Soaking in volcano hot springs. Sipping wine post-scuba dive. Sucking the skin off sun-drenched olives. These are the images that come to mind when thinking of Santorini. And sure, the island comes close to being Greek paradise in the summer, but when December rolls in and the tourists roll out, a shadow hovers over Santorini. Rough waters freeze ferries in their ports. Sporadic buses strand passengers in the rain. Bars and cafés lock up shop, hitching “closed” signs to their blue-and-white exteriors. Even functional ATMs are elusive, and no, it’s not just because of Greece’s debt crisis.
The off-season sightseer is left with a choice: stave off island-hopping in Greece until the sun—and the people—return, or battle the winds and brave a very different Santorini. Be a true warrior and grow a pair: Rent a car in Fira, leave your Speedo at home, storm the beaches and you’ll have the spectacular sights all to yourself.
Get Introspective at Akrotiri Red Beach
Santorini’s red beaches see swarms of tourist buses every summer but a visit to the crimson cliffs of Akrotiri in the winter draws only a tortured artist or two. With the winds roaring and the sea slapping the sand, you’ll be enveloped in the gorgeous violence of the island. Bring your Moleskine or your edgy, misunderstood date for company.
Akrotiri Red Beach , Image courtesy of Darcy Book
Scout Rainbows at Perissa Black Sand Beach
Imagine, a sheet of black-sand arches around pale rock. A nearly invisible rainbow shimmers on the water … and what’s that eerie sound, foreign to the over-stimulated ears of the seasoned traveler? Sure, there are the lapping waves and the occasional whisper of wind, but beyond these, there’s only your quiet breath—a comfortable silence seldom found in hotspots like Santorini during the high season. Some may write off Perissa Beach as a winter ghost town, utterly dead, but this feeling of space and quiet is why came in the winter anyways. And besides that, it’s beautiful.
Hike Ancient Thera
Just a hop, skip and a jump from Perissa Beach are the ruins of Ancient Thera. Face the high winds head on and clamber up the rocky southern side of the island to find yourself among a crumble of stone ruins. Ancient columns, temples, houses, theaters and agoras (a public open space used for assemblies and markets) greet you at the edge of a mesa where it drops off into the ocean. If you have the heart to make the climb, you’ll rule over the ancient Hellenistic city. Channel your inner Zeus and try to drive away the rain before your descent.
Perissa Black Sand Beach, images courtesy of Darcy Book
Savor Santorini’s Best Baklava
By now you must be starving so head to Furnissimo. Furnissimo is one of the island’s only bakeries that weathers the winter season. Perched at a lonely crossroads in Mesaria, the store welcomes hungry day-trippers with wide glass vats of buttery, braided pastries, pistachio cakes, loukoumades, and of course—legendary baklava. Eat the flaky sugared phyllo dough on the spot, and set up shop on the patio for a long afternoon relishing your well-deserved feast. Don’t forget to grab a box of melomakarona, Greece’s spiced honey Christmas cookie, for a later picnic on the shore.
Eat Souvlaki on a Cliff’s Edge
There’s a reason why Greek restaurants infiltrate every major city in the world, and The Bone, a hot new eatery in Firostefani, upholds and surpasses the status quo of good food. Warm up with the waiters’ generous ouzo shots and take in the sunset (if you didn’t already catch it at Oia) with the anise essence burning in your nose. A window that spans the whole wall offers a vista of Santorini’s curvaceous coast.
The Bone is a bright space—all sparkling tabletops and glassy bar—but it still retains a cozy aura. Start with its bomb fava bean purée, move on to the mushroom risotto and welcome the souvlaki (skewers of meat and veggies) before your stomach surrenders. Private, romantic, and open year-round, this restaurant is a safe bet for a hungry belly.
The Bone Restaurant, images courtesy of Aqua Vista Hotels
Take Shelter in The Pure
When lightning cracks late at night, find a safe haven at The Pure. Whether it’s coffee, wine or tequila you seek, this cafe is the perfect respite and you’ll be in good company with the locals who frequent this alley-way gem. If you find yourself there on New Year’s Eve, you may even be treated to vasilopita, a Greek cake with a coin baked slyly into a single slice for one lucky eater.
Heat Things up at Mamounia
At this point though, you may find yourself wondering, “Where are the people at?” So far, this wintry exploration of Santorini has been an exercise in solitude. And though that is the lure, driving along treacherous cliffs, swallowing the raw beauty of icy white hills, you’ll find the human connection you seek at Mamounia after dark. This Fira nightclub has a neon dance floor, pulsing Greek party music, and all the raki shots you need warm up. The vibe may be classy, but Mamounia welcomes tipsy dancers all the same.
Though Santorini may be cold and somewhat deserted (not to mention exhausting and expensive to get to) in the winter, it is well worth the effort. Winter on the island is a little like that stranger at the bar who you can’t seem to forget—aloof, mysterious, but weirdly irresistible. And who knows? Maybe this is the start of your own blustery island love story.
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Darcy Book is a food-loving Angeleno always on the hunt for the next hole-in-the-wall find. After hopping through a few dozen countries between Morocco and Mongolia, she has her sights set on South America.