The santorini sunrise is the best hour on the island and almost nobody uses it: the sun comes up in the east behind the caldera villages, lighting the domes from the front, with perhaps twenty people in an Oia that holds thousands at sunset. This page covers the times, the viewpoints and how to get there.
Many have read about the spectacular sunsets that occur in Santorini Tours in October and the skeptic may wonder if the sunset can really appear differently there than on the neighboring islands of Naxos or Ios and Anafi.
However, the sunset in Santorini, from the Caldera, really is a magical painting with the volcano as a backdrop.
The colors change from deep red to yellow to orange and purple as the sun sinks into the Aegean and turns golden red reflecting the light on the sea and surrounding islands.
Sights
Ancient Thera
Ancient Thira is located on the top of the South-East peak of Santorini’s highest mountain, Prophet Ilias, just above Kamari. There was the ancient settlement of Thira. There is also a small church from 1100, the area was also used by the Romans as an administrative center.
The road leading to the top starts from the southern end of the bay in Kamari at the foot of the mountain. Those with good energy reserves can walk to the top following the winding road. the climb takes about 45 minutes, but the easiest way is to go up by car or take a minibus that runs from Kamari.
In the parking lot you will find a canteen, benches and a car park. From Ancient Thira there is a stunning view over the east coast of Santorini and the coastal resorts of Kamari and Perissa. If you plan to walk or drive, it’s a good idea to get there before 11am, before many tourists arrive.
Oia and Fira
In Oia you will have the best sunsets, also Oia and Fira are great cities for walking and shopping. In Fira there is a folklore museum, the fortress from the Middle Ages, two Metropolises, one Catholic and one Orthodox.
In the town of Fira you can go to the church of Ag. Mina, which is the church you will see on many postcards of Santorini.
If you go to Fira, in September, there is a famous classical music festival every year. You should also visit the old capital, Pyrgos.
Akrotiri
Akrotiri is an ancient city that was buried underground when the volcano erupted 3,500 years ago.
The buildings are in very good condition and we can say that it is the Pompeii of Greece.
The archaeological site of Akrotiri is one of the best in Greece, you can find it under a canopy and visitors can walk over the ruins on bridges that allow for a better view and photography.
What to do in Santorini in October 2022
There are tennis courts in Kamari and Karterados. In Perissa there is mini golf, a water park, go karts and roller skating. There are volleyball and basketball courts in Fira and Kamari. There are also many places to go cycling.
Many enjoy the two hour or so walk from Imerovigli to Fira, which is a very beautiful experience, but make sure you have water with you, although today the two towns with Firostefani in the middle are almost connected.
There are also possibilities to go horse riding. Nightlife is concentrated in Kamari, Perissa and Fira. Do not forget the famous wineries of the island, where you can visit and taste the local wines of Santorini. If you are driving you will see in many places signs with the words “Wine Roads”.
A good idea is to go on one of the boat tours offered. There are sunset trips in the evenings, and excursions to the volcano and the islands of Palaia Kameni and Thirasia, where there is a small picturesque village. In Fira you can also visit the Archaeological Museum and the Prehistoric Museum where you can see objects from the excavations at Akrotiri, as well as many sculpture objects covering the rich historical past of Santorini, from the prehistoric era to the Neolithic, Minoan, Hellenistic , Roman and Byzantine era. You can take a tour of Santorini!
Food and Restaurants
You can find almost everything in Santorini – from traditional Greek cuisine to international gourmet restaurants. Try the local Visanto wine in the Santorini tours wine tour. In Fira from the Caldera side, there are numerous eateries, restaurants and taverns where you can enjoy all kinds of food from cheap kebabs, gyros and hamburgers to expensive and lavish restaurants. You will find the same number of eateries and restaurants in Oia, Imerovigli and all the other resorts of the island.
Shopping
Santorini is a cosmopolitan island, and the number of luxury yachts and cruise ships that stop here is very high for such a small island, so the prices are somewhat more expensive than other islands.
Many artists live in Santorini, and you can buy very original hand painted items such as umbrellas, ceramics, jewelry, art supplies, etc. You can also buy pictures and pumice stones.
