When considering a visit to Santorini, you may first hear about its problem with over-tourism. If that hasn’t put you off, the allure of its beautiful sunset caldera views, posh hotels, and romantic evenings in your personal hot tub are likely drawing you ever closer to splashing the cash…until of course, you actually check some prices and realise those temptations come at quite the cost! So, is Santorini worth visiting at all?
Well, I’ve just returned from a lovely Autumn trip there, and I didn’t have to break the bank, nor feel guilty about enjoying my time on the island. I made the most of Santorini, taking on THE best hike I’ve ever done, eating great value food, and staying at a beach side family-run hotel.
So don’t be put off by the island’s reputation for crowds, high prices and jaded locals. Look again, because if you can be a little flexible in terms of when to travel, where to stay, what to do, and how to get around, you too can enjoy this popular Greek island just as the 1% does (minus all the waste!).
I’m covering all of that here in this guide, so that you too can visit Santorini sustainably and without breaking the bank!
The Problem With Over-tourism in Santorini
Usually I would eschew visiting places like Santorini, which suffer dreadfully from over-tourism already, but as tourist numbers continue to increase across the world, I’m not sure this is really the correct approach.
Santorini suffers predominantly due to the thousands of cruise ship passengers who disembark for a few short hours, spending very little money on hotels, restaurants and activities, in favour of clogging up the streets and getting their all-important sunset photo for Instagram.
But why should that ruin it for those of us that support the local economy by staying overnight (at least) in local hotels, eating in restaurants, and engaging meaningfully with local people?
I knew it was coming, but I was still surprised at the huge cruise ships docked in the caldera, as well as the tenders and cable cars that were relentlessly ferrying their passengers up to Fira (and down again just a few hours later). Likewise, the other of Santorini’s most sough-after towns, Oia, was difficult to walk through as its narrow streets struggled to cope with the throbbing mass of temporary visitors arriving for their early evening sunset photos.
I felt that Santorini was being exploited rather than appreciated. I therefore fully support this petition to ban cruise ships from the island, not just for the benefit of other tourists and the local people who have to endure this on a daily basis, but also for the local environment, which visibly suffers due to reduced air quality and sea pollution.
The powers that be at the Greek tourist board still have work to do, but there is great potential to transform the rather depressing status quo into a far more sustainable model. Anyway, back to visiting Santorini the right way…
How to Visit Santorini Sustainably
The good news is that visiting Santorini sustainably and visiting it on a budget are almost the same thing. The behaviours that make you a more responsible tourist here also happen to be the ones that save you the most money. Here’s how I approached it:
Stay in locally-owned accommodation. The big international hotel chains that dominate the caldera-facing cliffs funnel their profits straight out of the local economy. Staying in a family-run place like Perissa Bay Hotel — where the owner is on site, the staff are local, and the money stays on the island — is both cheaper and considerably better for the community that has to live with tourism year-round.
Eat where locals eat. Skip any restaurant with a laminated photo menu and a person standing outside trying to wave you in. Head instead to places like Aris grill in Perissa, which was packed with locals picking up orders the second it opened. Your wallet and your conscience will both thank you.
Hike instead of taking a tour bus. The caldera hike from Fira to Oia is completely free, puts zero additional vehicles on Santorini’s already congested roads, and delivers better views than any tour bus window ever could. This is sustainable travel at its most straightforward.
Avoid the cruise ship rush hours. If you’re staying overnight — which you should be — you can simply time your visits to Fira and Oia to avoid the windows when cruise passengers flood in (roughly 10am to 5pm in peak season). This reduces your contribution to the congestion that can make those villages such a struggle, and gives you a far better experience in the process.
Visit in the shoulder season. October, November, March and April are quieter, cheaper, and put less pressure on the island’s infrastructure and environment at its most strained. The island genuinely breathes a little easier when the cruise ship numbers drop off in autumn.
None of this requires sacrifice. It just requires a little thought — which, if you’ve read this far, you’ve already shown you’re capable of 😉
How to Visit Santorini On A Budget
Is Santorini Cheap? (A Quick Budget Breakdown)
No, but it can be done affordably if you follow the advice in this guide. Expect to pay the following prices…
- Budget hotel in Perissa (Oct): ~€60-80/night
- Bus fare anywhere on the island: €2.50
- Car rental: from €25/day
- Gyros lunch: €5-8
- Caldera hike: free
- Catamaran tour: from €65pp
- Daily budget (accommodation + food + transport): realistically €80-120/day for two
When to Visit Santorini on a Budget
This may very well be the most important factor in terms of making Santorini affordable on a lower budget. Much like any of the Greek islands, and most of Europe’s most visited places for that matter, Santorini is Sergio Ramos (rammed) throughout the peak summer months between May – September. This is also when even more cruise ships tend to arrive. It’s also bloody hot then too, so if you’re anything like me, for your own personal comfort it makes more sense to visit Santorini between October – April.
Granted, temperatures in January and February do get a little cooler, with averages of around 12°C, which may defeat the point of visiting the Greek islands for many.
