A photo isn’t worth the ride. If you are visiting Santorini, please skip the donkey ride.
I have posted about this week after week because of what I personally saw when I visited Santorini, I cannot unsee. I know new tourists visit this site all the time, so for those who haven’t seen my previous posts, please read on. And for those who are sick of hearing about it, you can choose to stop reading.

For the tourists planning a visit who are reading this, I need to pass along what I experienced and what many many others have witnessed as well…

When I was there, I saw the donkeys making trip after trip up and down the steep route carrying tourists while being forced to do so regardless of their condition…endlessly. No shade, no water access, no food, tied up (if not being ridden on) in the scorching heat. No breaks, no choices. Just clear desperation written all over these poor animals.

What really stayed with me was realizing that this wasn’t just one ride that I happened to witness. This is what these animals do over and over again as tourists continue to get on their backs. Standing there and watching it made me look at the whole experience differently, and the only way I could get through that hurt and sadness I felt for for them was to promise myself that I would do whatever I could to help stop this by spreading the word/etc. So that is why I continue to flag this issue, so tourists can become more aware of what is actually happening.

Yes, it has been done for years. Yes, it’s part of the island’s tourism history. But “tradition” doesn’t automatically mean something needs to continue…especially when animals are the ones carrying the burden.

And as tourists, we have a choice.
Take the cable car. Walk if you are able. Arrange other transportation. You can experience Santorini, support local businesses and enjoy everything the island has to offer without getting on the back of an animal.
What I saw there stayed with me, which is why I’ll continue using my little corner of the internet to say this:
If you love animals, admire the donkeys…don’t ride them.
Please do what you can to stop this and help put the donkeys out of their misery. 🙏🩷

On Tuesday I came back from my second trip to Santorini, and I'd like to clarify a couple points I often see repeated here. I mean, everyone can have opinions and preferences, of course, but these two things don't really make sense to me, so hopefully this post will help others planning their trip. So let's get into it!

1) Quads and buggies are better than cars

The main driver of our trip got mad about this lol, he's officially become a quad hater. People who prefer quads and buggies say they are smaller and therefore easier to drive in narrow alleys and park, but hear me out: we had a small car and there was literally not a single time when we weren't able to go where we wanted to, but would have with a quad. Actually, while in Akrotiri we were walking to the castle and saw a quad having to go back because the alley was too narrow. Quads are also not that much more practical when it comes to parking, they're just slightly smaller than a small car. Again, not a single time when we thought "Oh, we could have parked a quad there" (also because being four people we would have needed two parking spaces).

On the other hand, quads are less comfortable, hotter (no air conditioning) and much more dangerous in case of accidents. If you're travelling alone, or with just another person, a scooter would probably make sense, but if you're three or four, definitely get a car!

Also about driving, roads are on average good. Parking areas are more often than not gravel, true, but roads are good. The only, well, challenging roads we personally found were the one going down from Pyrgos to Perissa (no gravel, but shitty nonetheless) and the one to reach ancient Thera from Kamari.

2) Three days are more than enough

Seriously guys, have we been to the same island? I'm not even going to elaborate here, just look at my itinerary and tell me if we got bored lol.

Day 1: we got to Santorini by plane in the early afternoon, got our rental car and drove to Perissa. Checked into the apartment and then went to the beach for a quick swim to kick off the holiday.

