Santorini island (Thera) is renowned for its sublime natural beauty, its pearly white buildings adorned with bougainvillea, its blue-domed churches, its incredible sunsets, and much more …
This paradise is one of the most romantic Greek Islands to visit and therefore attracts millions of visitors from around the globe so you will not be alone there, but this is still one of the most beautiful places on earth despite the (very) high touristic pressure
This is as well one of the places on earth where people are literally standing in (long) lines, with their most beautiful dresses, for an Instagram-perfect spot (and they often don’t look as good as the one below 😊)…
So don’t get misled by my pictures with anybody, as it is hard work to obtain them 😊. For photographers, clearly early morning twilight and sunrise is clearly the only way to get both great light and much fewer people
So, the article below articulates and tries to showcase images of around 50 of the most beautiful photographic spots on Santorini Island 🤩.
Fira
Fira, the capital of Santorini situated at the west crescent of the caldera of Santorini is a unique combination of traditional Cycladic architecture and remnants of the Venetian era of the island.
Three bells of Fira
The bells of the Saint Theodoros Thira Orthodox church are probably one of the most iconic spots of Santorini
The best view is from the parking above Mamma Thira Tavern, ideally early morning
Catholic church of Saint Stylianos
This church is located on the verge of the cliffs, clinging to the edge of the caldera
The church is of cruciform plan with a Theran-type dome
You can see it aside from the main walking path (that is not fully packed with tourists only very early in the morning)
Saint John the Baptist Cathedral
Saint John is the main Catholic church in Santorini.
That cathedral, built in 1823, is a landmark of Fira, visible from many places …
… And beautiful at different moments of the day …
… with the morning being a good (and only) time to get it only for you…
The colors of that wonder under the Cyclades’ blue sky are a paradise for photographers 🤩
Of course, have a look inside as well
Santorini Candlemas holy Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral
This church sits prominently towards the bottom of Fira and can be seen from many parts of Santorini.
The interior is as well gorgeous
Saint Minas Holy Orthodox Church
Standing on the edge of the caldera and overlooking the sea, the whitewashed filthen century Church of Agios Minas (also known as Katofirianos) is in the southern part of the old town
The walkway on the edge of the Caldera
The views over the caldera are stunning all along the several miles walkway with as well beautiful views above the Imerovigli village
That little boat on a rooftop is a cool photo spot (near Thira Tavern)
Again, the morning is a great time …
There are many photography opportunities all along that street
So, keep exploring Fira up and down (including the donkey stairs to the harbor 🤩😅 …
Oia
Oia is the absolute postcard of Santorini and a good place to be based in my view
This is the most famous place in Santorini and one of the most famous villages on earth, so … very busy but a must-see.
Old castle
The most popular place for sunset is the old castle
Not to mislead you, but this is what it really looks like 😢 …
but, if you are a crazy photographer, it is worth arriving super early to get a prime spot for your tripod and wait for the sun to go down with a good book 😎
The view from “both sides” is gorgeous
This is as well a great spot for sunrise (and much less busy than in the evening)
The Byzantine ruins are as well beautiful in the morning from the castle…
… and can be seen as well from many parts of Oia
St. John the Baptist church bell tower
This is another very famous spot in Oia for sunrise and sunset
Like at the castle, the view is great in both directions …
… and at different moments of the day …
The permanently changing light makes that spot worth visiting a few times
The famous 3 domes of Oia
Very close to the above (access near Stauros church), there is another famous (and busy) spot where you can see the 3 blue domes
Those domes are the Resurrection of the Lord (Anastasia) Church, Saint Spyridon Church, and the Bell tower
You can get a different perspective from the other side (near the Sea Captain’s house) …
again, beautiful at different moments of the day …
The narrow streets below (but some are private) offer as well nice views of Saint Spyridon Church
Church of Panagia Platsani
If you are not tired of shooting churches, the Panagia Platsani is a nice one
It is beautiful at different times of the day (but much more peaceful in the early morning
Kastro Oia houses
That orange house is another Instagram famous spot
To the risk of being a broken record, early morning is the best …
Windmills
Oia is famous as well for its windmills
They are of course all transformed into vacation rentals, but they still look nice 😊.
