A weekend in santorini is two full days if you land on Friday evening and leave on Monday morning. That is enough for Oia at dawn, Akrotiri at opening, one winery afternoon, an inland village and a single sunset, and it is not enough for a boat day, the beaches and both archaeological sites as well.
For those of you who have limited vacation days, we have prepared a small and very useful guide with what you should not miss while visiting the most beautiful island in the world, Santorini Tours!
The distances are short, so you can see a lot, even if your vacation does not exceed 3-4 days. Besides, as you will see, the sights are so many and interesting, that you will definitely want to go again! The island is ideal for newlyweds and tourists visiting Greece for the first time. The view over the Santorini caldera is a romantic, enchanting , breathtaking point.
Beaches of Santorini
The most famous volcanic beaches of the island are Kamari, Perivolos and Perissa, Vlyhada with its sculpted volcanic rocks, Kokkini and Aspri beach, in Akrotiri. Of course there are others, less famous, but very impressive. Such as Kouloumpos and Pori, Monolithos, Baxedes-Paradisos, Kantharos in Oia, Almyra, Exo Gialos, Gialos, Balos, Kampia, Mesa Pigadia in Akrotiri.
Enjoy your lounger by the pool with a view of the volcano, then plan your excursions to the beaches. Most of them are easily accessible and have sunbeds, beach bars, restaurants, etc.
Excursion to the volcano
The boats depart from Gialos (old port of Fira), the port of Athens and Ammoudi below Oia. The visit to the volcanoes Nea Kameni and Palaia Kameni with the thermal springs will bring you closer to the myth of the Lost Atlantis and the beginning of the creation of today’s Santorini.
Museums in Santorini
The most important museum of the island is that of Prehistoric Thira, in Fira. In Fira it is also worth seeing the Archaeological museum and the Santozeum, with its copies of the frescoes of Akrotiri. In Oia there is the Naval Museum, in Pyrgos the Ecclesiastical Collection and the Cultural Village “Santorini that is gone”. In Kontohori is the Folklore Museum of Emm. Lignou.
Santorini’s vineyard and wineries to visit
The Santorini vineyard is ancient, with authentic varieties. The finds in the excavations of the prehistoric city of Akrotiri suggest that there was vine cultivation on the island at least since the 17th century BC. The volcanic land did its miracle and the island’s wineries did theirs, offering better and better quality wines every year. Top among others, Vinsanto, the award-winning “wine of the sun.” All wineries can be visited and you can do tastings.
Food in Santorini
Dehydrated tomatoes, fava beans, capers, katsouni, white eggplant are the products that stand out in Santorini. In Santorini’s homes and restaurants you will taste the delicious products of the volcanic land and try traditional cuisine recipes such as tomato meatballs, fava beans, white eggplants, tomatoes and others.
In the prehistoric settlement of Akrotiri
It holds the scepter among the attractions of Santorini and is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Aegean. From the first moment you enter the archaeological site of Akrotiri, which is now housed in a new and innovative bioclimatic canopy, you will feel emotion just thinking that in this area, in the Middle and Early Late Bronze Age (20th-17th century BC) was one of the most important urban centers of the Aegean. It is located at the southwestern end of the island and is 15 km from Fira.
In ancient Thera
Climbing Mesa Vounos, which rises above Kamari and Perissa, you will find yourself in ancient Thira. It was founded in the 9th century BC. by Dorian settlers, led by Thera and was inhabited until the early Byzantine times. The Hellenistic and Roman phases of the city have mainly been revealed. The view from up there is breathtaking.
Walking on the rim of the Caldera
The old path that connects Fira with Firostefani and Imerovigli and from there continues to Oia, it is the most beautiful on the island. Even if you don’t have much time, it is worth walking even a small part of it (Fira-Firostefani, or Firostefani-Imerovigli and vice versa). It is a unique experience and you will remember it for a long time. You can come early in the morning, or at sunset. You can take a tour of Santorini!