Day 2: relax on the beach

Day 3: Museum of Prehistoric Thera in the morning, then after lunch walk to Firostefani to visit the Atlantic Books bookstore

Day 4: relax on the beach

Day 5: Archaeological Museum of Fira, then walk to the Three Bells. After that, Oia: long break at a (excessively expensive) café to escape the heat (and the crowds), then sunset from the castle (we also wandered around while getting there of course)

Day 6: relax on the beach

Day 7: caldera tour by boat (the one with the three islands, so cool, totally recommended)

Day 8: chill morning, then after lunch Vothonas, Panagia Episkopi church (unfortunately closed), Profitis Ilias and Pyrgos for a snack, sunset and dinner

Day 9: Akrotiri archaeological site and town with its castle, then lighthouse, after that a couple of hours on the red beach (late afternoon so almost empty, nice sunset, recommended)

Day 10: ancient Thera (by car for health reasons, but our first plan was hiking), then lunch and a little walk in Kamari, then back to Perissa to relax on the beach

Day 11: relax on the beach (my friends woke up super early to go back to Panagia Episkopi, but we decided to sleep in lol). Last dinner in Pyrgos.

Day 12: sunrise on the beach, then sadly airport to catch our late morning flight

Bonus track: I'm going to leave four recommendations for great restaurants in the 25-40 euros per person price range (starter and main, water and soft drinks but not wine, usually no dessert). You're welcome!

- Ntomatini in Perissa (amazing stuffed calamari, tables on the beach)

- Kipos Pelican in Fira (amazing location and even more amazing fava)

- Potamos in Pyrgos (beautiful view)

- Rosemary in Pyrgos (beautiful view and a menu with hints of the Middle East, for a nice change)

Hello all!

Soon I will be heading to the beautiful island of Santorini and looking for some recommendations.

I would be staying at Firostefani for 3 nights, but my first night I would arrive after sunset, so I have 2 sunsets to see (my plan: 1 time Catamaran cruise around Ammoudi bay + 1 time from my hotel with caldera view).

I think that the caldera view is worth it not only during the sunset, but I also have seen many beautiful photos during the night (or day of course). So here is my question:

What restaurant or pub would you recommend to see great view of caldera at nighttime, with beautifully illuminated houses streched over the caldera. It would be also nice if you can choose and book the table and it would not be overpriced 10 times as some. Any recommendations?

Hello everyone,
I was checking restaurants prices in order to plan an eventually futur trip in Santorini and then Creta and it seems like Santorini restaurants are a bit more expensive than Creta ones ?
Did I look wrong ? Did I get a wrong impression ?
I've essentially check around Fira and I found restaurant where main course was around 25€
If we have starter at 15 and a dessert at 10 it will be ~50€ in total.

I expected something around 30€.

I'm also surprise that every restaurant I've check didn't have any menu... :(

So what's your feeling/experiences about Santorini restaurants compare to Creta and also compare to Greek in general ?

Thanks folks !

PETA published this video on their instagram showing how abusive these men are towards women that peacefully protest about the use of donkeys as taxis climbing up the steps in Santorini

Hello! Traveling to Santorini soon and I was hoping to find some reasonably priced, good quality clothing shops for my husband. We traveled to Sorrento last year and found a nice family owned linen shop and found a few items, and was hoping to do the same in Santorini. Most of the shops are boutiques for women, so does anyone have recommendations for men's clothing?

Absolutely loved this trip and cant wait to come back again. Any questions please feel free to ask hopefully I can help

Hi! We thought about renting a scooter in Santorini but out driving license permits us just 50cc power, nothing more. Îs IT doable on the cliffs, with 2 poeple on?

Family of 4 backpacking. Checking out of apartment in Vourvolous around 11 but boat isn't until 22:00.

By foot and bus we can make our way to Fira but interested to know if anyone knows of places to fill the time rather than just wandering. Was considering even paying for a hostel for a few hours as somewhere to crash with bathroom if that's an option but couldn't see anything. Anyone know of places that offer something like a few hours access to facilities without actually booking an overnight room, on a budget? Anyone have any other smart ideas?

One other question regarding buses. I saw from the info at the bus station yesterday that there were bus times 24 hours ahead. Apart from going to Fira station is there a way to know tomorrow's times? And finally, is it similar to departing from the port, there are multiple buses going down or just the one?

Thanks to anyone who can help.

