
BUT surprise, surprise – the beaches were not all that great! If you want beautiful beaches and whatnot, get your ass to Paros or Naxos.

The black beach and white beach are supposedly cool, too (I didn’t go) – but again, not what you expect. Santorini is a raised island, so it’s up on a platform. Hence the not so great beaches and rockiness.

Yet nay – it was not like that at all! I met two other solo female travelers in my hostel Fira Backpackers on the first night and we went to see the sunset in Oia together. SO HA, take that silly brain.
The next day Andrew arrived (the friend I’d made several days before in Athens) and I met another solo female traveler that was staying in his room in our hostel! Basically if you’re a solo female traveler and you really wanna go to Santorini you should 100% do it. There will def be couples (quite a few when we went to see the sunset) but I guarantee there’ll be some other single ladies there, too!
WHY YOU SHOULD TRAVEL SOLO TO SANTORINI
- It’s super safe. I walked alone on the Caldera during the day, and even back to my hostel late at night and didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.
- It’s super easy to meet people (see below)
- There’s SO MUCH to do (see below)
HOW TO MEET OTHER PEOPLE AS A SOLO TRAVELER

Then, one of my friends’ I’d made earlier in my travels came to join me, and I met another solo female in HIS room! There’s no right or wrong age to travel to Santorini, either – I was in my early twenties, but the other girls I met were in their mid-twenties and early thirties. But honestly – no one cares!

But there are plenty of groups geared towards solo female travelers, too! Like:
I guarantee you’ll be able to meet a friend to see the sights with if you wish – if all else fails, hanging out in the hostel common room or outside on the patio is a great way to meet people, too!
There’s even a Santorini Facebook group – you can post in that, too, or just use it to ask for tips!
Pssst…Here are more tips for meeting people while traveling solo!
HOW TO GET TO SANTORINI

I love ferry rides and boat things and basically anything on the water, so I would 100% take them over and over again, but that’s just me! Ferry rides are also a little cheaper.

Once you get into Santorini, you’ll need to take a bus to the part of town you’re staying in. It’s pretty easy to figure this out, since there are a TON of buses just waiting at the ferry port once you arrive. The buses list their end destination, but you can also just ask the bus driver if it goes to your part of town.
HOW TO GET AROUND SANTORINI

The buses in Santorini are pretty reliable so we didn’t have any trouble taking them (EXCEPT for the night when my friend Andrew and I were at the Red Beach and the last bus never came!!). Here’s a bus schedule to make things easier!
WHERE TO STAY IN SANTORINI

If you’re a solo female, I’d suggest Fira since it’s in the center, has easy access to transportation, and has a bit more going on than the other parts of town. I stayed at Fira Backpackers and would highly recommend it. You’ll be in the center of town and close to a 24-hour bakery (EEEEEEK). I stayed in a room with 5 other women (I opted for the female only room over the mixed dorm) and felt super safe the entire time.
Fira Backpackers also offered laundry services for a ridiculously cheap price (I mean, you still have to do your own laundry but it was like €2 for soap) so I took full advantage of that! It was also definitely geared more towards younger travelers/meeting people, which was nice.

WHEN SHOULD YOU GO TO SANTORINI?


WHAT TO DO IN SANTORINI AS A SOLO TRAVELER
WANDER AROUND THE CALDERA…

I wandered around in Fira, and found that once I passed all the shops and restaurants it was pretty empty – perfect for blue domed church scouting, relaxed vibes, and getting pics with no people.

…AND STARE AT ALL THE PRETTY DETAILS

SEE THE SUNSET SOMEWHERE

I mean, I don’t think the sunset in Oia was the most beautiful freaking sunset I’d ever seen in my entire life (and the crowds of people around didn’t make it any better, lol) but it was still pretty freaking gorgeous. You literally see the sun sink into the water, which is cool, and everyone claps after it’s over.


If you do decide to go to Oia, make sure you get there EARLY to secure a good sunset viewing spot. If you’re planning on taking the bus over, make sure you line up early, as well, as they fill up fast and you may have to wait another 20 minutes for the next one.
And, after the sunset, be prepared for a line to take the bus back. Ensure that you don’t plan to take the last bus, as they sometimes fill up!
THE VOLCANO & HOT SPRINGS TOUR

Then, they take you to some ‘hot’ springs (spoiler alert: they were definitely more lukewarm than anything) and you put mud all over yourself. Then you ride the boat back. I thought it was pretty cool overall, and totally worth the money.
Whatever you do, PLEASE DO NOT ride the donkeys up or down to the dock. There’s a gondola you can take, or you can walk (but be prepared for it to be smelly!) – the donkeys don’t seem to be treated too well, and have to walk up and down extremely steep and slippery stairs all day.
We walked up and down, and it was totally fine! If anything, you can at least get your steps in for the day.
GET ON A BOAT AT SOME POINT

Did you even go to the Greek Islands if you don’t take a boat ride somewhere? And yeah, I guess a ferry kinda counts…But if you can, you should definitely do some other sort of boat ride!

