27 Oct 2023
We were looking for an easy way to see lots of hot spots on the island and this seemed perfect. Managed to easily book it through our hotel reception and they told us the timings, what to expect and where we’ll be picked up and dropped off. There is a lot of walking and most of it is up hill and with stairs, come prepared!
Our tour guide, Maria, was fantastic. She gave us loads of extra information about the island while we were driving around and the coach driver is easily the most skilled driver I’ve seen. Navigating those tiny roads with a whole coach is no easy task!
We started at the Prophet of Elias Monastery which is the highest point of the island and the views were stunning. It was just a quick stop (20 minutes) so we didn’t have time to go in any of the churches but the views alone were totally worth it. Next was the village of Pyrgos, again with some gorgeous views. This was quite a big uphill walk to the top but Maria did warn us and there was the option of staying at the bottom and having a look around the shops or getting a drink. The next stop was the village of Akiotari where you could either go to the archaeological site (€12 extra) or walk down to the Red Beach. We didn’t fancy the beach so we paid the extra to visit the site and it was so worth it. Very interesting to see and read about but maybe not something for everyone.
We had a longer stop at Fira town where we had some food and a look around and then headed to Oia for the sunset. It was very cloudy on the day we went so there was no sunset to see but Oia was still a lovely village but super busy. We were dropped off at our hotel for around 7.30pm. A fantastic day! Totally worth it.