Is Santorini Worth Visiting in 2025? Honest Opinion!

Is Santorini Worth Visiting?

Yes, Santorini is worth visiting. It is one of the most unique places in Europe and one of the most picturesque islands I’ve ever seen.

Santorini is a place that you should see at least once in your life!

With whitewashed houses lining the cliffs, contrasting blue domes, and vibrant pink bougainvillea trees, Santorini truly captures the essence of Greek island life.

I visited Santorini twice, the first time with my family and the second time backpacking the Cyclades, and I loved it both times. 

However, you need to have realistic expectations before coming to Santorini.

Santorini is a very touristy island. It is probably the most visited place in Greece and a stop on every Mediterranean cruise itinerary. 

That means crowds, especially during summer.

You don’t need to spend a long time on the island, particularly if you’re visiting in high season. 

While there are beaches on the island, Santorini is not a beach holiday destination.

If you avoid peak summer months, you’ll get to avoid the crowds and have a much more pleasant experience on the island!

Reasons To Visit Santorini

Santorini is a beautiful island, and there are so many reasons to visit!

If you avoid peak times, and you can afford it, Santorini is really worth it.

Unique island

The main reason to visit Santorini is that it is simply beautiful!

I already visited Santorini twice, and it is a place I could return to again and again (as long as I avoid peak summer months of course).

No other Greek island can compete with Santorini when it comes to its cliffside houses and fairytale-like alleys.

Great place to visit in shoulder season

I want you to enjoy your time in Santorini, so I can’t stress enough that you should avoid visiting in June, July, and August. 

The first time I visited Santorini, I went in August. I was 13 at the time, so I don’t remember much of the crowds.

However, seeing the photos of Santorini crowds put me off from visiting the second time until mid-September!

The weather was still perfect, you could swim in the sea, and I even managed to get sunburned hiking from Fira to Oia.

The island was still crowded, especially for sunset in Oia, but it wasn’t nearly as bad!

If you want the place all to yourself, October to April is the best time to go. 

Diverse Landscapes

Santorini has it all when it comes to diverse landscapes. The whole island is set on a volcano caldera, making it unique among other Cyclades. 

You’ll also see volcanic beaches in Santorini. To be honest, Santorini beaches are not my favorite, but they are quite impressive nonetheless.

You have black sand and red sand beaches, which is something you can’t see on other neighboring islands!

Stunning sunset

Sunset in Oia is one of the most beautiful in the world! 

It is also one of the most crowded, but we already talked about the crowds, so you know you won’t be alone admiring the sunset. That is why I didn’t say it is romantic!

However, you can make it romantic by booking a table in one of the restaurants overlooking the sunset or joining one of Santorini’s sunset cruises!

Easy to get around by public transport

You don’t need a car in Santorini! 

Santorini local buses connect virtually every village on the island, making it easy to get around without renting a vehicle. 

Fira is the best place to stay in Santorini without a car, as the central bus station is located there. 

Every bus in Santorini passes through Fira, so if you’re staying in Perissa and you want to go to Oia, you’ll have to transfer in Fira. 

Also, you can join many organized tours to explore the island!

For example, this Santorini wine-tasting tour, with pick-up from all car-accessible locations in Santorini!

Great luxury destination

If you want to treat yourself to a luxurious stay in an upscale cliffside villa, there is no better place to do it than Santorini. 

Santorini does luxury perfectly!

There is a reason why it is one of the top honeymoon destinations in Europe!

If you’re ready to pay for it, you’ll have an impeccable experience. And I think that is one aspect that summarizes Santorini perfectly. 

Santorini is expensive, cliffside villas with private pools are pricey, and so is the fine dining. But you won’t be disappointed if you go in with realistic expectations and budget.

If you compare Santorini and Paros, you can get a similar experience in Naoussa. However, you’ll still have to pay for it!

Safe for solo female travelers

While most people visiting Santorini are couples, the island is also a great solo female destination!

Santorini is a safe island with low crime rates. You don’t have to worry about walking alone after dark, as violent crimes are extremely rare in Santorini.