Santorini’s unique and rugged landscape was shaped by a catastrophic volcanic eruption some 3,500 years ago. There are much to do in Santorini but trust us it is worth lying all day on one of the island’s impressive beaches if it is what you want.
Read more about Santorini Tours:
- Santorini Sightseeing Private Tour
- Exclusive Shore Santorini Private Tour
- Impressive Caldera Santorini Private Tour
- South Part Santorini Private Tour
- North Part Santorini Private Tour
- Santorini Historical Private Tour
- Santorini Sunset Private Tour
A Weekend in Santorini: The Short Answer
A weekend in santorini is two full days if you arrive on Friday evening and leave on Monday morning, and one and a half if you fly on Saturday and back on Sunday. That is enough for Oia at dawn, Akrotiri at opening, one winery afternoon and a single sunset, and it is not enough for a boat, a beach and the two archaeological sites as well.
The island is small enough to make a weekend in santorini work: 76 square kilometres, fifty minutes end to end, and everything worth seeing within half an hour of everything else. What defeats short trips here is not distance, it is the clock. Oia at eleven, the cable car at noon and Akrotiri at two are three hours of queueing for ninety minutes of sightseeing.
Book the flights so that a weekend in santorini starts on Friday night as a bonus rather than as the first day, stay somewhere with road access, and pick two things per day. Done that way a weekend in santorini is a genuinely good short break rather than a rushed sample of one.
Is a Weekend Long Enough?
Honestly, it depends on what you want from a weekend in santorini.
For the view and the villages. Yes. Two days covers Oia, Fira, the rim path, one inland village and a sunset comfortably.
For the archaeology. A weekend in santorini just about covers it. Akrotiri fits into a morning; Ancient Thira will not fit as well unless you drop something else.
For the caldera from the water. Only if you give it a whole day, which on a two-day trip means giving up half of everything else.
For a beach holiday. A weekend in santorini is the wrong trip. Come for a week and stay at Perissa or Kamari.
For a first visit. A weekend in santorini works and it will make you want five nights. Almost everybody who does two days comes back.
The honest verdict. Two days here is a very good short break and a poor holiday, and knowing which one you booked is the whole trick.
Getting the Flights Right
The single biggest factor in whether a weekend in santorini works is the timetable, not the plan.
The good version. Land Friday evening, leave Monday morning. That is two complete days and two nights of dinner, and it is the shape to aim for.
The workable version. Saturday morning to Sunday evening. One and a half days, and it still fits Oia at dawn, Akrotiri and a winery.
The weekend in santorini that fails. Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. That is one usable day with luggage attached to both ends.
Direct flights. Widely available from most of Europe between April and October. Out of season it is via Athens, which is forty-five minutes in the air and two hours in total.
Ferries. Five to eight hours from Piraeus, so a ferry weekend only makes sense from another island. Never book a ferry on the day you fly home.
Transfers. Arrange them in advance. There are about thirty taxis on the island and the airport queue at nine in the evening is long. See transfers.
The Two-Day Plan, Hour by Hour
This is the weekend in santorini we would book for a friend flying in on Friday night, and it assumes a hire car or a driver.
Friday, 21:30. Drop the bags, walk five minutes and eat locally. Nothing else. The first evening of a weekend in santorini is a terrace and a bottle of Assyrtiko.
Saturday, 07:15. Leave for Oia. The main street, the blue domes and the castle ruin are empty, cool and level until about nine.
09:30. Breakfast in Oia or back at the hotel.
11:00. Fira: the Museum of Prehistoric Thera for forty-five minutes, then the cable car down and up if the queue is short.
13:30. Lunch inland at Megalochori or Emporio, under a vine, at a third of the caldera price.
16:30. Three wineries, or two and the wine museum. Assyrtiko, Nykteri and Vinsanto, in that order.
19:30. Sunset from Imerovigli or the Akrotiri lighthouse. Not from the middle of Oia.
