the main square are a few cafes, bars and restaurants, but my favourite without a doubt is Brusco. This bright little bar sits on a corner- which is perfect for people-watching- and whether it was coffee, cakes, wine or food, nothing I tried here wasn’t absolutely delicious.
For somewhere similar with a spectacular view, head to Franco’s Cafe, almost at the top of the castle. I sat here on my last day in Pyrgos and watched the clouds rolling in across the island below- the first clouds I’d ever seen on Santorini, in all honesty. If you want to eat here at sunset, especially during peak season, make sure you book a table just in case. Aside from the incredible views and delicious food and drinks, the atmosphere at Franco’s is made even more awesome thanks to their exquisite soundtrack choices. Classical and ‘retro’ music only, which is a fitting soundscape for such a gem of a location; the whole experience reminded me of my time in Monemvasía, when our lovely Airbnb host provided a similar soundtrack for stargazing.
For dinner, head to Metaxy Mas if you’re craving Greek comfort food, or Cava Alta for local food which is slightly fancier.
Where I stayed
There are several really beautiful small hotels in Pyrgos- for something really special look at the Kastro Mansion or Santorini Dreams Villas.
But Pyrgos is the kind of place that is ideal to fully immerse yourself in, in a pretending-you-permanenty-live-there kind of a way, you know how it is. I found Flora’s House on Airbnb and stayed in the Sea View Apartment, which is about twice as spacious as it seems on the photos. John, the owner, welcomed me inside in classic Greek fashion- “Your name is Alexandra!? So you are Greek!?” (Many a Greek and many a Ukrainian have informed me I must have Greek or Ukrainian heritage, but alas- as far as I know I’m just plain old English me.)
The old house has been converted by John and his wife into three apartments, and the Sea View has an amazing balcony outside which is the ideal spot for soaking in the early morning sunshine before the grape press starts up for the day outside. An old van sits in the courtyard of the building, which John proudly informed me was the very first car on the island.
It’s only really in the last fifty or sixty years that the face of Santorini has changed- from a sleepy, traditional island where most of the inhabitants still primarily used donkeys for transportation- to one of the most visited destinations in Greece, filled with young couples in designer cruise collections and zipping around on quad bikes. It’s a whole new world, these days, but so far Pyrgos has managed to keep some of its authenticity about it.
Long may it last, pals, because Pyrgos is a pocket of perfection.
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