Santorini crowds too much and not worth it?

You might read this trip report before deciding. She did a marvelous job of avoiding crowds and seeing sights.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/greek-odyssey-trip-report-santorini-mykonos-and-athens-may-

Hi Bethfl, this post seems to be broken. Do you know who posted it, I can search her name/topic in the forum?

When are you going?

Santorini crowds too much and not worth it?

It's the same question that comes up regularly and the answer depends on who answers.

Yes, there are crowds at the main tourist spots. Thira, Oia, the “multi-colored” beaches.
Yes, thousands of tourists invade these places every day.

Yes, the herd instinct of the human race leads these people to go to the same place at the same time to take their own photo of the sunset, the same one already published millions of times on the Internet.

On the other hand, it's a unique place in the world and it may be the only opportunity for you to go there.
There are plenty of quiet places in Santorini where almost no one goes.
There is still more or less the same Greek hospitality, even if it comes at a high price in Santorini,

There is also the Archaeological site of Akrotiri which is remarkable, and there is an excellent local wine!

As I believe you will be there at the very beginning of October, you will probably avoid the worst.

It's up to you to evaluate the pros and cons and make a decision.

Check this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h1jCkJKqFI

Frank we will be there the last week of September.

The crowds are primarily restricted to Fira and Oia. The rule of thumb for staying around Fira is the further you get from the Old Port, the more the crowd thins out. Firostefani is not bad - there are people around but not swarms. Go further north a kilometer and you will find it to be very quiet indeed

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/greek-odyssey-trip-report-santorini-mykonos-and-athens-may-2024 is the link to the SandyO post.

We were there for 1 day off of a cruise ship and it was hot and crowded, but we liked it so much that it is on the radar for a return trip for a longer stay. With many of these overtouristed destinations, the key is at least an overnight stay so you can avoid the worst of the crowds.

I highly recommend visiting Santorini. It is beautiful and unique. I don’t know where the Sunset Hotel is located. We stayed at the Blue Dolphin in Firestefani which is much quieter than Oia and Fira. We really enjoyed our stay here.

With 3 nights, you can rent a car for a day and drive around the island. Visit the Akrotiri archaeological site, black sand beaches, red sand beaches, and a winery or two.

I also highly recommend you go to Santorini. It is most definitely worth all the hype. We stayed in Fira and did not feel overwhelmed by crowds. As soon as we turned the corner into our hotel, it was paradise with the gorgeous views of the Caldera. We went in early June of 2023. In September, most European visitors are returning to school, so crowds should be thinner. On one of our three days, there were 5 cruise ships in the Caldera. I still did not feel overwhelmed by the crowds as we walked through the shopping area of Fira. Now Oia was a different story, it was shoulder to shoulder during sunset, but you can avoid that time if needed, although do go and get the photos of the blue domes.

I visited Santorini a couple of years ago (late September), and I am returning this year. I got "sucked into" the Sunset at Oia thing. It was worse than a shopping mall on Christmas Eve. In order to escape the crowd and get a seat to see the sunset, we opted for a restaurant with an eye-watering minimum spend (120 Euro comes to mind), The following evening, we enjoyed the sunset from Fira from a wine bar on the side of the hill. It was really nice and far less populated. I will try Oia again this time, but not at sunset. I found the local public transportation around Santorini easy to use, if that's helpful. Also, interestingly, a friend had a Greece travel guide from the 1990s and Oia was not mentioned as a destination. I don't know why the sunset there is a travel must-do these days.

Our time in Santorini was magical, and provided us with terrific memories. We stayed in a cave home in Firostefani, at LIthies Traditional Homes. Sunsets there were gorgeous. We only went to Oia one evening for dinner, and yes that part of the island was a madhouse until the cruise ships departed. My recommendation is to keep Santorini in your itinerary, and IMO 3 nights is the perfect amount of time.

The last week of September will be just as crowded so you may want to read this article to know what to really expect:

https://www.greece-is.com/news/santorini-cannot-support-even-one-hotel-airbnb-bed/

I posted the trip report on Santorini that BethFL mentioned. I just checked the link and recopied it here. We were there in Mid-May and we were able to navigate around the cruise ship crowds. I really enjoyed Santorini. My husband who really did not want to go changed his mind after the visit. It is a place I would go back to.

Here is the link. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/greek-odyssey-trip-report-santorini-mykonos-and-athens-may-2024

You might want to look up the dates when the most cruise ships are scheduled to visit, so you can plan your visit on less crowded days. You can find this information on Santorini's Port official site here: https://www.santoriniports.gov.gr/en/cruise

Thank you everyone for your replies, suggestions and wise advise. We will be keep Santorini on our itinerary!