Sure, you might feel scammed by taxi prices or tours, but you won’t feel like everybody is out to get you.  

There is something for every budget

The best thing about Santorini is that there is something for every traveler!

If you want luxury, you got it. Would you prefer to visit Santorini on a backpacking budget and stay in hostels? You can do that too!

While there are many upscale hotels and fine-dining cliffside restaurants in Santorini, there are also many hostels in Santorini and budget-friendly food stalls.

Negative Aspects Of Santorini

Santorini is one of the most popular places to visit in the world. So, it begs the question is Santorini worth the hype?

Santorini is a real place and more than just a photo showing its best side. There are many things those perfect photos don’t tell you about Santorini.

Before booking your ticket, you should know the cons of visiting Santorini too!

Extremely overcrowded

The first “expectations vs reality” experience you’ll have in Santorini is the crowds. 

If you want to see popular sites and streets without people, you’ll have to wake up at dawn or visit in winter. 

Santorini is crowded. During summer, it is overcrowded, which is a general problem when visiting Europe in summer.

Nowadays, there is a limit of 8000 cruise ship passengers on the island per day, but that doesn’t account for the people staying on the island. 

Now, imagine all these people trying to fit in the narrow cobblestone streets of a small cliffside village.

Exactly. 

I’m kind of embarrassed to admit it, but I waited in line for 15 minutes to take a photo of 3 domes of Oia. 

I was there in mid-September when the crowds dispersed a bit, and it really made me wonder is Santorini worth it.

The most expensive place in Greece

Santorini is an expensive place to visit.

Now, different people have different perspectives on what is expensive and what is cheap. 

However, Santorini is more expensive than other places in Greece.

So, how expensive is Santorini?

It depends on where you’re coming from and what activities you want to do here. 

Compared to prices in the UK and France, Santorini is not that expensive. I don’t think paying 15€ per meal is an extortionate price, and coffees in France are 5€ anyway. 

Also, not all hotels are 500€ per night, but those Instagrammable cliffside cave villas are!

You can visit Santorini on a budget, stay in a hostel, eat gyros for dinner, and enjoy free activities.

Rude service

People often complain of rude service in Santorini. I didn’t find service in Santorini rude, but it wasn’t particularly warm and friendly either.

Greece is known for friendly locals, and I’ve had great experiences with locals when visiting Corfu, but there aren’t that many locals left in Santorini. 

Nowadays, most businesses in Santorini are sold to foreigners, with workers from neighboring countries coming to the island to work during the summer season. 

The locals living in Santorini are usually stressed over constant traffic jams and overstretched infrastructure that can barely cope with so many visitors. 

I don’t think anyone will be plainly rude to you. It is just to expect that people are there to work and they do it professionally but don’t see you for more than just a number. 

No locals around

I already touched upon this aspect earlier, but there are not many locals left on the island.

Santorini is hardly a place where you can enjoy authentic Greek island life. It feels like an island made for tourists, with all the facilities geared towards enhancing their experience on the island.

Lines in front of popular photo spots

Coming back to the problem of crowds and expectations you might have from seeing photos of Santorini on social media. 

Are you dreaming of having that typical Santorini photo with blue domes of Oia and Fira in the background?

You’ll have to wait in line.

Seriously, there is a line on both sides of the street, and on a good day you might wait for 15 minutes, on a bad day it might be an hour!

Also, many popular photo spots are not open to the public at all, or you’ll be trespassing if you try 

Accessibility Issues

One thing to consider before traveling to Santorini is that the island is pretty unforgiving for those with mobility issues. 

When you see where is Santorini, you know you need to fly or take a ferry to the island.

Sure, you can take a cable car from the port to the city of Fira, but once you’re there, moving around in a wheelchair can be challenging. 

Cobblestone streets are not the best terrain for wheelchair users to begin with, and if you pair that with suffocating crowds, you might find it hard to move around. 

And that’s just scratching the surface!

Those cliffside villas you see in photos, the roads leading to them are narrow staircases and, in the best-case scenario, steep cobblestone alleys.

I’m not saying it is impossible! The streets in Oia are easier to get around.