Santorini nightlife is concentrated in Fira, which has the bars and the only real clubs, and in Perissa and Perivolos, which have the beach bars. Oia and the inland villages are quiet by midnight.
Santorini, the island that never rests
The bus that brings tourists to the city is not just full, but also has a lot of upright ones. The traffic on the uphill road that connects the harbor with the city is great as the busloads of heavy-duty concrete mixers that are “bumpy” to the island, which are rebuilt every year, precede the bus. Santorini transfers is on tour!!!
We are not in the heart of the summer, on August 15th, but in October, in Athinios, the port of Santorini, after an eight-hour trip from Piraeus, to a ship where its financial positions were full. When all other islands rest for several months from the summer season, Santorini Tours do not sleep!
Santorini from December to March
During the months from December to March there is no summer nightlife, but there are bars and entertainment venues elsewhere on the island. The large number of tourists from all over the world, mainly from Asia, circulate in the streets of the city in the mornings, which after sunset almost deserts. You can take a tour of Santorini!
The bustling streets of Fira, which are flooded by people during the summer, are almost empty and dark after sunset. But not frightened, as you meet craftsmen who continue in the light of the lamps to renovate the hundreds of shops, bars, restaurants, hotels and houses for rent. The season is about to start and everything has to be done.
At the end of March, the first “floating city” arrives on the island. Cruise ships that will bring thousands of tourists to the island every day until just before Christmas! A different, quieter Santorini, but only from the end of November until March, when the island moves at a more relaxed pace. A Santorini that has been in the top tourist destinations of the world for at least 15 years.
Things to do in Santorini during winter
- Santorini full day private tour
- Santorini sightseeing private tour
- Santorini exclusive shore private tour
- Santorini impressive Caldera private tour
- Santorini south part private tour
- Santorini north part private tour
- Santorini historical private tour
- Santorini sunset private tour
See more about Santorini island:
- Happy New Year’s Eve From Santorini
- The Best Santorini Tours At Christmas
- Santorini Instagram Stories
- Santorini photography tours
Santorini Nightlife: The Short Answer
Santorini nightlife is concentrated in two places and it is not what people expect from a Greek island. Fira has the bars, the clubs and the only real late night on the island. Perissa and Perivolos have the beach bars. Everywhere else – including Oia – is quiet by midnight, deliberately.
Santorini nightlife is not Mykonos and it does not try to be. The island’s evening is built around a long dinner at nine, a drink on the caldera rim, and a late walk. If you want to be dancing at four in the morning you can, in Fira, but you will be doing it with a fraction of the crowd you would find on Mykonos or Ios.
Below: where to go for what, what it costs, when things actually start, and how to get home on an island with about thirty taxis.
Where Is the Santorini Nightlife?
Fira
Effectively all the santorini nightlife there is. The bars on the caldera rim run from sunset until late, with a cluster of clubs on and around Erythrou Stavrou street that keep going until three or four in high season. Cocktail bars, rooftop terraces, live music, and the only place where you can eat at eleven and still find somewhere open afterwards. If santorini nightlife matters to you, stay here. Fira.
Perissa and Perivolos
Seven kilometres of black sand with beach bars that start in the late morning and run into the night. Music, loungers, cocktails and a younger, cheaper crowd than the rim. Perivolos is the smarter half, Perissa the busier. This is the other half of santorini nightlife and it is a completely different evening. Perissa · Perivolos.
Oia
Beautiful, expensive, and closed early on purpose. Oia is not where santorini nightlife happens. There are wine bars and terraces for a drink after dinner, and essentially nothing after midnight. Oia is where you watch the sunset and then leave.
Firostefani and Imerovigli
Hotel bars and quiet terraces with the same caldera view as Fira, ten to twenty-five minutes’ walk away, and no noise. The best place to have a drink rather than a night out. Imerovigli.
Kamari
The family end of santorini nightlife. A long promenade of bars and tavernas, an open-air cinema, and a family crowd. Winds down by about midnight.
Vlychada
The marina, a couple of restaurants, and silence. Vlychada.
The inland villages
Pyrgos, Megalochori and Emporio have kafeneia and tavernas that stay open late for residents, and nothing resembling a bar scene. Which is exactly why the food is better there.
What Kind of Night Do You Want?
A sunset drink
Where santorini nightlife properly begins. The rim at Firostefani or Imerovigli, from about an hour before sunset. Same view as Oia, a tenth of the crowd, and you can get a table.