It is worth buying local wine and local fava beans of Santorini, as well as local cheeses and capers. Of course, if you stay in Santorini for a long time and would like to buy daily items and food, there are large supermarkets, mini markets, grocery stores and all kinds of shops.
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
Santorini Sunrise: The Short Answer
The santorini sunrise is the best hour on the island and almost nobody uses it. Everything written about Santorini concerns the sunset, which means that between roughly five and eight in the morning the villages that will hold four thousand people at seven in the evening hold perhaps twenty. The light at that hour is softer, it comes from behind the caldera rather than into the lens, and it lands directly on the white walls and blue domes that people travel here to photograph.
Which way to face. The santorini sunrise is in the east. The caldera faces west, so the sun comes up behind the rim villages over the open Aegean, and the cliff villages are lit from behind you rather than silhouetted.
Time. The santorini sunrise falls between about 05:55 in mid-June and about 07:40 at the end of December, with 06:00 to 06:30 covering most of the summer season.
Best santorini sunrise spots on the rim. Oia for the domes, Imerovigli for the caldera, Firostefani for the church terraces, and Skaros Rock for the view with nothing man-made in frame.
Best places off the rim. Kamari and Perissa beaches, where the sun comes straight out of the sea, and Ancient Thera on the headland above them.
Best high point. Pyrgos or Profitis Ilias, which give you both coasts at once and the light moving across the vineyards.
Crowds at the santorini sunrise. Effectively none. On a June morning in Oia you will share the main lane with a handful of photographers and a street cleaner.
What to bring to a santorini sunrise. A layer, because it is ten degrees cooler than the afternoon, and a torch for the staircases.
Getting there. No buses run that early and there are around thirty taxis on the island, none of them findable at half past four. Either stay within walking distance or book a vehicle the night before.
The honest comparison. The sunset is more dramatic and the santorini sunrise is more beautiful, because beauty here is mostly a function of how many people are standing in it.
Where to Watch the Santorini Sunrise
Because the sun rises on the opposite side of the island from the famous view, the good vantage points are not the ones the guidebooks list for the evening. Some of the best are places nobody visits at all.
Oia. The classic. The sun comes up behind the village and the first light hits the blue domes and the white lanes from the east, which is the direction photographers want and cannot get in the evening. The main lane, the castle end and the path down towards Ammoudi are all empty at six. For most people this is the santorini sunrise to see once.
Imerovigli. The highest point of the rim. You are looking down the caldera as it fills with light, with the volcano islets turning from grey to brown and Oia catching the sun before you do. The village itself is silent.
Skaros Rock. Twenty minutes below Imerovigli on foot, free, and with no buildings in the frame at all. The best santorini sunrise for anybody who wants the landscape rather than the architecture. Take a torch for the path down.
Firostefani. The easiest santorini sunrise on the rim, from the three-domed church terrace, with Fira curving away to the south and the first sun on the cliff. Almost as good as Imerovigli and far easier to reach.
Fira. The rim walk north of the cable car, with the whole caldera opening up. Convenient rather than spectacular, and you can be back in bed by seven.
Kamari beach. The sun comes straight out of the sea under the black bulk of Mesa Vouno, the water is usually glassy at that hour, and there is not a soul on two kilometres of sand. This is the purest santorini sunrise on the island: an actual sunrise over water rather than light arriving on a village.
Perissa and Perivolos. The same thing on a longer beach, with the Mesa Vouno rock to the north instead of above you.
Vlychada. South-facing, so the sun comes up to your left along the pumice cliffs, which turn pink for about ten minutes.
Ancient Thera. On the ridge between Kamari and Perissa, three hundred and sixty metres up. The site is closed at that hour but the road and the path up the Kamari side are not, and the view at first light over both coasts is the best on the island. The single most underrated santorini sunrise there is.
Profitis Ilias. The highest santorini sunrise available, at the monastery on the highest peak, five hundred and fifty metres, reachable by car. Both coasts, the caldera, Ios to the north and Anafi to the east.
