People keep asking what is it like in Santorini in November. Dog and Dragon recently spent a week in Santorini in November and loved every minute of it. There are aspects that a lot of people may not like. It is the off season, so some of the shops and restaurants are closed. It is cooler in November, meaning swimming in the ocean isn’t a great activity. There are occasional stormy days. All that being said, we thought it was perfect. No crowds. No sweltering heat. No party atmosphere. No mosquitoes. It was perfect for a long overdue week of hurkle-durkle.
Travel Tip: Make sure to have good footwear. Walkways are uneven, narrow, with lots of stairs. Sidewalks are scarce. Heels are not recommended.
Where We Stayed
We used booking.com and stayed at Alonia Studios in Firostefani. It was a perfect little studio with a lovely patio. The paved pathway running from Fira to Imerovigli is literally off the back of the property, making it easy to walk anywhere in the area. We like to save money on our adventures and get in some easy exercise by walking everywhere as much as possible. This location easily ticked off that requirement. We were surprised to discover there was a daily housekeeping refresh. Beyond that our host, Eva, was so helpful with anything we needed including shuttle service to and from the airport. We would definitely book with Eva again.
Where We Ate
While there are places that close down in the off-season there are still plenty of places open to eat at. One benefit of visiting in November is the easy access to restaurants with immediate seating. You’ll find both Fira and Firostefani have plenty of dining options. Not only are there the expected bakeries and traditional Greek restaurants, but we found Mexican, Indian, and Asian options as well. Some of our favorite dining experiences in November were:
Kokkalo was easily our favorite restaurant with amazing service, great food, surprising complimentary tastings of a local beverage, and a comfortable atmosphere with delightful views. Try the grilled Halloumi appetizer and the beetroot risotto.
Dragon loved the mousaka at Taverna Simos, which was essentially at the end of the driveway to our apartment. Dog recommends the pork souvlaki.
Ready for a break from Greek food we were surprised to find a delicious mapo tofu at Asia Club. The menu was extensive with options ranging from dim sum to ramen, fried rice and noodle dishes to hot pot.
Santorini Wineries
Santorini has a convenient public bus system that covers the entire island with Fira at the hub. We decided to utilize the bus on a rainy, windy day for a ride to Santo Wines. In addition to wine tasting, Santo Wines offers dining options with indoor and outdoor seating. Santo Wines has one of the most spectacular views of the caldera you will find on Santorini. It makes for an amazing visit and is truly a stunning location to enjoy sampling the local wines. Our favorite was the sparkling white. The rain diminished and we enjoyed a fun walk back to our rental despite some crazy wind.
Akrotiri
Akrotiri was one of the further locations we visited. It again being an overcast, potentially rainy day we elected to use take the bus. The bus system on Santorini is very simple and cheap, usually €1.80 (cash only) each depending on destination. Akrotiri is an extensive archaeological site well preserved by a volcanic eruption that buried it in ash. It has been referred to as the Greek Pompeii despite being significantly smaller than the site in Italy. We enjoyed our visit to Akrotiri. With only a handful of other visitors we had much of the site to ourselves. Akrotiri is a fascinating look at the advanced civilizations of thousands of years ago displaying complex multi-story building techniques, intricate plumbing systems, and artful expression. Our outing to Akrotiri also allowed us to experience the Mediterranean along the southern shore of Santorini.
Volcano Tour
One of the coolest things we did on Santorini was book a boat tour to hike the volcano. The entire Santorini archipelago surrounds a giant caldera with the active volcano at the center. On a side note, we used the descent and climb to the old port of Santorini as an exercise option similar to hiking the incline in Colorado Springs. In the old port we discovered Caldera’s Boats offering a Volcano & Hot Springs Tour. It turned out we booked it on the final day of the year, November 30, before they closed down for the winter.
Our guided boat tour with hike to the volcanic summit was awesome. The views from the volcano are epic. After the hike the boat takes the guests to a hot springs in a bay on the far side of the volcanic formation. We thoroughly enjoyed the volcano and hot springs tour and recommend it as a great outing. Frankly, we were pretty stoked to enjoy the hike without the blistering summer sun and large in-season crowds.
Fira to Oia Hike
Saving the best for last in our opinion was the Fira to Oia hike recommended by my friend Scott Duffey. According to AllTrails.com it roughly 6.5 miles or about 10.5 km. The hike varies from paved walkways to dirt to trails covered in rock slide scree. This is actually one of my favorite hikes I’ve ever done anywhere. It is super cool with stunning views and crazy stuff to see, like old abandoned buildings and terraced mountainsides from eras past. Thanks Scott. The Fira to Oia hike is amazing! Make sure you have water, good footwear, and layers for potential weather changes in November. Having said that we were again happy to do this in the off-season. It would be wicked hot hike in the summer with literally no shade.
Conclusion
So the question at the beginning was if it is worth it to visit Santorini in November. We loved our visit in November. Like I’ve indicated multiple times there were no crowds and the weather was pleasant instead of super hot. In many ways we had the place to ourselves. We found plenty of places to eat and a sufficient amount of things to do. I guess it all depends on what you are looking for in a vacation. But if you are wondering if you’ll be able to enjoy a trip to Santorini in November then I’m going to say yes. Have fun!
Great read.