21:00. Dinner at Pyrgos, outside.
Sunday, 08:30. The second morning of the weekend in santorini starts at Akrotiri at opening, ninety minutes, ideally with a guide.
10:30. The Red Beach viewpoint and the lighthouse, twenty minutes each.
12:00. An hour at Vlychada or Perivolos, or the rim path from Fira to Firostefani if you would rather walk.
14:00. A long lunch at Exo Gonia or Vothonas.
16:30. Fira for an hour, the Archaeological Museum, and a last look at the caldera.
Monday morning. Coffee on the terrace and the airport.
That is two days, seven sights, no queueing and one early alarm, which is about the maximum a weekend in santorini will hold without becoming a chore.
The One-Night Version
A one-night weekend in santorini is tighter, and it still works if you are ruthless about the order.
Arrive Saturday morning. Bags at the hotel, then straight to Akrotiri while it is quiet and roofed.
Lunch inland. Megalochori, an hour and a half.
Afternoon. Two wineries from four, with the vineyards below you.
Sunset. The Akrotiri lighthouse or Imerovigli.
Dinner. Firostefani or Pyrgos, at nine.
Sunday, 07:00. Oia, empty, for two hours. Breakfast at Ammoudi or back on the rim.
Late morning. The rim path from Fira towards Imerovigli, then Fira itself.
Afternoon flight. Leave for the airport an hour and a half before departure; it is small but slow.
One night and two half-days sounds thin and is not, because the two things everybody comes for, Oia at first light and the caldera from the rim, are both free and both take an hour.
What to Skip on a Short Trip
A weekend in santorini makes the cuts for you, and these are the right ones to make.
The volcano. Four to five hours including the boat and the climb. It costs half your trip.
The full-day catamaran. Wonderful, and it is an entire day of a two-day weekend in santorini.
Ancient Thira. Two hours with the drive, and the same two hours buys Akrotiri and a museum.
The hot springs. Warm brown water, a swim in a crowd, and no place in a weekend in santorini.
Oia at sunset. Several thousand people, and every other rim viewpoint gets exactly the same sun.
A beach day. An hour at Vlychada in passing is fine; half a day is not, on a trip this short.
Island hopping. Thirasia and Ios are both lovely and both cost a day you do not have.
Where to Stay for Two Nights
On a weekend in santorini the base matters more than the room, because every wasted transfer is a percentage of the whole trip.
Firostefani. The right answer for most people: caldera view, road access, ten level minutes from Fira, and cheaper than Oia. See Firostefani.
Fira. Central, walkable, on every bus route, and the easiest base without a car. Noisy at night.
Imerovigli. The best view on the island, and a lot of steps to carry a suitcase down for two nights.
Oia. Beautiful and the worst possible choice for a weekend in santorini: no vehicle access, hotels fifty to eighty steps below the road, and forty minutes from the airport.
Karterados or Messaria. Five minutes from the airport, half the price, no view, and perfectly sensible if you are here for two nights and will barely be in the room.
Kamari. Flat, on the beach, near the airport, and a good compromise if you want a swim in the schedule.
The rule. Ask for the number of steps in writing, and do not book anything more than twenty minutes from the airport for a trip this short.
See where to stay for the full comparison.
Getting Around in Two Days
Hire car. The obvious choice for a weekend in santorini, at 25 to 70 euros a day depending on the season. The driving is easy and the parking in Fira and Oia is the problem.
A private driver. Priced per vehicle, so four people often pay less than a small group tour, and it removes the parking and the dawn problem entirely. On a two-day trip it buys back more time than it costs. See transfers.
Buses. Cheap and frequent, and every route goes through Fira, so a beach in the south to a village in the north is two buses and a wait. Workable if you stay in Fira.
Taxis. Around thirty on the island. Not a plan for a weekend in santorini.
ATVs and scooters. Popular, and the accident rate is the reason we do not recommend them.
