Greece, Santorini, Travel diary

An afternoon boat tour in Santorini – on route to Oia

RiA
24 July, 2016
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After leaving the hot springs, the next part of our boat tour in Santorini would take us to another island in the Caldera before heading to Oia.

Thirasia island

Thirasia is a traditional island part of the group of volcanic islands in Santorini. Despite being the second largest, Thirasia is actually a very quiet village home to only a small number of inhabitants. As part of the tour, we had just under two hours free time to wander around the harbour, visit the village, swim or grab some lunch.

Everybody rushed off the boat and headed for the taverns. The two Spanish girls and I decided to take our time, avoid the rush for food and walk along the shore first.

Along the harbour were a number of little taverns selling a variety of traditional Greek and English dishes. There were also a few souvenir shops selling handcrafted ornaments, fridge magnets, tea towels, aprons, paintings and mugs.

We nipped into a few as we walked along. After about half an hour we decided to grab some lunch and chose a small tavern.

After the meal, we wondered near the dock and found a nice spot to relax for a bit. We dipped our toes and through the crystal-clear water you could see the smooth stones on the seabed beneath our feet. We sat and watched as a few boats sailed by in the distance.

Thraisia is beautiful and well worth paying a visit if only to relax and take in the view. In contrast to Santorini, it’s a lot calmer, quieter and less touristy.

Oia

Finally, we were on our way to Oia!

The day was slowly coming to an end and sunset even closer. Our boat docked at the Old Port in Fira. From here we had to get up to Fira town before we could make our way to Oia.

Once we were at the top of the cliff, I looked at my surroundings. The view was breath-taking! The contours and colours of the islands, all individually created following the volcanic eruptions, were beautiful. We were able to see a great distance and the view looking down was unreal. To my left and right those beautiful, crisp white buildings stood out. The view was just as stunning but this time closer.

I was beginning to understand what the attraction was of this beautiful island. Although nearer, we still had a way to go before we got to Oia.

When we finally arrived in Oia, I immediately noticed that the majority of the buildings were painted either white, cream, yellow or peach. Dotted around were those blue domed churches like the ones I’d seen in pictures. Looking picturesque, this was what had drawn me to Santorini in the first place.

We decided to head to the sunset point and saw a crowd of people heading uphill, but it was so crowded that we could just about walk. It seemed as though there was somewhere – wherever somewhere was – that was drawing people. I could just about make out what looked like ruins. People were perched with their legs hanging off the edge of the dark and light brown brick walls. We made our way down some steps which were also crowded with people sitting, standing and kneeling. Luckily, we managed to squeeze into a spot and we were ready.

Watching the sunset was more amazing than I could have imagined – a boat tour in Santorini. It was breathtakingly beautiful. When you have the sea before you, clear skies and the sun’s mellow rays glistening on the water, along with the white buildings nestled in the cliffs, it’s absolutely magical!

Was it worth the trip to Santorini? Was it worth the wait? Definitely!

Want to find out how this boat tour started? Read my travel diary post a boat tour in Santorini.