Santorini - last week of Oct

We were in Santorini in October, from 19th to 22nd.

It was still crazily busy on the day with just one ship. We went to Oia around ten and it wasn't too bad, by lunchtime it was too busy so we got our driver to take us to Fira, which was also a madhouse. It was compounded by the fact that the steps to the port were closed so everyone on cruise ships had to use the cable car, and the lines were huge. It was drizzly too, I doubt I have ever seen more miserable people in one place.

One person mentioned he had been in the cable car line for three hours.

We also stayed in Firostefani and loved it, busy there but a blessed relief from Oia and Fira.

We did a day trip and walked on the beat on the other side at Kamari. It was almost deserted over that side of the island.

I would say that if you absolutely must see Santorini, you'll have no other choice but to go there.

According to official data from INSETE (the Greek National Institute of Tourism), October has about half the number of visitors compared to July or August.

In 2025, there were still around 350,000 visitors for the entire month of October, including 130,000 cruise ship passengers, 110,000 by plane, and 125,000 by ferry (for an island with 15,000 inhabitants). In November, there are about half as many arrivals.

With the right strategy and some good advice from Santorini regulars (which I am not), going to the right place at the right time will allow you to avoid most of the crowds. Cruise ship passengers don't stay overnight on Santorini but flight and ferry passengers do.

Visiting at the end of October is a great time in my opinion. One of my vists was 13-23. of October and once around the 10th for 3 nights. Of course, there are still a lot of people, but it could be considered rather peaceul compared to July or August.

Like you already mentioned, going to Oia in the morning is a good idea, you could combine it with an afternoon trip to Thirassia once the crowds come in. The "beach towns" Kamari and Perissa will be way more quiet, October still has warm sea (>23°C) and on sunny days you can even have a classical beach day there.
I assume you are renting a car, so you can visit Ancient Thira in the afternoon (won't ever be crowded at this time of the year) and the excavation at Akrotiri a bit earlier in the day to avoid possible cruise ship hordes. Visit one of the wineries whenever you pass one. Pre-reservation will most likely not be needed in October.
Except for Oia and Fira nothing will feel really crowded there at this time of the year in my opinion.

Blackdog, we visited a winery during our private day tour on our trip in late October.

We went to Argyros Estate and thank goodness our driver had reserved as it was absolutely packed, and we still had to wait over thirty minutes past our reservation time to get a tasting.

Blackdog, we visited a winery during our private day tour on our trip in late October.

We went to Argyros Estate and thank goodness our driver had reserved as it was absolutely packed, and we still had to wait over thirty minutes past our reservation time to get a tasting.

I might have been lucky, as I visited Gaia Winery during the day and Santos Winery around sunset, both without any problems. That's the thing with personal experience, it might defer :-) I think we can both agree, that it is possible to get a short-term wine testing in October in one of the many, many wineries

Thanks all. We were planning on a car and taking in the sites and enjoying wine tasting. I think we will role the proverbial dice. We usually seek out the less crowded off the beaten path locales but o have a yearning to see Santorini and think we can arrange an itinerary to make it work appreciate your thoughtful responses!