When you start planning a trip to Santorini, you quickly realize there are many options to choose from regarding where to base yourself during your time on this beautiful island. For such a small island, several idyllic coastal and mountain villages are deserving of your choice, and deciding which is best for you can seem like a daunting task. Sure, there are the classic go-to’s like Oia and Fira, but are those truly the best options for you? That’s why we put this guide together, to illustrate some of the pros and cons of staying in certain areas, and to help you decide where to stay in Santorini.

Santorini is home to 15 towns and villages scattered all over the island. Below we will cover the 8 we believe are the most suitable to serve as your base during your holiday in Santorini, which includes some of the most popular spots such as Fira and Oia, and some of the more relaxed and lesser-known villages on the island such as Pyrgos and Megalochori. They are presented in no particular order and then compared with another in a summary section at the end.

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You might also be interested in these pages:
Best Things to See and Do in Santorini
Santorini Itinerary Ideas (1 to 5 days)
Santorini Travel Guide: Things to Know Before You Go
How to Get Around Santorini

1. Fira

Santorini’s largest town, capital, and transportation hub. Most cruise ship day-trippers transit through here and many spend a fair amount of time here, making it Santorini’s most congested village at times. That being said, the views of the caldera are stunning here, particularly along the Fira-Imerovigli walking path. It’s also the best village on the island for those looking for a good nightlife scene.

Pros: Fira is very centrally located, making it the best base for exploring the rest of the island, particularly if you plan to use the bus to travel around (you can find the full current schedule here). Fira has the most options in terms of accommodations, shopping, and restaurants. It’s also the only village in Santorini known for its nightlife and bar scene. It’s the best place to be if you are travelling during the low season (November-April), as most hotels and restaurants in other villages tend to close down for the season.

Cons: Not the best place to be if you are looking for a relaxed atmosphere during the evening. Cruise ship day-trippers can overwhelm the city during the day.

If you want to know more about Fira, check out our Guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Fira.

2. Oia

Perched on the island’s northern tip, Oia was built to impress and it definitely delivers. Set on a steep slope of the caldera, it’s Santorini’s answer to what a picture-perfect village should be. It’s home to several blue-domed churches and charming cube-like houses with colourful façades built right into the volcanic rock. Like Fira, it can get overrun with tourists, particularly during high season, and particularly during sunset.

Pros: Oia has tons of bucket-list- and Instagram-worthy viewpoints and photo spots. It also has many hotels to choose from and has many attractions to keep you busy in and around Oia during the day. It’s ideally located to access several boat and catamaran excursions from Ammoudi Bay.

Cons: Accommodations tend to be more expensive than elsewhere on the island. It gets very crowded during the day with day-trippers, and the area around the castle gets overwhelmed by crowds wanting to view the sunset in the evening. Oia also isn’t the best base for exploring the rest of Santorini due to being located near the northern extremity of the island while most of the other villages and attractions are in the southern half of the island.

If you want to know more about Oia, check out our Guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Oia.

3. Imerovigli

Imerovigli is Santorini’s second-highest village, but it’s the highest along the western caldera side of the island perched atop a rising cliff, which means that it is a fantastic place to watch the sunset from. It’s much less busy and touristy than Oia and Fira, with arguably even better views of the caldera and sunsets.

Pros: From Imerovigli, you’ll get great sunsets and views of the caldera. Here, the atmosphere is significantly quieter than its close neighbour Fira, particularly during the evenings — but it does still have a small and lively town square for those who like to have a little bit of evening ambiance. It’s an ideal place for couples and for those who want a more relaxing holiday, but without being too far from the action (Fira is only a 30-minute away, after all). Imerovigli is also ideally located near several walking and hiking trails, such as the hiking trail to Oia and the hiking trail to Skaros Rock.

Cons: Imerovigli is not as centrally located as Fira if you plan on using the bus a lot, which means either taking a first bus to Fira or walking there. Accommodations on average also tend to be on the expensive side (primarily because of the views you get from most hotels and B&Bs.) Imerovigili has fewer attractions and “must-see’ places in the village itself compared to places like Oia and Fira.

If you want to know more about Imerovigli, check out our Guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Imegovigli.

4. Firostefani

If you are hesitating between Fira and Imerovigli, Firostefani might be a great compromise. It’s roughly halfway between both villages, a 15-20 min walk to each, and shares some of the pros of both villages.

Pros: Accommodations are typically less costly than in Imerovigli, and the village is less crowded than in Fira.

Cons: The caldera views aren’t as great as they are in Fira or Imerovigli, depending on exactly where you are, as Imerovigli and Skaros rock obscure the coastline to the northwest. There are Fewer dining options than Imergovigli or Fira, but you are close to those in either.

5. Pyrgos

Not known for any particular site or attraction is in part what makes its charm – it’s one of the most authentic Cycladic villages you will find on Santorini. It’s filled with narrow streets and hidden alleyways and has a (partially ruined) castle at the top of the village, from which you have stunning 360 panoramic views of Santorini.

Pros: It’s one of the quietest and quaintest towns on this list, and you will rarely find yourself surrounded by many other tourists (at least compared to Fira and Oia). Pyrgos is also the village on this list that’s closest to some of the more popular beaches (except for those villages with direct beach access, such as Kamari and Perissa) and to several of Santorini’s famous vineyards and wineries.

Cons: Its central location on the island means that there are no caldera cliffside views. Despite its central location, it isn’t as well connected as Fira, especially if you plan on taking the bus to travel around the island.

If you want to know more about Pyrgos, check out our Guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Pyrgos.

