Greece, Tips & advice

4 cool places to watch the sunset in Santorini, Greece

RiA
18 October, 2016
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Super sunset

Watching the sunset in Santorini, Greece has to be one of the main things you need to do if you ever visit this island. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that no trip to Santorini is complete unless take some time to do this! On my first solo holiday to Santorini I ended up visiting Oia (a well-known place to watch the sunset) twice! Yes, twice in two days. Did I not tell you about my sunset obsession? Anyway, if you’re planning on visiting Santorini anytime soon or you’ve already booked your flights, here are a few places where you can watch the sunset in Santorini, Greece.

Oia

Well I’d better start there with Oia, hadn’t I? Oia is perfect and the place most people will visit to watch the sunset in Santorini. With the beautiful Aegean Sea as its backdrop and the buildings scattered down the side of the cliffs, it truly is one of the best places and one to add to your list. However, because of this, it can get a little crowded. If you want somewhere a little quieter….

Imerovigli

Imerovigli is definitely somewhere to consider for a little more peace and quiet. I’m going to tell you something funny – I actually found Imerovigli because I got lost trying to drive around Fira. Yes, it’s true! Fira has a few one-way streets so while trying to find a place to park my quadbike, I ended up going up a back road. There were plenty of cars, so I thought nothing of it as I could see the signs to Fira. But sunset was approaching and there was no way I’d get back to Fira, find parking and a spot to watch it in time. So, what did I do? I parked up and walked. Luckily it took me to an area behind a handful of what appeared to be villas and hotels. I saw someone and asked if there was somewhere to watch the sunset. They pointed and at that moment I thought, now this is a spot!

Fira

Another spot to catch the sunset is Fira. If you walk along the main strip past the central bus garage and taxi stand and turn off one of the side cobbled streets before the McDonald’s, you be able to follow the mosaic-styled paths. On the way you’ll pass plenty of souvenir shops, restaurants and bars. You can either find one of those to sit in or look for a place to sit along the pathways. There’s a point where it widens out a bit.

On the road

A few tips

Get to Oia early – you may think you won’t need to spend too much time looking in shops, but they’re so quaint and the crafts beautiful that you’ll want to stop and look. Then factor in the views you’ll get along the way – I’m sure you’ll keep stopping just to take pictures. The time will fly by, so get their early to give yourself enough of it to explore.

Find a spot with a view – the earlier you get there, the more likely you’ll be to get a spot at the Castle of Oia. You may be able to sit at one of the cafés or restaurants along the way and have dinner or a drink since it can be very crowded. If that doesn’t suit you, you can always perch on a wall along the paths. Be careful not to sit in front of anyone’s house, hotel or B&B. There are quite a few scattered around.

Souvenir shopping – if you can, it may be an idea to leave any souvenir shopping until after the sunset. The shops are open quite late, and it’ll also be a lot cooler. You can leisurely stroll back and shop afterwards, instead of trying to squeeze it all in beforehand. It’s tempting, I know, but I’d do it that way if I ever went back again from experience. There are a handful of really lovely shops near the bus garage in Oia, so make a stop there too.

Selfie stick – okay, I’m going to be honest. I thought I’d never get one since I wasn’t a fan of the selfie stick at all. Now, I own one! If you’re travelling solo (or even if you’re not), you’ll definitely want to get a picture of yourself with the Aegean Sea and white buildings as your backdrop. Your arms just won’t be long enough to get a nice wide view. Of course, you can ask someone to take it for you, but you can control the shot better. Giving in, I picked up a selfie stick before I left, but don’t worry if you forget to pick one up beforehand as they’re being sold around the streets of Oia.