I reckon the best times to visit Santorini are Autumn (Oct & Nov), and Spring (March – May). Forget visiting in June through August, unless of course you enjoy queuing, sweating and other people in very large quantities.
Best Places to Stay in Santorini on a Budget
The second most important decision you’ll make in terms of making Santorini more affordable, is where to stay. I chose Perissa on the island’s southeast coast, but I was also considering the towns of Kamari and Perivolos. This decision was made after an initial look at hotel prices along the west facing caldera hotspots of Fira, Imerovigli and Oia, which were simply too expensive for me, even in October.
Besides, I also wanted to be by the beach to go for a swim if I wanted. With just a few exceptions, most of the aforementioned west-side villages are located several hundred meters above sea level, perched atop the volcano rim. While this naturally affords wonderfully long sunset views, it doesn’t allow for much beach time!
Anyway, I stayed in Perissa Bay Hotel, which was great value considering the size of the rooms as well as the proximity to the beach – just 20 meters away. There was a good-sized pool, plenty of local cats to befriend and it was only a short walk to the center of the village for a selection of good restaurants.
Santorini Accommodation Map
If you prefer to search for your own accommodation in Santorini, then use the interactive map below. The map provides all the available hotels and apartments from loads of different providers at the best prices going – so you’ll be sure to find a bargain…
A Note on Santorini’s Beaches
The weird interesting thing about staying in Perissa, as well as its neighbours to the north and south (Kamari and Perivolos respectively), is that the sand on this side of the island is volcanically black. And, if you stay on the southwest corner of the island around Akrotiri, you’ll even experience red sand (again due to the island’s past volcanic activity).
Pretty much all of the beaches in Santorini tend to be darker and a little rockier than what is typical on some other Greek islands, so if you’re expecting golden sands and picture postcard beach vibes therefore, you’re gonna need to adjust your expectations before arriving.
Free and Cheap Things to Do in Santorini
Hiking the Caldera From Fira to Oia
If you only do one thing on Santorini, make it this!
Regular readers of The Travel Tortoise know that when I travel, I need to stay active – not least to burn off the thousands of calories I typically consume when ‘learning’ about a new culture 😉 So, when I heard you could hike a massive chunk of Santorini’s volcanic caldera rim for free, I was all over it.
This hike was, hands down, the coolest thing I did on Santorini, and, aside from the transport to get there, it doesn’t cost a single Euro.
The Route at a Glance
- Distance: Just over 10 km (6.2 miles)
- Time Needed: 3 to 4 hours (at a leisurely “Tortoise” pace)
- Difficulty: Moderate. In this direction (Fira to Oia), it’s mostly downhill with a few short uphill climbs. If you do it in reverse, prepare for a serious uphill slog.
- Starting Point: The Atlantis Hotel in Fira (free public parking is nearby if you drive).
Navigating the Trail: How Not to Get Lost
Following the trail is generally easy, with the trickiest part within the first half an hour.
As you weave through Fira and Firostefani, you’ll constantly face choices: stay strictly left (which leads down lots of stairs into fancy hotels) or keep climbing. Take the high road. Keep heading up and north toward Imerovigli—the highest section of the entire walk.
💡 Detour Tip: When you reach Imerovigli, you’ll see signs for a detour to Skaros Rock. While beautiful, it adds an extra hour of steep climbing to your day. I skipped it. Three to four hours of hiking is enough for anyone.
Once you pass Imerovigli, the paved paths vanish, and the trail becomes significantly rockier, looser, and more rugged. Keep your eyes on the path, but don’t forget to look up; the cliffside views of the Aegean blue are spectacular.
Along the way, I passed a few hikers doing the return journey back from Oia. One of them was an merry Irish guy, top off, sporting a truly catastrophic case of late-October sunburn. Absolute legend.
Is the Caldera Hike Suitable for Kids?
I did this entire hike with my 9-year-old, and it was a massive success.
I’d previously read online blogs claiming this trail isn’t recommended for kids under 10. Honestly? If you go during the cooler shoulder season, it’s brilliant. Because we traveled in October, the blazing summer heat was replaced by a consistent cooling breeze atop the caldera.
It took us about 4 hours in total. That included three decent 15-minute rest breaks, a lot of photo stops, and a lot of time spent trying to throw stones into the ocean from the top of the cliff 🙂
Pro-Tips for Hiking with Kids (or Adults!):
- Avoid May – September middays: If you must hike in the summer, start at 7:00 AM to beat the heat. In the shoulder season (October–April), any time of day is fine.
- Pack the Essentials: There are no shops on the rugged middle/latter stretch. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, hats, and snacks. (We stocked up at the Bakery 24 Hours in Perissa beforehand!).
My Final Take: Fira vs. Oia
Walking into both towns gave me a great point of comparison. Personally, I was much more drawn to the narrow, chaotic, higgledy-piggledy streets of Fira over the pristine, manicured luxury of Oia.
It probably didn’t help that we arrived in Oia right before sunset. The narrow paths were already transforming into a throbbing, claustrophobic mass of cruise ship passengers scrambling for their Instagram photos.
