Commonly mistaken as a place only meant for couples, in my humble opinion, Santorini is a gorgeous island for …

• school friends who are courageous enough to travel for the first time with their respective spouses 😉
• it’s a place for cousins who choose to bond over funny family  fiascos &
• it’s also a place for a girls trip (or boys trip) where memories are stitched in the (linen) shirt of the soul!

Much like my previous blog post on Mykonos (read here), this one entails some facts, tips, tricks, hacks & noteworthy holiday pointers for Santorini as well as Athens.

Let’s crack on with-

1>Things to do in Santorini

AREAS TO STAY 

Oia & Fira are the best areas to hang out in so I’d very strongly recommend you to stay there. Don’t think too much about the cost because you’d anyway end up paying a bomb for the commute as the local cab companies charge a very high fare for to & fro on the island of Santorini. 

Sunset in Santorini from both Oia & Fira is very very famous. People gather in large groups everyday just to witness the sunset…the vibe of the city is breathtaking around sunset so make sure you don’t miss it for a thing! 

I’ve never seen the Sun set in such a prettier way than what I saw in Santorini 

SANTO WINES, WINERY 

You need to be here to know why a simple winery is so bloody awesome. Their wine tasting will leave you in holy jolly mood & don’t forget to order garlic spaghetti & panna cotta. It boggles my mind as to how such commonly available dishes can be prepared with such insane perfection… the kind of perfection that can tear you up! I very strongly recommend you to go here.

WHAT TO IGNORE

The Monastry, Red Beach, Black Beach, etc. are very very avoidable. Please don’t waste your valuable money in booking any tour around the island, you won’t enjoy it at all! Santorini is all about Oia, Fira & the cruise I have mentioned below. I suggest you stay as close as possible or at Fira/ Oia and spend 2-3 days just basking in the glory of the breathtaking view you’d miss for life!

CRUISE WITH SANTORINI YACHTING CLUB

This was the best decision we (as a group) made. We celebrated our friends’ birthday on a catamaran boat. This was a 6 hour experience where we got a chance to jump into the sea, gorge into barbecued meals freshly prepared by the sailor & his crew right there on the boat. 

This was a sunset cruise with an all inclusive food & drinks plan with unlimited & uncontrollablely gorgeous views. This was clearly one of the best experiences of my life as I had no flying clue that I’d be cool enough to jump into the sea (as I cannot swim). 

Indulging in the gratitude of witnessing a jaw dropping sunset from a catamaran with a bunch of sweethearts was a dream come true and I urge you to experience the same when in Santorini!

GASTRONOMY

Oia & Fira are hotspots for lovely restaurants. Be brave enough to explore the ones you fancy- you wouldn’t be disappointed! We tried way too many and I wouldn’t name names because almost all the restaurants were lovely. 

2>Things to do in Athens

Quite frankly, we had no plans to explore Athens as there isn’t much to do in there. It’s known to be a pitstop for folks wanting to visit islands of Santorini, Ios & Mykonos. We did spend one day at the beginning and one day at the end of our trip. If you plan your journey to Greece, you’d probably have to do that too. So here’s what you do, when in Athens->

STAY WALKING DISTANCE FROM SYNTAGMA SQUARE

When in Europe, where you stay is of ‘paramount’ importance. I strongly believe that the closer you are to the city centre, the more you end up exploring as you don’t have to wrack your brains in constantly planning the commute. Syntagma Square is the city centre of Athens and if you stay here, all you gotta do is walk around, dine & shop!

SHOP ON ERMOU STREET

For all my brand enthusiasts, this street will offer you a plethora of brands and myriad of cafes to shop till you drop & dine till your tummy hurts. Ermou Street is a very chirpy area you wouldn’t want to miss out on.

Visit Cafe Tazza

You need to visit this exquisite cafe to know why it’s made it on to this list. Allow the pictures below to take you on a journey…