Santorini was the only port where I didn't have an excursion planned. When I was first looking there was one I liked but I couldn't get four spots. One of my co-workers went there on her honeymoon around this same time last year, so I used her great advice about what to do. And we stumbled across a few other great experiences. It ended up being the one spot where all of us would want to return to stay on the island. William, too, but John and I think our next Santorini stop should be adults only to fully enjoy the wine and fine dining.
The current island(s) of Santorini in its crescent shape was created after a volcano erupted. The cruise ship docked at Fira, the main city at the top of the mountain, which is accessible via cable car, donkey ride or a 30 minute walk up the donkey path. We opted for the cable car and were in the main shopping zone in a matter of minutes.
After peeking in all of the shops up and down the street (and probably eating some gelato, I mean that was our multi-daily thing), we talked to a guy who offered shuttle van service over to Oia, the iconic white cliff side buildings that you've definitely seen if you've seen a picture of Santorini. This ended up being a great deal, because he took us to a scenic overlook for photos (and took the photos so we are all in them) and then dropped us of at the center of Oia to look around, shop, and eat before he picked us up again in an hour. While I had envisioned a leisurely lunch of Greek salad, cheeses, bread and wine, we used up all of our time taking pictures and looking at shops. So, we had a very quick lunch of a shared pizza and local beers. The leisurely lunch is why I want to go back now!
We were the only cruise ship in port that day, so it wasn't quite as packed as it would have been in the heat of the tourist season. In fact, we were the last cruise ship of the season so the shops were discounting a lot of the merchandise. However, when it was time to go back down to the boat, the line for the cable car was blocks long. I'd read on several travel sites to expect that so I wasn't shocked. My plan was for us to walk down the donkey path, which I read only took about 20 minutes. I under-estimated how strenuous a steep downhill walk was on my quads. My legs were on fire when we got to the end from trying to control my descent. Oh, and the bricks/stones were very slippery....because it's a path shared with donkeys who pee and poop as they walk up and down it all day! I saw several people slip and fall (or the after effects of it) but luckily none of them were covered in poop! William really wanted to ride a donkey, so John decided to join him for the ride down. They actually shared a single donkey so I was able to get some good glimpses of them when I was in front or behind of them. My dad and I walked and enjoyed collected our Fitbit steps!
Santorini is known for their beautiful sunsets - especially in Oia since it's on the western tip of the crescent. We were able to enjoy the sunset from the deck during the sail away. I hope we find our way back there sometime soon!
The current island(s) of Santorini in its crescent shape was created after a volcano erupted. The cruise ship docked at Fira, the main city at the top of the mountain, which is accessible via cable car, donkey ride or a 30 minute walk up the donkey path. We opted for the cable car and were in the main shopping zone in a matter of minutes.
After peeking in all of the shops up and down the street (and probably eating some gelato, I mean that was our multi-daily thing), we talked to a guy who offered shuttle van service over to Oia, the iconic white cliff side buildings that you've definitely seen if you've seen a picture of Santorini. This ended up being a great deal, because he took us to a scenic overlook for photos (and took the photos so we are all in them) and then dropped us of at the center of Oia to look around, shop, and eat before he picked us up again in an hour. While I had envisioned a leisurely lunch of Greek salad, cheeses, bread and wine, we used up all of our time taking pictures and looking at shops. So, we had a very quick lunch of a shared pizza and local beers. The leisurely lunch is why I want to go back now!
We were the only cruise ship in port that day, so it wasn't quite as packed as it would have been in the heat of the tourist season. In fact, we were the last cruise ship of the season so the shops were discounting a lot of the merchandise. However, when it was time to go back down to the boat, the line for the cable car was blocks long. I'd read on several travel sites to expect that so I wasn't shocked. My plan was for us to walk down the donkey path, which I read only took about 20 minutes. I under-estimated how strenuous a steep downhill walk was on my quads. My legs were on fire when we got to the end from trying to control my descent. Oh, and the bricks/stones were very slippery....because it's a path shared with donkeys who pee and poop as they walk up and down it all day! I saw several people slip and fall (or the after effects of it) but luckily none of them were covered in poop! William really wanted to ride a donkey, so John decided to join him for the ride down. They actually shared a single donkey so I was able to get some good glimpses of them when I was in front or behind of them. My dad and I walked and enjoyed collected our Fitbit steps!