When we were in Oia, there were a ton of boats out on the water doing a sunset tour (not sure how expensive that is, though, but it looks super pretty), and the volcano tour is cool and only €20, and there are plenty of other cool boat things to do!
CHECK OUT THE RED BEACH
Such a pretty place! It really does like more reddish than I expected it to, and the color of the water is beautiful! It is a little rocky and kind of a trek to get to if you’re taking the bus, but it’s totally worth it IMO. I think Chacos or Tevas are great to wear for this excursion.

HAVE DINNER ON THE WATER
Andrew and I stopped for dinner on our walk back from the Red Beach, and watched the sun go down as we ate. It wasn’t the BEST meal I’d ever had, and you could tell it was 100% catered for tourists, but the view was so pretty I didn’t mind.
EAT MORE SOUVLAKI & GO TO MORE BAKERIES
If you’ve read my Paros post, you’re familiar with my love affair of vegetarian Souvlaki and baked goods. YUM.
RELAX UNTIL YOU CAN’T ANYMORE

WHAT I MISSED:

- The hiking trail from Fira to Oia
- The cool cliff jumping spot in Amoudi Bay
- The white beach and the black beach
- Maaaaaybe I would’ve rented an ATV. However, since I’d already rented a go-kart in Paros, I didn’t feel the need to rent one again, and they were a little more expensive in Santorini. And I admit that I was a little terrified to drive one – Andrew did most of the driving in Paros, and I’ve heard some horror stories of tourists flipping them etc. The traffic on Santorini can be a little crazy!

And please, don’t let feeling lame for a going to a “romantic” destination stop you from going! I almost let it stop me, and am SO GLAD I didn’t.
However, as much as I enjoyed Santorini, I don’t think I’ll be back (unless I book a place at one of those cliffside infinity pools!!). Don’t get me wrong – I love Greece, but would choose to go back to Paros or another less touristy island (read: not Mykonos or Ios; lately I’ve been thinking Milos or Zakynthos).
LOVE IT? SAVE IT FOR LATER ON PINTEREST!
Your Pictures are so lovely, Santorini is definitely on my ToGo List 🙂
Thanks so much Lisa! Yes, I love Santorini 🙂 It’s a beautiful place!
Stunning pictures have been unsure on visiting as a solo traveller, but this is deffo making me think twice, great read
Yes! I was so surprised at how many other solo travelers I met there.
Beautiful! I love how honest your post was. And your’e right, I’ve always thought of this destination for couples, but glad to know it’s great for solo travelers, too.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! And yes, I did, too, but I’m so glad I went anyway!
I’ve been dying to get here! After reading this article I’m thinking maybe I should stop waiting for my dude and just book a ticket by myself. 😛
Haha, yes I had such a great time there! I guarantee there will be other solo ladies there, too 🙂
I loved Santorini! I thought it was beautiful. I would love to do the cliff jumping spot next time. The “hot” springs tour you did looked fun as well. The red beach looks gorgeous!
Yes, I only found out about the cliff jumping place after I’d been there, but wish I knew about it before. Looked like so much fun!
Greece, Santorini specifically has been on my bucket list for a long time. Your pictures are beautiful and I love your descriptions & honesty. I have a girlfriend that loves to travel solo and she has been talking about going to Santorini. Can’t wait to show this to her.
Santorini is on our bucket list and I am so glad to come across your detaild guide – this is really going to help us plan our trip. I had been wondering about whether to stay at Fira or Oia but after reading your post seems like Fira might be a good option for solo travelers. Beautiful photographs – thanks for sharing all the details.
I’m glad it helped, Aditi! 🙂 Enjoy Santorini!
So happy to hear that as a solo traveler that you met other like minded people and it wasn’t all couples. Santorini looks absolutely gorgeous. Putting this on my list!
Yes, it was still so fun going solo! 🙂 I’d def recommend it.
ive never stayed in a hostel i tend to get a AirBNB or hotel
what do you recommend?
Ill be in greece the first week of September (Sept 4-15) Ill be in Santorini probably Sept 10-14. if any fellow solo female travelers want to get together 🙂
Hi Keetick! It depends what sort of trip you want to have. Hostels can be great if you want to meet other people, but usually the people staying in them are between the ages of 18-30; you can of course stay in a hostel at any age, but those are the ages you’ll most likely encounter. Be sure to look at what the hostel is known for (you can usually get a feel by reading the reviews) as some tend to be more geared towards partying and some for quieter relaxation.
AirBnbs are great if you want to have your own space and cook your own meals (although some hostels have a kitchen, if that’s something you want be sure to look for that in their description.) Or, you can get a private room in an AirBnb and possibly make friends with your host (I’ve had some amazing hosts that invited me to dinner etc.)
I personally love both hostels and AirBnbs, but again – it really just depends what kind of trip you want to have!
I loved this blog! And I am not meaning loved in the most exaggerated usage of the word. I am traveling to Greece solo for Christmas. I started reading the post to consider Santorini and loved how you described it so honestly and by the end of the post I realized that as beautiful as Santorini is, maybe Milos is what I need right now. Sure, it´s gonna be empty, but let´s find out! Thanks for the amazing blog though! 😀
Of course! I’m glad you found the post helpful – I’ve been dying to go to Milos and would also choose that over Santorini haha. So good choice 🙂