How to see Santorini away from the crowds

Click here to download and save as a PDF

There are 6,000 islands and islets in Greece, but I’ve come to the one that’s top of more travel ‘wish lists’ than any other. Santorini, the quintessential Cyclades isle, is famed for its idyllic whitewashed villages, blue-domed churches and golden sunsets that are the stuff of legend.

I’ve escaped its busy streets to enjoy the view from afar, with a five-hour sailing in a luxury catamaran along the epic coastline of the caldera (a Unesco World Geological Heritage Site), passing by volcanic islets with iron-rich red or black-sand beaches, swimming in natural hot springs and, of course, basking in that famous Santorini sunset over the Aegean Sea.

Departing from the small port of Ammoudi, there are just two other couples cruising with us this afternoon, meaning everyone finds their own spot to soak up the views as well as the rays. 

While the crew of the Vasiliki ply us with delicious Greek food and drink, we luxuriate in the feeling of space that is more than welcome when, back on land, Santorini’s population of 15,000 becomes dwarfed by the three million who visit each year.

Most make either for Fira, the capital and largest town on Santorini, or Oia, a breathtakingly beautiful village on the island’s northwestern tip. Even if you choose not to wait in line just for a turn to grab that must-have selfie from a cliffside terrace, it can still feel overwhelmingly busy in the peak summer months.