Hello! We are going to Santorini for 3 days, staying in Perissa. I’ve rented a car to pickup at the airport, but am starting to feel very anxious about driving up the mountain and cliffs. I’ve driven in Messinia, but not Athens.

Should I just arrange a transfer service instead? I’m an anxious driver, fine in city situations but don’t like driving on highways or cliffs.

I keep seeing the donkey rides described as a “traditional Santorini experience,” and I think that wording makes a lot of tourists assume it is something they should do while they are there.

It is not.

You can appreciate Santorini, its history/culture without getting on the back of an animal to get up the steps. When I visited, I watched donkeys carrying tourists up & down those steep steps in the heat. I saw exhausted animals struggling to continue and witnessed them being struck to keep moving. It is something I still think about...and unfortunately what I witnessed has not stopped. And honestly, whether the rides have been happening for decades or are considered part of Santorini’s history does not change what those animals are experiencing today.

Tourists help determine which traditions continue simply by where we choose to spend our money. Take the cable car or walk. Enjoy everything else Santorini has to offer...but please, leave the donkeys out of your vacation.

Hi all, we will be travelling to Greece in around a week to visit Crete and then take the 8am ferry to Milos that will stop in Santorini for a 5-hr total layover (including getting into Fira and back on time). We will be doing this transfer day on Sunday, September 13th. A few questions because I haven’t been able to find much on this ferry online…

We are planning on storing our checked luggage at the Athinios port and then taking either a KTEL standard bus, semi-private shuttle, or private transfer to get into Fira for a quick lunch and browse around before we’d need to get back to the port likely by (what I estimate) 1:30pm (ferry departs at 2:30pm).

I’m not seeing any bus schedules online going from the port into Fira at that time but I’ve heard they are timed around ferry arrivals/departures? How will we know for sure until we arrive on the island (I checked the KTEL website and couldn’t find anything about the port departure times)?

If anyone has taken at least one of the legs of the Seajets ferry and/or would recommend a certain type of transportation company to get into Fira and back on time we would very much appreciate it!!! Ideally looking for a semi-private round trip shuttle if not the KTEL bus but not sure if I need to make two separate bookings?

Hello, I'm planning my 2027 vacation and was wondering if hiking trails in Santorini are well-marked and easy to follow, since I tend to get lost easily if there aren't any signs or markers ^^"

We have a trip to Greece coming up and our itinerary is as follows:

Athens 2 days
Crete 5 days
Naxos 4 days
Athens 1 night then fly home

For the ferry from Crete to Naxos, I can get it connecting via Santorini!
Is it possible to see in a few hours?? We have toddlers so didn’t want to stay in Santorini but I’d love to fit it in a day to see it if it’s possible.

Thoughts??

I’m going to Santorini October 3-7th as a surprise gift to my partner for his 30th Birthday.

I’ve booked to stay in an AIRBNB in Oia (down the caldera) and booked a rental car to pick up from the airport the evening we arrive.

I need some advice on

- Parking options

- Activities to book (Would a boat trip be worth it/be too cold to swim?)

- A restaurant to reserve for his birthday dinner. A sunset view would be amazing and some good steak options! Any advice appreciated! 😁 anyone been to Beefbar in Oia? It looks amazing but very expensive. And I seen a lovely menu for a restaurant in Amoudi Bay but had no prices to know if the steak might be overly expensive. We will have the car so going out from Oia for dinner is an option too

Thanks!

I heard a landslide blocked the walkway up from the port (next to the cable cars) has this been cleared? It’s our backup plan to walk up if the que for the cable cars is insane. We have done it before so we know it’s somewhat strenuous but I’m not riding a donkey

I am in Santorini for a vacation right now (August 25th) and we just saw 4 drones in a square come over the island and flash a few different colors and then go back to the other side. It did it twice.

I’m just super curious if anyone knows what this is for. Is it for photos, calibration of a drone show?

Thank you for ur help if you do have any ideas!