If you want to avoid the worst of the crowds and skip a multi-hour queue for the local return bus, aim to be out of Oia by 4:00 PM. A midday start time from Fira makes this perfectly manageable.
Could a fit, solo hiker smash this trail out in two hours? Probably. But rushing a landscape this unique would be a massive shame. Slow down, take your time, and enjoy one of the best free views in Europe.
Self-guided Tour of Santorini's Rainbow Beaches
If you’re hiring a car, you could do a little tour of Santorini’s different coloured beaches, with visits to Perivolos/Perissa (black), Akrotiri (red), and Aspri beach (white).
Add in a visit to a traditional inland village i.e. Pygros, for cobble-stoned streets, historic Greek architecture, and authentic local food and wine, and you’ve gone considerably more off-the-beaten-track than 99% of the island’s tourists already!
Small-group Tours Worth the Splurge
If you prefer not to self-guide, and don’t mind splashing a bit of cash, then you could visit both white and red beaches as part of this guided kayaking tour. As someone who offers kayaking tours myself, I can thoroughly recommend them as a wonderful way to discover somewhere new, without all that boring standing in front of statues nonsense!
Of course, Santorini is dominated by the Aegean sea pretty much everywhere you look, so with the sea playing such an important role on the overall aesthetic on the island, you may want to get out there yourselves on a Catamaran Cruise with snorkeling, BBQ, & an open bar. With more time on the island I would have done this myself, as it sounds like great value and would be a cool way to meet other travelers.
Alternatively, if wine is your thing, then you could take a guided wine tour to three of the island’s best wineries. Santorini is known for its white wines, which tend to pair well with its plentiful seafood and fish – so get involved, especially if you fancy a sunset wine tasting overlooking the caldera at day’s end.
Getting Around Santorini Cheaply
Santorini is very mountainous, so it’s all about the buses if getting around cheaply is important to you. You can of course rent a car, which I did myself from a local place called Diamond Cars in Perissa, but I also took several buses during my time on the island and they all worked well, with air-conditioning of course.
There are bus ‘stations’ in each of the island’s main towns and villages, just don’t expect an actual station with buildings, counters etc., as these will most likely just be a square or a wider stretch of a road where a bus could just about turn around in!
This is mostly because you pay for your bus tickets in Santorini on the bus itself, directly from the ticket conductor. Fares cost 2.50 EUR per person, per ride.
If you’re lucky you may see a little hut where you can ask somebody something, or another bus if you’re in Fira. In fact, if you’re taking a bus anywhere on Santorini, you will be passing through Fira multiple times, because all buses in Santorini pass through the island’s capital. As such, Fira’s bus station is actually quite recognisable due to the large number of buses which come and go to all other spots around the island.
Where to Eat Cheaply in Santorini (Budget-Friendly Restaurants)
I can only really talk about Perissa, as that’s where I mostly ate during my visit. However, broadly speaking, grills and Gyros places are your friend if you want cheap eats in Santorini.
In Perissa, check out the cheap and cheerful family run grill ‘Aris’. Service was a little slow but only because they’re so popular with locals, who were picking up orders as soon as they opened from 2pm onwards. Don’t forget that you’re on Santorini, and service should be slow! Solid and cheap Gyros sandwiches, and cold Mythos beers for 3.50EUR.
A few shops down from Aris you’ll find a wonderful local bakery, with a really crap name – ‘Bakery 24 Hours’. I used this place every day while we were staying in Perissa and its sweet and savoury goods fuelled our hike along the caldera. I can especially recommend the coffee and the baked cherry jam balls that sit on top of the counter – they were lush, and I miss them even now.
While not super cheap, Fratzeskos Fish Tavern on the beach in Perissa was so typically Greek that it demands a visit. The selection of freshly grilled fish was amazing, and its beachfront location with tables literally on the sand had me feeling all Shirley Valentine! Much like everywhere on Santorini and other parts of Greece, there are some very smart cats which prowl in and around the tables at Fratzeskos, so if you’re allergic or just don’t like cats then give it a miss.
Definitely avoid Loquita Snack Bar though. I had to eat here on the first night I arrived, as it was late, right next to my hotel and nowhere else was open. It wasn’t great quality and overall a bit of a rip off. The most expensive (and disappointing) club sandwich (19 EUR) and fruit salad (15 EUR) I’ve ever had. Friendly wait staff but they saw me coming.
Is Santorini Worth Visiting On a Budget? The Verdict
While Santorini continues to be the rich honeymooners Greek island of choice, if you follow my advice in this guide – you’ll discover that Santorini is absolutely worth visiting on a budget too.
Visit during the off-season, but while the sun is still shining and temperatures are gratefully lower, stay on the island’s east side where accommodation options are generally cheaper and beach swims are possible, and bring some good walking shoes in preparation for doing one of the world’s most beautiful hikes!
Together let’s reclaim Santorini for the budget traveler! Go forth and conquer, and don’t forget to take out as many cruise passengers as you can along the way 😉
And for those of you who then plan to travel from Santorini to Athens by ferry then definitely check out my post on that, otherwise you may get a lot more than you bargained for…
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