Walking. The rim from Fira to Firostefani and Imerovigli is level and lovely. Everything inside the villages is stepped.
What It Costs
Rough numbers for a weekend in santorini for two people, two nights, in the shoulder season.
Hotel. 120 to 250 for two nights inland or in Karterados, 360 to 600 on the caldera, and more for a cave suite.
Car hire for two days. 50 to 140, plus about 10 of fuel.
Wine tasting. 20 to 35 each per winery.
Akrotiri. Twelve euros, plus around 60 for a licensed guide for two hours.
Dinner. 35 to 55 for two inland, 90 to 160 on the rim.
Transfers. 30 to 45 each way from the airport.
A realistic total. Around 450 to 700 for two people for a weekend in santorini staying inland, and roughly double that on the caldera. The sightseeing is the cheap part; the room and one rim dinner are what move the number.
The Best Weekend of the Year
May, June, late September and early October. The best weekend in santorini of the year: warm, swimmable, everything open and the villages walkable at midday. The best time for a short trip by a distance.
July and August. Hot and extremely busy, and you lose five hours in the middle of each day, which on a two-day trip is a quarter of everything. Come earlier or later if you can.
April and late October. Cool sea, low prices, green fields and a chance of wind. Excellent for a walking and wine weekend.
November to March. A winter weekend in santorini has no boats and half of Oia shut, and a caldera under cloud that hardly any visitor sees. Cheap, quiet, and a surprisingly good two-day break.
Easter. The best weekend in the Greek calendar, and worth planning a trip around. See Easter in Santorini.
See the weather month by month.
Weekend Versions for Different Trips
The same forty-eight hours, with the weekend in santorini arranged around what you actually came for.
The romantic weekend. Firostefani or Imerovigli, a terrace with the caldera in front of it, Oia at dawn on the Sunday, three wineries on the Saturday afternoon, and one booked rim dinner. Nothing before ten except the dawn.
The photography weekend in santorini. Oia and the blue domes at first light, Vlychada’s carved cliffs late in the afternoon, the lighthouse at sunset, blue hour from Firostefani, and Ancient Thira at opening on the second morning. Nothing between eleven and four.
The wine weekend. Three wineries on Saturday afternoon, the wine museum on Sunday morning, lunch at Megalochori both days, and dinner at Pyrgos. The most underrated version of a weekend in santorini. See the wine tour.
The history weekend. Akrotiri with a guide, the Museum of Prehistoric Thera immediately afterwards, Ancient Thira the next morning, and the Archaeological Museum before the flight.
The lazy weekend in santorini. A hotel with a pool, one outing a day, two long lunches and two sunsets. It sounds like a waste of an island and it is the version people enjoy most.
The family weekend. Kamari as a base, Akrotiri on the Saturday morning, the beach in the afternoon, the open-air cinema in the evening, and Fira with the cable car on Sunday.
A Weekend as Part of a Longer Trip
Most people take a weekend in santorini as part of something longer, and the joins matter.
From Athens. Forty-five minutes in the air or five to eight hours on a ferry. A Friday evening flight and a Monday morning return is the cleanest weekend in santorini available.
From Mykonos. Two to two and a half hours by fast ferry. Do Santorini second if your flight home leaves from Mykonos.
From Crete. Two hours from Heraklion for a weekend in santorini, and a natural pairing with a longer Cretan holiday.
From Ios, Naxos or Paros. Forty minutes to two hours, and all three make an easy first island before a weekend here.
On a cruise. A single day rather than a weekend, with six usable hours out of a nine-hour call. See the shore excursion.
The rule that never changes. No ferry on the day you fly. Boats are cancelled for wind far more often than planes are grounded.
Mistakes That Ruin a Short Trip
Booking a tour for the arrival evening. It will be wasted, and on a two-day trip it is half your sightseeing.
Staying in Oia without a car. Beautiful, and forty minutes from the airport with eighty steps at the end.