6. Megalochori

Equally charming and authentic as Pyrgos, Megalochori is the place to go to escape the crowds and to be close to several of Santorini’s best wineries and vineyards. Though there are no views of the caldera from within the town, a short 5-to-10-minute walk will get you to the caldera’s edge from which you can admire the sunset.

Pros: It’s one of the quietest towns on this list along with Pyrgos. It’s also one of the flattest villages on the island, so it’s a great option for those with mobility issues. It’s one of the most authentic towns in Santorini, where locals can outnumber tourists in the streets. It’s also close to several of Santorini’s famous vineyards and wineries.

Cons: Its central location on the island means that there are no caldera cliffside views. Though you can walk to the caldera edge in 5-to-10 minutes, the coastline is more barren compared to Fira and Imerovigli, which are covered in white-washed houses and beautiful architecture. Although somewhat centrally located on the island, it isn’t as well connected as Fira, especially if you plan on taking the bus to travel around the island.

If you want to know more about this charming village, check out our Guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Megalochori.

7/8. Kamari and Perissa

Kamari and Perissa are both villages on Santorini’s eastern (non-caldera) coast. What they lack in terms of stunning caldera/sunset views and arrays of blue-domed churches, they make up for with impressive black-sand beaches, laidback atmospheres and beautiful sunrises.

Pros: Both villages are ideal for those looking for frequent and direct access to Santorini’s best beaches. Both are also ideal for families and for those with mobility issues, as these towns are much flatter than those along the caldera.

Cons: No views of the caldera and no sunset views (but you get sunrise views instead). The villages aren’t as photogenic and impressive as those along the caldera.

If you want to know more about some of Santorini’s beaches, check out our Guide on the Best Beaches in Santorini.

Summary

What to choose if your priorities are:

To have easy access to those iconic Santorini blue-domed churches and postcard-perfect views: Oia

To have beautiful caldera views, immaculate sunsets, and a quiet evening atmosphere: Imerovigli or Firostefani

To be away from the crowds in a more authentic Santorini village: Pyrgos and Megalochori

To be centrally located with a good nightlife: Fira

Easy beach access: Kamari and Perissa

Other Considerations

So far we’ve focused on the pros and cons of specific locations and villages in Santorini, but what is equally if not more important is the choice of your actual accommodation. Do you want to stay in one of Santorini’s famous cave dwellings, do you want an outdoor balcony with a caldera view, do you want a private pool?

Determining your budget is an important first step too since accommodation options in Santorini are generally more expensive than anywhere else in Greece (on average sometimes up to twice as much as you would pay on some less busy islands like Naxos or Paros). We suggest looking at what’s available in your price range in the different villages. The earlier you start looking the more options you will have in different price ranges, and that’s when you’ll find those best-value deals.

We opted to pay more than we normally would for our stay in Santorini because we wanted a place that would offer us a private space from which we would watch those epic world-renowned Santorini sunsets. We figured that the money spent there would allow us to save elsewhere, such as splurging on dinners in expensive restaurants with sunset views. We still got to try several great restaurants while in Santorini, just none of those expensive ones along the caldera since we could enjoy the sunset every evening from the comfort of our private balcony.

Our Vote For Best Village to Stay In: Imerovigli

We’ve hinted somewhat at our favorite village to stay in the previous section. You might have guessed it: Imerovigli. The combination of having one of the best views of the famous Santorini sunsets and being a much quieter and less crowded village made it very appealing.

Also, for people who love to hike, Imerovigli is a great place to stay since several walking and hiking trails start in town: the Fira-Imerovigli walking trail, the Imergovigli-Oia hiking trail, and the hiking trail to Skaros Rock. Last but not least, given its close proximity to Fira (a 30-minute walk or 5-minute bus ride), it makes a decent base from which to explore the rest of the island.

We don’t often recommend specific places to stay in a given destination – because tastes, needs, preferences, and budgets tend to differ a lot between travellers. While some websites recommend a bunch of places for different budgets, that’s something we try to avoid since there is no way we could have tried them all out – in fact, we generally only stay in one or two places when we visit a city.

That being said, we can highly recommend Heliades Apartments. The views are stunning from the private balcony and the small apartment is charmingly delightfully, perfect for two. A delicious breakfast served on your private balcony every morning is included with your overnight stay

If this property is booked for your preferred travel dates or need a larger place to accommodate more people, worry not; several other similar properties are available in Imerovigli.

Preparing a trip to Santorini?

You might also be interested in these pages:
Best Things to See and Do in Santorini
Santorini Itinerary Ideas (1 to 5 days)
Santorini Travel Guide: Things to Know Before You Go
Where to Stay on Santorini
How to Get Around Santorini

Preparing a trip to Greece?

You might be interested in these Greece pages:
Top Things to See and Do in Greece
Two-Week Greece Itinerary (including Mykonos and Santorini)
Greece Travel Guide: Things to Know Before You Go
How to Travel Around Greece

We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Rick Steeves Greece
Lonely Planet Greece

Photography Gear

If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.

Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug

Other Travel Essentials

Travel Insurance
SafetyWing is a travel insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage for travellers. Includes Medical Insurance and Travel Insurance. Primarily geared towards long-term travellers, digital nomads, and expats.

e-Sim cards
Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, travellers can get connected the moment they land at their destination and avoid nasty data roaming charges
eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of.

Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.

Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).

Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).

Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)

Photography Prints

If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.

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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Guide on Where to Say in Santorini – A Short Guide to the Best Areas and that it will prove useful for planning your trip to Santorini.

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You might also be interested in these related pages:

Santorini’s Best Beaches: The Ultimate Guide for Kamari, Perissa and Red Beach

Best Things to See and Do in Fira, Santorini

Best Things to See and Do in Imerovigli (Santorini)

Fira to Imerovigli Caldera Walk: A Santorini Hiking Guide

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