What to do in Santorini beyond the usual tourist routes, what to see, where to eat well and locally and which beaches not to get lost. The advice of those who have been on a low cost holiday in Santorini, read the post.
Di Santorini we talked, we talk and we will talk. But, trust me, you will never get tired of her. I consider myself a rather informed traveler, precisely because before leaving I read, read, read a lot and ask, ask, ask if even more is possible. Precisely because I want to arrive at my destination prepared and ready to live the new experience in the best possible way. But Santorini totally took my breath away.
Tourist yes, it is undeniable but if you are able to escape from the roar of cruise tourists, Santorini is capable of surprising. Its people, cats, waves and (it will seem trivial) its sunsets make it a truly magical island. My boyfriend and I, penniless as we are, reached this wonderful island from Bologna airport with an Italian Low Cost company, the Blue Panorama, which in the summer runs to the Balkan Peninsula. An employee of the 'Pension George'(booked through Airbnb) in which we would have stayed for the following seven days (I noticed that it is a very common practice) and he accompanied us to Karterados, a location in the north central area of the island, much less crowded than the more classic destinations .
Here the warm welcome Helen, a lady in her sixties of English origin who manages the pension and the apartments that are part of it. Obviously, curious as I am, I asked her how she came to live in Santorini and she told me the story of a romantic love born at a young age between an English girl on vacation on a small island in the Cyclades and a Greek boy who was born and raised on this small island, George. For me it was the first magic of Santorini, I'm sentimental, a lot. That same evening we decided to eat in a fish restaurant right there, in Karterados.
Obviously anyone who had gone to Santorini before us had advised us against the places typically and visibly created for tourists, both for a matter of costs and for the experimentation of a new culinary culture. We have tried to stick to this but unfortunately, as I will tell, in some cases it has not been possible.
The following morning we have hired a scooter, under the advice of Helen, preferring a slightly higher displacement than the classic fifty, given the almost mountainous roads of Santorini, and we set off to discover the island. First stop obviously Thira, the capital of Santorini, then Imerovigli e Oia. They are three splendid places, famous above all for the truly wonderful sunsets.
These three locations have become, according to the locals, very touristy especially in recent years. In the following days we decided to discover the island. So we headed south, where we found very characteristic places like the beach of Kamari of Perissa, the first equipped and organized to welcome tourists, the second, in my opinion, much more representative of the true holiday vision of the inhabitants of Santorini.
Kamari is a large promenade, full of clubs and shops that line the beach; here there is the particular practice according to which those who eat in a specific place (restaurant, bar, sandwich shop, etc.) have the opportunity to relax in the beach in front of them all day long (probably owned by the same restaurant) completely free of charge , so we took advantage of it several times.
We could not miss the Red Beach: the path was rather tortuous (in fact a tip is gear up very well with hats and trainers) but it is absolutely worth it. Crystal clear water and views will immediately make the fatigue of the journey disappear.
A visit to the Nea Kameni volcano: there are many super low cost mini cruises that can be purchased almost everywhere, which allow you to visit the Caldera of Santorini and the volcanic island of Nea Kameni. We also made a stop and a swim in the sulphurous waters present in an inlet of the volcano. Our wonderful journey ended with a stop at the lighthouse of Santorini in the southernmost area of the island, in this position it is possible to see all the Caldera and the surrounding maritime landscape.