Trying to fit the volcano in. It cannot be done without losing a day.
Oia at eleven. Impassable. Seven-thirty is a different village.
Photographing the blue domes in the evening. They face east. Morning only.
Both dinners on the rim. Twice the price and half the food. One is the correct number.
Four sights in one day. Count the driving and the parking; a weekend in santorini holds two things a day.
An afternoon flight out with a plan attached to it. Leave the last half-day empty and treat anything you manage as a bonus.
If You Can Steal a Third Day
The single best upgrade available to a weekend in santorini, and it is usually a question of one flight rather than one week of annual leave.
What the third day buys. The boat. A catamaran round the caldera with swimming stops and lunch on board, five to seven hours, with the cliff lit gold at the end of the afternoon. It is the one view that no land position gives you, and on two days it does not fit.
Or, if the wind is up. Ancient Thira in the morning and a long afternoon at Perivolos or Vlychada, which is the best alternative on a windy day.
Where to put it. Never on the last day. If the boat is cancelled there is no second chance, and a three-day weekend in santorini has no slack in it at all.
The cost. One more hotel night and one more day of car hire, against the thing most people say afterwards was the highlight of the trip.
The verdict. Three days is where a short trip here stops being a sample and starts being a holiday. If you can move the Monday flight to the Tuesday, do it.
See the full itinerary guide for what four and five nights add on top.
What to Book Before a Short Trip
A weekend in santorini has no room to improvise, so a little booking goes a long way.
The transfer. Both ways, in advance. There are about thirty taxis on the island and the airport rank empties in minutes.
The car. A fortnight ahead in season, with a child seat specified in writing if you need one. See car hire.
Akrotiri with a guide. Worth arranging before you come, because the site has almost no interpretation on the ground and a licensed guide turns ninety minutes into the best hour and a half of the weekend.
The wineries. Essential at the big terraces in July and August, sensible everywhere else, and always ring ahead in winter.
One rim dinner. Weeks ahead in season if a caldera table matters to you.
Nothing on the arrival evening. Flights land late and transfers take time, and a tour booked for the first night of a weekend in santorini is money spent on a taxi ride.
The boat, if you have the third day. A week or two ahead in high season, early in the trip.
What to Pack for Two Days
Hand luggage is entirely realistic for a weekend in santorini, and worth it for the twenty minutes saved at both airports.
Shoes you can walk in. Every village is cobbled and stepped, and the rim path is uneven. Flip-flops fail on all of it.
One layer for the evening. The caldera rim is genuinely cool after dark from September onwards, and windy in high summer.
Something smart for one dinner. Most places are relaxed; a rim table at sunset is the exception.
Sun protection and a hat. There is almost no natural shade anywhere on the island.
Swimwear. Even in a weekend in santorini with no beach day in it, there is usually a pool and an hour to use it.
A charger and a spare battery. Two days here produces an unreasonable number of photographs.
The Weekend We Would Book Ourselves
Late September, Friday evening to Monday morning, Firostefani, with a car for the Saturday and Sunday.
Friday. Land at eight, at the hotel by nine, dinner ten minutes away, bed.
Saturday. Oia at a quarter past seven with a camera and no plan. Breakfast at nine. The middle of the day on a terrace. Three wineries from four with the new vintage still in tank. Dinner at Pyrgos at nine, outside.
Sunday. Akrotiri at opening with a guide. Lunch at Ammoudi. An hour at Vlychada under the carved cliffs. Sunset from the lighthouse. A last dinner at Exo Gonia.
Monday. Coffee on the terrace, the airport at nine.
Two early mornings, two long lunches, one dawn and no queueing. That is the weekend in santorini we describe when friends ask what they can do with forty-eight hours, and it has not changed in years.
Where to Eat in Two Days
Four meals in a weekend in santorini, and they are worth choosing deliberately.