A long dinner
Nine o’clock, inland, sharing mezedes. Greek dinner is the main evening event here and it runs until eleven without anybody hurrying you. Santorini restaurants.
Cocktails with a view
Fira’s rim bars, from about ten. The most photographed part of santorini nightlife. Expensive, and you are paying for the caldera at night with the lights of the villages strung along it.
A club
Fira, after midnight, and realistically only in June to September. This is the narrow end of santorini nightlife. This is the narrow end of santorini nightlife and it is a handful of venues rather than a district.
A beach bar
The daytime half of santorini nightlife. Perivolos from the afternoon into the evening, with music and a swim in the middle of it.
Wine rather than cocktails
The most local santorini nightlife there is. Wine bars in Fira and Oia pour flights of Assyrtiko, Nykteri, Mavrotragano and Vinsanto. The most local version of an evening here, and a good alternative if you have no driver. Wine tour.
Something quiet
The caldera path after dark between Fira and Firostefani, with the villages lit below. Free, and better than most bars.
An open-air cinema
Kamari, from late May, films under the stars in a garden. The gentlest santorini nightlife on the island.
When Does Santorini Nightlife Start?
Santorini nightlife runs on Greek hours, and they are later than most visitors expect.
Sunset. Around half past eight in June and July, half past seven in September, five in December.
Dinner. Nine. A restaurant full at seven is cooking for tourists.
Bars. Filling from about eleven.
Clubs. Nothing happens before one in the morning, and the peak is two to four.
Closing. Three or four in high season, considerably earlier outside it.
Season. Santorini nightlife runs June to September. In April, May and October there is enough in Fira to have a good evening. From November to March the island is closed after dinner. Santorini in winter.
What Does It Cost and How Do You Get Home?
Prices
A caldera-view cocktail in Fira or Oia costs roughly double a beach bar in Perivolos, and about triple a beer in a village kafeneio. Club entry is usually free with a drink minimum. Wine by the glass is the best value on the island because it is made here.
Getting home
This is the real problem with santorini nightlife. Buses stop early – the last services out of Fira run in the evening, not at night. There are around thirty licensed taxis for the whole island and at two in the morning in August you will not get one.
What works. Stay walking distance from where you intend to be, or book a vehicle in advance. We run transfers at night, priced per vehicle rather than per person, which for four people is cheaper than a taxi you cannot find anyway. Transfers.
What does not. A quad or a scooter after drinking, on unlit roads with gravel on the bends. This is how most holiday injuries happen here.
Where to stay for it
Fira for the bars and the clubs, Perissa or Perivolos for the beach bars, Firostefani if you want the view and quiet and a ten-minute walk to Fira. Oia is the wrong base for any version of santorini nightlife.
Santorini Nightlife: Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the nightlife in Santorini? Fira for bars and clubs, Perissa and Perivolos for beach bars. Oia, Imerovigli and the inland villages are quiet after midnight.
Is santorini nightlife any good? It is good rather than famous. Fira has genuine late bars and a handful of clubs, but this is a scenery and food island rather than a party island. Mykonos and Ios do parties better.
What time do the clubs open? Nothing happens before one in the morning, and the peak is two to four. Bars fill from about eleven.
Is there nightlife in Oia? Wine bars and terraces for a drink after dinner, and essentially nothing after midnight.
Which months does santorini nightlife run? June to September for the full version. April, May and October give you Fira. November to March, almost nothing.
How do I get back to my hotel at night? Book a vehicle in advance or stay within walking distance. Buses finish early and the island has around thirty taxis.
Is santorini nightlife expensive? A caldera-view cocktail is roughly double a beach bar and triple a village kafeneio. Local wine by the glass is the value option.
Is it good for a younger crowd? Perissa and Perivolos, yes. The caldera rim is priced for honeymooners.
Can I combine a sunset tour with santorini nightlife? Yes, and it is the sensible order: sunset from Imerovigli or the lighthouse, dinner inland, then dropped in Fira.
Plan the Evening With Us
We run sunset tours and night transfers, which is the half of santorini nightlife that goes wrong: getting to the view, getting to dinner, and getting home at two in the morning on an island with no taxis.
Prices are per vehicle rather than per person, hotel pickup anywhere on the island is included, and an 80 EUR deposit confirms a date.
See the sunset tour, the full list of tours, or the FAQ.
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
