Ah, Santorini. crystal blue waters, white washed building set along the cliffs and breathtaking views of the caldera. Its pure magic and one of the most spectacular islands in the world. You’ve seen the pictures but you have to see this place in person to grasp the beauty. Every direction looks like a postcard. There are many ways to explore this beautiful destination:

By Foot

You can spend days exploring Oia and Fira’s streets. There are many shops, restaurants and cafes. Between July and August, the streets get so crowded with cruise ship passengers its hard to walk. We visited in June when the weather was not sweltering hot and the crowds were not bad. As the sun sets, the cruisers will disappear and you’ll have the streets all to yourself.

We walked down to a small seaside village just below Oia where several restaurants lined the water. Lobster was pulled right out of the sea and plopped right on the fire. Greeks do not use butter, they use olive oil as a seasoning.

There are tons of stray cats and dogs on the streets here. If you are walking around, one may even follow you home. We made a friend we named “Athena, and she waited for us daily at our apartment. We bought some cat food to keep our guest well fed.

By Car

There’s no driving in the main towns, Oia and Fira as they are built along the cliffs. If you rent a car, you park along the outskirt of town and lug your suitcase up the winding staircases and streets of town (another reason to pack light!)

Unless you are on an organized tour, a car is needed to see the ancient ruins of Akrotiri, Santorini’s archaeological wonder. The town was destroyed by a volcano but is preserved under layers of lava. A visit to old Thira is also an must-see attraction the island. Placed high atop a hillside, this drive takes you to the remains if an Greek, Roman and Byzantine city overlooking the Mediterranean.

Santorini’s beaches are not know the best the best in the Cyclades, but there a few pretty good ones. Kamari is the Waikiki of Santorini as its lined by hotels, restaurants, shops, and clubs. But you won’t find nude sunbathers on black sand in Waikiki.

Santorini’s volcanic soil and temperatures are ideal for creating great wine. It is these ideals that have helped the islanders to produce 36 different kinds of grapes (white and red) and leading to excellent wine producing. Boutari is the island’s largest winery, and Greece’s most well-known winery

Note: Be careful: We popped a tire and were charged 100 Euros to fix it.

By ATV

An All Terrain Vehicle rental for 24 hours is only about 20 Euros and was our favorite way to explore the island. We took the scenic 6 mile winding road along the caldera from Oia to Fira.

The highlight of the trip was when we went beyond the guidebook and explored the backroads of the island. We rambled across stretches of untouched beach without another visitor in sight, found deserted ruins from an old church and delighted in being outdoors as one should be on the magnificent island of Santorini.