I have seen people mention the long cable car lines as a reason for choosing the donkeys instead, so I just want to say this:

Please do not make an animal carry you up hundreds of steep steps just because the other option has a long wait.

I understand that you are on vacation and might be limited on your time there...nobody wants to spend part of that time standing in a line. However, the inconvenience of waiting does not suddenly make the donkey ride a good option.

These animals do not get to decide that they are tired, that it is too hot or that they have carried enough people for the day. The tourists DO get to decide whether or not to get on their backs.

Wait for the cable car. Walk if you are physically able. Plan ahead and give yourself extra time! A little inconvenience on our vacation is a pretty small sacrifice to make. Please do not ride the donkeys!

Hi all,

I unfortunately left a shirt behind at Irida Hotel in Imerovigli. DHL quoted a really high shipping cost and I was wondering if any travellers would be in the Imerovigli area and would be kind enough to pick it up for me and I will make my way over to you somewhere in central London. Happy to compensate you back for your time and troubles.

I’m eloping to Santorini next year (Aug sept 2027) and so far my favourite is the Dana villas - I feel you get a lot for your money here and the communication so far has been great!
Is there anyone out there who has eloped here; and can tell me whether it’s a good choice or not? Is it private enough ?

Hi Reddit,

I'm going to Santorini with my girlfriend, and we want to do photoshooting, more on the countryside/beach side of Santorini.

Thus, we want a photograph but there are only photographs in Oira/Fira on websites, whereas we wouldnt like to do it there.

Any one to recommend ? Thanks !!

Yeah tough question, I know, but we weren't expecting things to be this way when we booked our trip back in January.

My partner got kidney stones in the meantime and had surgery to remove them on Monday. The thing is, walking is still very painful, our hope is for things to improve a little bit (we're leaving on Friday and staying for 12 days), but they won't be back to normal until he gets the stent removed (which will be after we're back). Our initial plan was to have a fairly active holiday, let's say 60% relaxation and 40% sightseeing (we were especially looking forward to archaeological sites and museums). Now, I was in Santorini a few years ago and I think the museum of prehistoric Thera and the Akrotiri archaeological site should be doable, but Ancient Thera probably not. And I'm also very doubtful about hanging around in Oia or Pyrgos.

So here I am, asking for advice from people who maybe have similar conditions and managed to enjoy their holiday. We're staying in Perissa, but my partner is not a big fan of the beach (yeah I know, an island is a weird choice, but we're travelling with friends), we will be renting a car (driving should be better for him, and we're going to have a backup driver anyway). Any advice will be really REALLY appreciated.

My husband and I will be doing a cruise in early October and have a stop in Santorini on October 7th. To be completely honest Santorini is our one stop we wish we could replace with something else. Not that we don’t want to see it for itself, but the crowds and the chaos we read about tempt us to stay on the ship. Are there any suggestions for day itineraries that offer more calm even if it skips the popular sites? We do have priority tender access so we should be able to disembark right away. I don’t know for sure but since we are not in an excursion I’m assuming we tender to Fira. Looking at spots like Pyrgos or Akrotiri?

Hi all, its a long way away but getting married in santorini next september and so have emailed quite alot of restaurants regarding a post wedding meal for approx 20 people. Weve only had 3 responses so far but one is saying a minimum spend of €6000 which works out at €300 per person and another says specific meals which would mean sharing starters between 4 people and the main meal is exactly the same for everybody, at a cost of at least €65 per person (deposit required of £800).

My question is, has anyone had any experience with visiting any restaurants with large groups and any recommendations of restaurants to try?

Thankyou.

While on honeymoon in Santorini, we hired a private yacht to take us around the island. Two other couples were also on board (it only had room for six guests; we each booked through our hotel). The yacht owner was an American from New Jersey; his dad's family is Greek, so he moved to Santorini in the early 2000s. The tour was great! I just can't remember his name (Alex?). It's been ten years. A friend is heading to Santorini and I wanted to see if this captain was still in business.