Friday dinner. Wherever is nearest to your hotel. You will have travelled all day and it does not matter.
Saturday lunch. Megalochori, Emporio or Pyrgos, under a vine, an hour and a half, and a third of the caldera price.
Saturday dinner. Pyrgos or Exo Gonia at nine, outside, with a jumper after October.
Sunday lunch. Ammoudi below Oia for fish, at lunchtime rather than sunset, and ask the weight before it goes on the grill.
The one rim dinner. If a caldera table matters to you, book it weeks ahead for Saturday and eat inland the other night.
Breakfast. At the hotel or a bakery in Fira, because nothing else in a weekend in santorini opens early.
What it saves. Eating inland rather than on the rim takes 80 to 150 euros off a two-night trip for two, which is most of the cost of the car. See the food experience.
Weekend in Santorini: Frequently Asked Questions
Is a weekend in santorini enough? For the villages, the view, Akrotiri and a winery afternoon, yes. For a boat day, the beaches and both archaeological sites, no.
How many days do you really need? Five nights is the comfortable answer, three is the usual compromise, and two is a very good short break.
What can you see in two days? Oia at dawn, Fira, one inland village, Akrotiri, two or three wineries, a museum and a sunset.
Should you rent a car for a weekend? Yes, or hire a driver. Without one you will spend hours on buses through Fira.
Where should you stay for two nights? Firostefani or Fira, or Karterados if you want to save money and be near the airport.
What time should you go to Oia? Half past seven in the morning. By eleven the main street is solid.
Is the boat trip worth it on a short trip? It is the best thing on the island and it costs an entire day, so on two days the answer is usually no.
When is the best weekend to come? May, June, late September or early October.
Is Santorini expensive for a weekend? Around 450 to 700 for two people staying inland, and roughly double on the caldera.
Can you do it without booking anything? In the shoulder months, largely. In July and August, no.
Is it worth it in winter? For a quiet two-day break, yes. For swimming and boats, no.
What is the one thing not to miss? Oia before eight in the morning, which is free, level and completely different from the village everybody photographs at sunset.
Two Days Is Enough Time to Do It Properly
We are a local operator running private tours and transfers in our own vehicles, and short trips are where timing matters most: Akrotiri before the coaches, the wineries after four, the villages once the ships have gone, and Oia at an hour when you can walk down the main street.
Tell us your flight times and we will build the weekend around them, so that the two days you have are spent looking at things rather than queueing for them or parking.
Prices are per vehicle rather than per person, hotel pickup anywhere on the island is included, we guide in twelve languages, and an 80 EUR deposit confirms a date.
See the personalised tour, the full day tour, or contact us.
Every Village and Site on the Island
Any of these can be built into a private day. Each has its own page with what to see and how long to allow.
Caldera villages: Fira · Firostefani · Imerovigli · Oia · Finikia · Baxedes
Inland villages: Pyrgos · Megalochori · Emporio · Mesaria · Karterados · Vothonas · Vourvoulos · Exo Gonia · Mesa Gonia · Pigadia
Beaches: Perissa · Perivolos · Kamari · Vlychada · Monolithos · Red Beach · White Beach · Agios Georgios · Agia Paraskevi
Sites and landmarks: Akrotiri · Ancient Thira · Akrotiri Lighthouse · Nea Kameni · Palia Kameni · Thirasia · Athinios Port
All our tours: All Santorini tours · Full day tour · Sightseeing tour · Personalised tour · North part tour · Horse riding · South part tour · Sunset tour · Shore excursion · Caldera tour · Food experience · Wine tour · Historical tour · Small group tour
Planning and services: Famous sights tour · Private transfers · Transfers to Oia and Finikia · Transfers to other villages · Villages of Santorini · History of Santorini · Tours near you · Languages we guide in · Food and fun tours · Gay friendly tours · Our tour buses · Daily tours · Day tours · FAQ · Gallery · Tour photo gallery · About us · Contact · Blog
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