Saint Georgios Oia Holy Orthodox Church
If you keep walking toward the main street for 15 minutes, you’ll find that gorgeous church
The small chapel in front of it is as well beautiful, especially in the morning
with some great perspectives on the caldera
Saint Georgios Church is really photogenic in my view …
… and worth visiting at different moments of the day
Transfiguration of Christ the Saviour chapel
On the way to Saint Georgios above, don’t miss that small, cute chapel
it is near a small park for kids, on the main street, a few hundred meters before Saint Georgios.
Amoudi Bay
For a different perspective of the caldera, descend the 300 steps from the Oia village to the charming port of Amoudi Bay.
This is a nice place with a few seafood restaurants
Walking on the south side brings you to one of the few places where swimming is possible and provides some nice views over the bay as well
Church of Panagia Platsani
That Church was originally constructed inside the walls of the Castle of Oia and was moved to the village center following the earthquake of 1956.
Panagia Agion Panton bells
Downhill northeast of the castle, you’ll find the beautiful Panagia Agion Panton bells …
Just keep walking around …
Oia is a fabulous playfield for photography, so keep walking around (up and down 😂) for more perspectives and discoveries
Imerovigli
Imerovigli is a cute village between Oia and Fira
You can hike to Imerovigli from Fira or Oia as well as down the village as it has beautiful views of the caldera
That village is one more great sunset spot 🤩…
Skaros rock
One of the famous spots (and hikes) is to go down to the Skaros rock at the foot of the Imerovigli village
That rock is obviously popular at sunset …
Saint John the Beheaded Chapel
On the way down to Skaros rock, you’ll pass by the beautiful Saint John the Beheaded (Katiforis) Holy Orthodox Chapel
the views over the caldera and Oia are really stunning
Chapel of Lord theoskepasti
If you keep going down further after/around Skaros rock, you’ll end up at the beautiful Chapel of Lord theoskepasti
Even if it is a tough hike back up, I would highly recommend getting there twice (for evening and morning golden hours) as this is really a great spot (with very few people there)
On the way back up, you’ll get some nice views of Imerovigli (and some sweating 😅)
The resurrection of the Lord Church
One of the beautiful spots in the Imerovigli village is the Resurrection of the Lord Church
With a bit of tricky climbing, you can get some beautiful perspectives
That spot is another reason to get to Imerovigli both early morning and end of the afternoon…
Agios Georgios Chapel
One more church to see in that village😊 …
Pyrgos Kassistis
That village is much less famous and visited than Oia or Fira but is clearly an (almost) hidden gem of Santorini
This is the highest village of Santorini, with therefore a bit of a view 🤩
Theotokaki church
The Assumption of the Mother of Lord Holy Orthodox Church is visible from almost everywhere in the village …
… offering many compositions with the old and colorful houses
Saint George church
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary Holy Orthodox Church (St George) is at the top of the hill
The views (and view) from the small square above are great
The interior is as well worth having a look
Agios Nikolaos Church
Southeast of Saint Georges, you’ll find the Agios Nikolaos Church standing above the old town.
Agios Dimitrios church
Yes, as usual in Santorini, the village is not short of churches 😂
Roam the narrow streets of Pyrgos
The village is beautiful to explore up and down 😮💨
and the sea is never far in Santorini …
Moni Profili Ilia
10 ish minutes drive up from Pyrgos is the highest point of the island and its famous Moni Profiti Ilia Monastery
The little chapel of Saint Nektarios is really beautiful
Red sand Michael beach and Saint Nicholas church
Even if Santorini is not the most famous island for beaches, the red volcanic sand beach near Akrotinu on the south coastline is really beautiful
Nearby the beach is the Saint Nicholas church
The white chapel at the foot of the red rocks makes that place a great spot (more than the beach in my view)
The heart of Santorini
For completeness, there is a rock formation south of the Ferry port that is believed to look like a heart. Not impressive in my view but you can stop on the way to the south part of the island 😢
Church of Agios NiKolaos
Just below the rock formation, there is a little church on the cliffs
Paralia Vichada beach
If you are tired of churches and villages or need some relaxing time on a beach the Paralia Vichada beach on the southern coast is called the “Moon beach” for its rock formations
Of course, my article does not pretend to be exhaustive, but I hope it will engage you to visit and re-visit the wonderful and gorgeous island of Santorini! If you like that part of the world, you can check my post about Milos, the stunning island of colors of the Greek Cyclades.
