Santorini boat trip with healing foot

How are you with stairs?

We were in Oia last week and spent many hours slogging, tromping, schlepping and grousing through countess stairs, steps, quasi-steps, and various pathways that involved the frequent or occasional up/down hop…almost all of which are “irregular” to some extent.

I don’t have any current foot/ankle/leg injuries and it was a challenge to traipse through all the vertical changes (wife says “it’s an ibuprofen kind of place”…). We actually remarked it was not a good place to for folks with serious mobility issues. A lot of Santorini is like that.

Can’t help you with boat/tour recs, but do not underestimate the endless stairs and steps you will face if you plan to wander around Oia. It’s pretty, but expect to be hearing from your feet/ankles/knees/glutes during and after walking around.

There are dozens of possible excursions of all kinds and durations that don't involve a volcano tour. Given that you'll be visiting during the low season, you'll need to check what's available once you arrive in Santorini.

As David mentioned, the west side of Santorini (including Oia) is particularly rugged, that’s the nature of volcanic terrain, It’s full of ups and downs with very few flat areas free of slopes or steps. You should check what access to your hotel is like, as there may be some walking involved, the rest will depend on your planned activities.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether that will be an issue.

As I am sure you have gathered by now, Greece is not the best place for a healing foot. I thought maybe I would give you a few practical suggestions for still enjoying your trip, having done the same.

1. Consider hiking boots or shoes. I always take hiking shoes because they give my problematic feet more support on uneven surfaces. My daughter had a serious sprain a few months before we went to Italy and she brought two pairs of hiking boots which is all she wore.

2. Think about things you can do that you would enjoy. There are wineries for example on Santorini. We did not visit but my impression is it is a good tasting experience with a nice view as well. I would think this would be a good activity for you.

3. Be willing to modify other activities. I would not walk on a volcano surface with a less than 100% foot. Friends of ours went to Santorini in April and did a boat ride. She sat out the swimming in the water and excursion. She had no use for getting wet that time of year. No one batted an eye.

I went to Crete a few years ago when my foot issues were really problematic. I decided I would rather sit in a cafe in Crete than stay home. As it turned out, I was able to do more but the mental adjustment I had made helped me still enjoy when I could not.

Like others have said, if you’re just now recovering from a broken foot I definitely would sit it out. Stairs, and tons of them will be involved everywhere and definitely wouldn’t be doing a volcano tour on that healing foot, one is asking for trouble. Why don’t you ask your doctor instead of the Rick Steve’s forum ?