Santorini is such a gorgeous island. I know it has been all over Instagram the past year, but being there in person is just amazing. Plus, all the gram fuss is real! It's the perfect photo destination. I would love to go back with a new set of clothes for more photos! My Santorini photos were the most loved from all my trips. Here's my Santorini Hijab friendly look book if you haven't seen it! However, visiting the island and the type of activities you would do is so weather dependent. I went the first week of April and it was rainy and a little cold, which meant absolutely no pool or beach. The girls and I did try to take a dip and it was just FREEZING! The weather was nice for long walks, little hikes and food! (Spendings down below!)
Benefit of being in Santorini in the off-season
If you wear the scarf or like your modest fashion, then the off season is perfect weather wise because that means you can be covered without feeling over heated. You can even hike without getting sweaty.
Six Things to do in Santorini (in the off-season)
- Enjoy the Santorini view
As the title suggests, Santorini is the perfect photo destination, so take the opportunity of being there and have your own special photo shoot! It's easy to ask others to take photos of you, but if you want to do it yourself, some parts are very quiet and you can spend hours setting your own tripod and timer. - Take a walk from Fira to Imerovigli
The main Santorini activity on Trip Advisor is the walk from Fira to Oia, but the locals don't recommend it because you end up walk on the very tight highway. You can take a shorter one from Fira to Imerovigli because there is a walking path. Google Maps gave me the highway route first because it's the fastest, but ignore that and go on the inside. It will be 15mins longer, but it's so much better because there isn't a pavement. Even though this walk is shorter, it is still very beautiful. - Hike the Skaros Rock
This was my absolute favourite thing in Santorini. This rock is located in Imerovigli (The town between Fira and Oia). You can walk from the main town Fira to it, which will take you an hour. Luckily we were already staying in Imerovigli so it was only half an hour walk from us. Then about two hours to hike up there slowly and take photos when we got to the top. The higher up you go, the more challenging it is because you have to climb the rock without any help. I thought it was fun. It was one of the trip's highlights. - Get lost
Unfortunately, I didn't have time to get lost in this beautiful island, but if I ever visit again, that's on top of my list. I just want to wander and find where the locals eat and chill. With the limited time I had on the Island, I only stuck to the main touristy spots. There are few walking paths that seem very interesting. I encourage you to look them up! - Enjoy the Greek food
I had really high hopes for the food. I know that I would have loved and the Greek food and the fresh catches of the day, but being there in the off-season meant that many restaurants are yet to open and being in the touristy spots meant expensive choices. For some reason almost every restaurant we went to had an extended pasta menu. The off-season also meant no fish! The water was too cold to fish, so that was a little sad. I was really looking forward to that. I had lots of Greek salads though!
Halal food: We found one shop that said it was halal in Fira, but there wasn't any certification to prove it. I just ate vegetarian dishes and a few sea food ones. - Sail Away
You can try a boat trip if you want to do something different during your time there. Here's what I thought of my Yacht experience in details.
Bringing you back to reality with the spendings for five days in Santorini:
How much money you need for five days in Santorini
- Flight 50GBP each way from London
- Eos Villa 215 GBP for five nights (shared with 14 other girls)
- Food 200 euros including groceries for home cooked meals + two course meals.
- Transportations: the odd taxi here and there 30 euros
- Activities: Boat Trip 75 euros + cable cars 12 euros
It's not cheap as one might think and little things add up really quickly. I imagine it could be done on a budget especially if you are staying in Fira and eating sandwiches rather than big meals.
PS. Shopping for gifts and things in Santorini was very expensive especially in Oia.
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