Pyrgos. The top of the village, with bell towers in the foreground and the sun coming up over the vineyards. Ten minutes from a bed in Megalochori.
Akrotiri lighthouse. The wrong end of the island for sunrise and the right one for absolute solitude, with the light arriving along the caldera wall from the north.
Thirasia. From Manolas the sun rises behind the whole of Santorini, which is a view almost nobody has seen.
A boat. Very few operators run a morning departure, and the ones that do put you in the middle of the caldera as it fills with light. If you can find one, take it.
Santorini Sunrise Times, Month by Month
These are approximate local times for the island, and they move by a minute or two a day, so check the exact figure for your date. Greece observes summer time from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, which is why the April and November columns jump.
January. 07:35 to 07:30. The latest santorini sunrise of the year, and a genuinely pleasant hour to be up, with perhaps three people awake in Fira.
February. 07:30 to 07:05. Cold by island standards, ten to thirteen degrees, and the hillsides green.
March. 07:05 to 06:40 before the clocks change, then around 07:35 for the last week.
April. 07:30 to 06:50. Comfortable, with the island reopening and the light clean after the winter rain.
May. The santorini sunrise moves from 06:50 to 06:20. One of the two best months: warm enough to sit out at six, and everything open.
June. 06:20 to 06:00, with the earliest santorini sunrise of the year around the solstice. Also the shortest gap between the end of the nightlife and the start of the morning.
July. 06:00 to 06:20. The most comfortable hour of a very hot day, and the only time outdoors is pleasant before evening.
August. 06:20 to 06:45. Same reasoning, more strongly. In August the early morning is the only part of the day the island is not crowded.
September. The santorini sunrise moves from 06:45 to 07:10. The best month overall: warm sea, soft light, and the crowd thinning.
October. 07:10 to 07:35, then back to about 06:40 when the clocks change at the end of the month. Golden light and the vineyards harvested.
November. 06:40 to 07:10. Quiet, cool, and most of the island closed.
December. 07:10 to 07:40. The latest sunrise and the easiest one to get up for.
How long before sunrise to arrive. Thirty to forty minutes. The best colour on the caldera happens before the sun clears the horizon, and by ten minutes after it the light is already ordinary.
How long the good santorini sunrise light lasts. About forty minutes in total, from first colour to the hard light that ends it. Then a second window at around eight, when the sun is high enough to reach into the lanes.
Oia at Dawn: What It Is Actually Like
Oia in the evening is a crowd. Oia at six in the morning is one of the quietest beautiful places in Europe, and the difference is so complete that people who have seen both describe them as different villages.
What a santorini sunrise in Oia looks like. The main lane empty except for a street cleaner and two or three photographers. Shutters closed. No coaches, no queues, no music. The pool terraces below you still lit, and nobody in them.
How the light works. The sun comes up behind the village over the island’s interior, so it reaches the white walls and the blue domes front-on and low. In the evening the same buildings are backlit and the detail goes flat. This is the entire technical argument for the santorini sunrise and it is why serious photographers shoot here in the morning.
The classic dome view. On the northern side of the main lane, looking down over three domes towards Ammoudi. At seven in the evening people queue for a wall here. At six in the morning it is yours.
The castle at santorini sunrise. The ruined Venetian fort at the western end, which is the sunset spot. At dawn you have it to yourself, facing back along the village with the light arriving.
Ammoudi. Three hundred steps below, with the red cliff catching the sun and the fishing boats still tied up. The climb back is easier before the heat.
The path towards Finikia. Quiet at any hour, and at dawn the vineyards on the landward side are the part of the island nobody photographs.
What is open. Almost nothing. One or two bakeries from around seven, and the hotels start breakfast at eight. Bring coffee with you or plan to wait.
The practical catch. Unless you are staying in Oia or Finikia, you are getting there at half past five, which means a vehicle. No bus runs and there is no taxi rank.
Dress. It is genuinely cool at that hour even in August, ten degrees below the afternoon, with a breeze off the caldera.
Worth it? Once, unambiguously. Most people who see the santorini sunrise from Oia say it was the best hour of the trip, and it costs nothing but the alarm.
