Santorini is a dream destination for many people who think they simply cannot afford to visit. Of course, this kind of budget travel is not for the faint hearted but it did teach me a thing or two about travel:

There is always a way to get off the beaten track.

Meeting locals is easy, even in the most touristic locations.

The sunset will always be beautiful. You can watch it from the balcony of your £500pn hotel room with a cocktail or sitting on the side of the road with a can of the cheapest beer the island can offer.

Thinking about Santorini, most picture blue and white houses, beaches and sunsets but there is so much else to this island. Cute villages, volcanic landscapes and archaeological sites can keep you entertained for days and in my opinion, are the best parts of the island.

Here are some of my tips on what to do in Santorini without spending your life savings in the process.

Accommodation

This was easy for me- Couchsurfing. I spent 4 nights for free with a wonderful local host but he can only host so many guests. He told me about Santorini when he was young- before tourism. People often camped out on beaches for free. Still, some unofficial free camps exist and I’ve heard of many people who find quiet places on the beach to put up tents. Wildcamping is illegal in Greece but with extortionate hotel prices (but reasonable hostels) it may be the best option for happy campers.

Read more about Couchsurfing on My Ultimate Guide to Couchsurfing

Transport

You need to trust me when I say HITCHHIKE!!!

I was nervous at first. Although I used hitchhiking as my main form of transport on the trip, I’d had some bad experiences a week before and taken a temporary hiatus. With the encouragement of my Couchsurfing host, I stuck out my thumb and I am so glad I did.

Santorini is the easiest and safest place I’ve ever hitchhiked in.

After sunset in Oia (the prime attraction of the island), you have hordes of tourists waiting up to an hour from limited and infrequent buses. You also have plenty of people driving from Oia to their hotels with free spaces in their cars.

I found myself in the ridiculously long bus queue at 10pm and decided to try my luck whilst I waited for the bus. I asked my new friends to save me a spot in the bus line as I walked onto the road and tried to hitch. 4 buses came and left, my friends were still in the queue and I hadn’t gotten a ride.

On my last try, success! A ride from Apollo who is a singer in a local rock band and promotes free art throughout Santorini. We spoke a lot and with the speed of two people who could have been great friends if they didn’t live so far apart. We spoke about childhoods, family, art and travel in the 30 minutes it took him to drop me off. He invited me to return to Santorini to hear him play. I hope someday I will.

After that dark night, I never waited more than 5 minutes for a ride (even when hitchhiking with a guy I met in a café). Hitchhiking became my main form of transport on the island and I always met English speaking locals who gave me a wonderful insight into island life. Some were surprised to see me, others spoke about how hitchhiking used to be common on the island before mass tourism. Great to bring back old memories for the locals! I was even picked up by a car of Chinese tourists so it’s not just Thirans who are happy to give you a ride.

With the infrequent bus schedule and costs of renting a car or ATV, I wholeheartedly recommend hitchhiking to get you around Santorini.

Food

Gyros and bakeries are the cheapest and most filling options.

Activities

My 3 days in Santorini held surprises around every corner, I split my days according to various themes:

Touristria day

Of course, you must experience sunset in Oia. I suggest visiting Fira first. There are some small museums to prepare you for the archaeological sites and they are free for EU students. Apart from this, I didn’t find much interesting in Fira. The main reason you should come here is so that you can walk from Fira to Oia. You’ll walk by the coast and see the beautiful volcanic island adorned with flowers and churches. The walk takes around 2.5 hours and is not strenuous, the landscape is mainly flat with a great breeze. Some parts have loose rocks, I made it in sandals but boots or trainers with grip may be a better idea. On arrival in Oia, search for a decent spot for sunset, grab a can of beer and enjoy!

Archaeology day

Santorini boasts two archaeological sites: Ancient Thira (Thira is the Greek name of the island) and Akrotiri (which means peninsula and is located in the south-west of the island). Both are free for EU students!

Akrotiri is a covered area with remarkably well-preserved ruins. Asa a bonus, the site is located very close to red beach so you can combine the trip with some relaxation and snorkelling in the clear water. There is also a local jewellery artist creating all sorts of necklaces and bracelets from natural materials, I donated a shell to him so it’s worth checking this place out if you’d like to do some shopping.

I much preferred ancient Thira, a 40 minute walk up to the site is worth the view (you can also ride donkeys if you’re not against animal cruelty) and the wind is some of the strongest I’ve ever felt. The site is large and magical to walk around. There weren’t too many people when I was there so in the off season I think you’ll mostly have the place to yourself.

Village day

After a lie in I decided on some lunchtime wine tasting. I believed wine tasting was for fancy politicians and lawyers until I stumbled across The Art Winery in Exo Gonia. I hitchhiked over to this winery/art gallery in the centre of the island (my first motorbike hitch!) and was given a great free tour of the gallery exhibits as well as being shown how the wine is made. For 5 euro I also tried 4 wines and a spirit which were all delicious, a great way to taste wine on a budget. Bottles are 20-25 euro.

After this, I continued uphill to visit Pyrgos, a nearby village. In my opinion, this is the most beautiful part of the island. Even at the end of June I had the place mostly to myself with a few tour groups passing and a couple of other travellers. The village is much more beautiful and less crowded than Oia and I highly recommend basing your stay here. The best place to stop for a coffee is Penelope’s with a fantastic owner and fabulous view. We were even treated to live music and free rakia and dessert. We hitchhiked further for a good sunset view, we decided on Imerovigli, just north of Fira. Here we sat amongst the same white houses as Oia but had the place to ourselves. As darkness took over, we looked over the water and saw fireworks erupting from Oia in the distance. A perfect day. Until, that is, my friend’s wallet was lost/stolen (always mind those bags!).

Beach days

You could also include plenty of beach days! Santorini has red, white and black beaches so you have plenty to choose from.

One more thing…

This place is 90% couples so if you’ve just been through a breakup and are feeling sensitive, maybe try a different island!

I really hope to see more backpackers able to enjoy this island in the coming months, stayed tuned for more budget and unique travel tips.