This is the 3rd day of our Greek odyssey cruise at Holland America and we are visiting the Island of Santorini, Greece. Santorini is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, and it’s about 120 miles southeast of Greece’s mainland. Santorini was named by the Latin Empire in 13th Century and is a reference to Saint Irene from the name of the old cathedral in the village of Perissa. Today, it’s a very popular destination by tourist, especially for couples and newlyweds because of its romantic views of the island.
Going To Oia, Santorini
Our ship arrived at 7 am at Fira village but we are planning to visit the Oia first. To get to Oia village, the fastest way is to take another boat. Here is the link of the company we booked (Transfer To Oia). The other option is to climb up the mountain to Fira village or use the cable car then take a bus to Oia. The price of the boat ride was 15 euro per person, that includes the bus going back to Fira.
Arrival At Oia Village Port
We got so tired yesterday because of our long walk in Naples, Italy so we planned to just keep this easy. It only took us 15 mins to go to the port of Oia village from Fira. When we arrived at Oia, we took the bus that brings us to the village center.
Oia Village
When get off the bus, we walked along the cliff side of the village. You can find many souvenirs and gift shops and restaurants in the area, including the luxury hotels by the cliff.
Here is the overlooking view of Oia Village, most of it are luxury hotels with pools and restaurants. Imagine you wake in the morning and you can see the ocean by the window.
Another view from Oia while walking along the village. We continued to walk and enjoyed the beautiful view of Santorini. We’re so lucky because even thought the sun is up, it is not too hot at that time.
Churches In Santorini
There are two churches that we passed by while we visiting Oia Village in Santorini Greece. One above is St. George Church and the other one is Ekklisia Agios Onoufrios Church. We believe they are both Greek Orthodox Church.
We know that there’s plenty of Churches here in Santorini, Greece but these are the only two that we saw. It’s good to check it out and take some pictures of it. They are both along the cliff-side of Oia.
Local Supermarket
Yes, they have convenient store here and you can find it very cheap. We bought 2 bottled water and it’s only a euro. I’m not really sure why is this called Supermarket. Just kidding.
Gift Shops
It’s a little crowded when we passed by to local gift shops and souvenir store. You can see a lot of people walking on a tight walkway.
My wife and I really enjoyed our window shopping in Oia Santorini, Greece.
Meeting With Locals
This man has a donkey and he ask 1 euro for a picture of his donkey or him.
Fantastic Views Of Santorini
We can’t help but to take more pictures of beautiful views in Santorini. It was about noon when we decided to head back to Fira.
Heading Back To Thira, Santorini
We head back to Thira (Fira) by bus around 1pm. At the bus station, we waited for 20 minutes because the bus leaves every hour. Our travel time from Oia to Fira was about 30 minutes.
We took a cable car going down to the port in Fira. The prize of the cable car is 5 euro per person, one way.
View of our ship from cable car going down to the port of Fira, Holland America Ms. Veendam. Our cruise ship is at the back of the big one.
Going Back To Our Ship
At the port, there’s a lot of people on the line and we’re that our ship is not on that line.
This is our boat going to our ship, no line….!! We decided to eat lunch on the ship so we can save money.
Conclusion
Our overall impression of the Island was very simple. It’s one of the beautiful island we visited in Greece. If you happen to visit Greece, we recommend to put this on your itinerary.
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