Photographing the Santorini Sunrise
The island is one of the most photographed places in the world and almost all of it is shot in the evening, which is a technical mistake as much as a scheduling one.
Direction of light. At sunset you are shooting into the sun and the villages go to silhouette. At the santorini sunrise the sun is behind you and the architecture is lit directly. If you want white walls that look white and domes that look blue, this is the only hour that delivers it.
Reach the santorini sunrise forty minutes early. The twenty minutes before the sun clears the horizon give the pink and blue on the caldera wall. The ten minutes after give the warm light on the buildings. Both matter and they are not the same shot.
The three reliable santorini sunrise frames. The Oia dome cluster from the northern lane; Imerovigli looking south along the rim with Skaros below; and the Firostefani church terraces with Fira behind.
The beach frame. Kamari or Perissa, with the sun coming out of flat water and the Mesa Vouno rock as a mass on one side. Simpler and frequently better.
For drama without buildings. Skaros Rock, or the ridge at Ancient Thera.
Exposure. Huge range between the lit cliff and the shadowed caldera. Bracket, or expose for the highlights and lift the shadows afterwards.
A tripod is worth carrying. The good light starts well before there is enough of it to hand-hold.
Drones. Restricted, and effectively not usable over the villages. Do not plan a santorini sunrise around one.
Private property. Many of the viewpoints in Oia are hotel terraces. Several charge, some are gated, and at dawn the gates are still locked. Stick to the public lanes and the paths.
A professional shoot. 350 to 900 euros for one to two hours, and every photographer on the island will tell you to book the morning rather than the evening. Sunrise slots are fewer and they go first.
Wardrobe. White, cream and blue against the architecture, and something that moves, because there is always wind.
Santorini Sunrise or Sunset: The Honest Comparison
Both are worth doing and they are not competing for the same hour, so the only real question is which one you organise your day around.
Drama. Sunset. The sun going down into open sea beyond the caldera, with the whole western cliff orange, is more spectacular than anything the morning does.
Light on the villages. The santorini sunrise, decisively. Front-lit rather than backlit.
Crowds. Sunset brings two to four thousand people to Oia. Sunrise brings perhaps twenty to the same place. This single difference is why many people end up preferring the morning.
Temperature. The santorini sunrise is ten degrees cooler and in July and August that is a genuine pleasure rather than a detail.
Effort. Sunset requires showing up. Sunrise requires an alarm at five and, unless you are on the rim, a booked vehicle.
Where to be. Sunset: Oia, Imerovigli or a boat. Sunrise: Oia, Imerovigli, Skaros, Kamari, Perissa or Ancient Thera.
Photographs. Sunset for the sky, the santorini sunrise for the place.
Cost. A santorini sunrise is free; sunset frequently means a reserved table at a premium.
The sensible plan. Do both on different days. Sunset from Imerovigli with dinner afterwards, and one santorini sunrise from Oia or a beach, and then go back to bed for two hours. Nobody has ever regretted that trade.
The one-night answer. If you only get one, take the sunset on your first evening and the sunrise on your last morning, because the sunrise is the one you will talk about afterwards.
Getting There at Five in the Morning
This is the part that stops most people, and it is entirely solvable with one decision made the night before.
No buses. The island’s network starts between six and seven in the morning and routes everything through Fira. For a santorini sunrise it is useless.
No taxis. Around thirty serve the whole island and none of them are cruising at half past four. Calling one at that hour rarely works.
Walk to the santorini sunrise if you can. Staying in Oia, Firostefani, Imerovigli, Fira, Kamari or Perissa means the best viewpoints are on foot. This is the strongest practical argument for those bases.
Book a vehicle the night before. Thirty to fifty euros for the run and the wait, priced per vehicle rather than per person, which for four people is less than a round of cocktails.
Hire car. Fine, with two cautions: the roads are unlit and the Oia parking areas are empty at that hour but the lanes into the village are not drivable.
Quads and scooters. Cold at five in the morning, and the gravel on the bends is worse in the dark.
A torch. The caldera staircases are unlit and the drop beside them is real. Use your phone if nothing else.
Allow forty minutes to the santorini sunrise. Twenty-five from Fira to Oia, plus parking and the walk in, plus the twenty minutes before sunrise when the colour is best.
Coffee. Nothing opens before seven. Ask your hotel for a flask the night before; most will do it without blinking.
Then go back to bed. The most sensible santorini sunrise plan is to be back at the hotel by eight and asleep by half past, which costs you nothing from the day.
What to Do With the Rest of the Early Morning
The hours between sunrise and ten are the best of the day on this island and they are almost empty. If you are up anyway, these are the things that are transformed by being there first.
The Fira to Oia rim path. Ten kilometres, three to four hours, and in July the only sensible time to walk it is from six. Start after the santorini sunrise at Imerovigli and you reach Oia before the coaches.
Skaros Rock. Twenty minutes from Imerovigli, and at seven there is nobody on it.
Oia’s lanes. Worth an hour on their own, before anything opens.
Ammoudi. The three hundred steps down and back, with the cliff lit and the water still.
Ancient Thera. The site opens at eight. Being at the gate then, having watched the santorini sunrise from the ridge, is the best two hours available on Santorini.
Akrotiri. Opens at eight. Under a roof, cool, and empty for the first hour.
Swimming after the santorini sunrise. The east coast beaches at seven are glassy, empty and about as good as the Aegean gets.
Pyrgos. The lanes and the kastelli, with the village waking up and one cafe open on the square.
The vineyards. The low basket-trained vines on the plain, with the light across them, which is the photograph of Santorini nobody takes.
Breakfast at eight. By which point you have had the best of the island and the day has not started for anybody else.
Santorini Sunrise: Frequently Asked Questions
What time is the santorini sunrise? Roughly 05:55 to 06:20 in June, 06:20 to 06:45 in August, 06:45 to 07:10 in September, and as late as 07:40 at the end of December.
Which direction does the sun rise? In the east, over the open Aegean and the island’s flat side, which means it comes up behind the caldera villages rather than in front of them.
Where is the best place to watch it? Oia for the domes, Imerovigli and Skaros for the caldera, Kamari or Perissa for the sun coming out of the sea, and Ancient Thera or Profitis Ilias for the whole island at once.
Can you see the sunrise from Oia? Yes, and it is the best light of the day on the village, because the sun lights the white walls and blue domes from the front.
Is it crowded? No. Oia holds thousands at sunset and perhaps twenty at the santorini sunrise.
How early should I arrive? Thirty to forty minutes before, because the best colour on the caldera comes before the sun clears the horizon.
How do I get there that early? Walk, if you are staying on the rim or at Kamari or Perissa. Otherwise book a vehicle the night before, because the buses have not started and there are only around thirty taxis on the island.
Is it cold? Cooler than you expect, about ten degrees below the afternoon, with wind on the rim. Take a layer even in August.
Is anything open? Almost nothing before seven. Ask your hotel for coffee the night before.
Sunrise or sunset? Sunset is more dramatic; the santorini sunrise is more beautiful and has no crowd. Do one of each on different days.
Is it safe to walk in the dark? Yes, with a torch. The risk is unlit staircases and unfenced drops rather than anything else.
Can I photograph it from a hotel terrace? Only your own. Many Oia viewpoints are private and gated at that hour.
Is there a sunrise boat trip? Very few operators run one, and a private charter can be arranged. In the caldera at first light it is exceptional.
Which month is best? May, June, September and early October, for the combination of temperature, clear air and a reasonable alarm.
We Will Get You There Before the Light
We are a local operator on Santorini with our own vehicles and our own drivers, and the one thing standing between most visitors and the best hour on the island is that nothing moves at half past four in the morning.
Tell us the date and where you are staying and we will collect you in the dark, put you on the right side of Oia, Imerovigli, Skaros or the Ancient Thera ridge before the colour starts, and bring you back for breakfast. We can add the rim path, Akrotiri at opening or a winery later the same day.
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 private transfers, 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
