Are you traveling to this gorgeous Greek island but wonder: How to find the best photo spots in Santorini? And how to get the best photos of Santorini? Well, I am here to help you out.

 

Santorini is probably one of the most recognizable places on earth due to its famous whitewashed stone houses that cling to the steep cliffs of the rocky, volcanic island. And lets not forget about the famous blue dome-shaped roofs that are, more often than not, depicted on postcards and paintings of Santorini.

Santorini is extremely popular for honeymooners and photographers and that’s for a good reason. There are so so many gorgeous and romantic photo spots all around the island.

My friend and me chose Santorini for a girly trip mainly because we wanted to take some amazing photos while also enjoying the sun and some amazing greek food.

So before our holidays I did a lot of research. Unfortunately, even though I watched several videos and read a couple of blog posts, we had to search for certain places for a long time. I am terrible with directions though, so maybe that also contributed to that…

But we took our time during our week long holiday and really got to know Santorini- especially the small town Oia, where we stayed.

We also stumbled upon a couple lesser known photo spots by accident.

Because we had a few troubles, I wanted to make my own list of the best photo spots in Santorini and how to very easily find them. Along with some tips and tricks on how to make sure you get the best possible photos.

I think these tips are especially valuable if you’re only in Santorini for a day trip or short amount of time.

I hope this list can be helpful for everyone who is looking to find the perfect photo spot in Santorini. Keep in mind that neither my friend or me are professional photographers so all tips come from amateur photographers only 😉

best photo spots in Santorini

My Santorini photography tips

 

 

best photo spots in Santorini

Research your hotel location- Stay in Oia if possible.

 

 

Oia is the best place for photos in Santorini if you are looking for photos of the famously white houses and those pretty churches with the azure blue rooftops.
Before reading up about the Greek island I assumed that Santorini was basically Oia. Most of the things you see advertised about Santorini are located in the little town Oia (pronounced Ea).

Which is not to say that the rest of the island doesn’t have an abundance of beautiful places, too.

Oia tends to be more expensive to stay in than Santorinis other big city- Thira, but if you want the best possible photos I highly recommend to stay at a hotel in Oia because for at least a night, because…

 

best photo spots in Santorini

Get up early to avoid the thousands of others tourists.

 

One of the biggest problems of getting a good shot in Santorini is trying to avoid all those other tourists that try to take the same photo, at the same place, at the same time.
The biggest masses of tourists come with the cruise ships or ferries and arrive from 9am onward.

You can avoid them easily by getting up early. We got up at around 5am every day to not only avoid all the crowds but also…

 

Get up early for the best possible lighting.

 

 

… see the sunrise!

Santorini is famous for its beautiful sunsets. But the sunrises are just as beautiful! It can be hard to get a good spot to watch the sunset, let alone trying to get a good photo at that time. It’s much easier to just stick to the sunrise in my opinion. At 6am you will only run into a handful of people. We basically had most of Oia for ourselves until 9am on most weekdays.

Lighting-wise you will be able to get much better shots during sunrise and sunset as well as the sunlight is way too harsh during the day.

 

Lastly, bring water and a hat.

 

We traveled to Santorini in July and it was one of the hottest places I have been to in years. I ended up getting a sun stroke and felt terrible for days after. If you are in Santorini during the hot months (June-August) just make sure to cover your head and bring enough water with you. As I said before, most shops and restaurants only open at around 8.30am. You don’t want to run up and down Oia without a drop of water for three hours like we did on our first day.

 

 

The best photo spots in Santorini (Oia)

 

Church of Panagia

 

 

 

The Church of Panagia is one of the best places to start your Oia exploration as it’s the heart of the town and easily recognizable. The square is usually filled with tourists and locals so make sure to get here early to avoid the crowds.

Walk to the front of the square from where you will have an amazing view of the Aegean Sea.

 

 

2. The Oia Cross and the famous Blue Domes of Oia

 

 

Two of the most photogenic locations in Oia and they are only a few meters away from each other.

From the Church of Panagia turn right and follow the straight marble road until you pass the first blue domed building. Continue straight until you reach the Alexadros Jewellery store. It’s easy to miss the little steep path that leads down to left of the store so keep an eye out for the grey cobble stone pattern which makes the passage easier to identify.

If you follow the small path down to the right, it will take you to the Cross of Oia. There is a small walkway on the edge of the cliff which is somewhat scary if you’re afraid of heights. From there you have an amazing view of parts of the town though!

This place can be seen from many places in Oia and it’s mostly recognizable based on the crowds of tourists that seem to flock around the cross at all times.

 

Tip: If you need more help finding this spot, it is listed as “Oia Sunset Spot” on google maps and is right next to “Aspaki Exclusive Suites”.

 

If you go back up the cobble stone path a couple steps, you will see a small passage leading down to the left which will lead you to the Blue Domes of Oia. There is actually a little gate with a “do not enter” sign right in front of them but it doesn’t really seem to stop anyone.

It took us a while to find the blue domes and we only got there at around 8am. When we started taking photos there were only two other people around the area. About 15 minutes later, a whole queue of people had formed up the path, waiting for their turn to take pictures.

If you want a good photo without having to rush and get starred at by dozen of impatient looking tourists, I really recommend getting to this spot before 8am. Especially during the day it just gets way too crowded.

 

 

 

 

The No 1 Santorini/ Oia Instagram spot?

 

 

So, I am not sure if this place/ building has a name. But it’s probably one of the most famous and most instagramed places in Santorini. Definitely belongs on any list of top photo spots in Santorini!

The blue domed building and the small pink bell towers are beautiful on their own already but from this spot you can perfectly frame parts of Oias town and the sea as well. It’s also a really popular place for wedding shots!

It’s actually really close to the Blue Domes of Oia. To get here all you have to do is walk back on the main, marbled road and follow it straight from Alexandros Jewelry to a big restaurant called “Pelekanos”. There is a little side path with steps leading down again and you will see this place on your right behind a small gate. Keep in mind that the gate could be locked!

 

Tip: If you have trouble finding it; the closest spot to this listed on googlemaps is “Condutto Residences” which is right behind the pink bell towers.

 

39 Steps and… the other blue dome

 

The next location is a cute little cafe called 39 Steps. The small path leading to it, together with the blue domed building in the background and the hanging flowers to the side, has become a popular Instagram motive.

To find it, all you have to do is follow the main road all the way to the end (just go straight) until you see a shop called “The Silk Shop”. To its left you will see the steps leading down to the small cafe. The coffee here is amazing so make sure to take a little break before continuing on.

 

 

Castillo Oia

 

From 39 Steps it’s easy to get to Castillo Oia. I had seen sooo many photos of girls in beautiful dresses walking down these stairs, but I had no idea where in Oia it was or I how to get to it without knowing the name of the area.

We only found it by chance- which isn’t too surprising considering that all you have to do is keep following the path from 39 Steps onward and you will eventually reach the opening with this amazing view.

The terracotta walls of the “Paradise Cave Houses”  are a very popular background- especially for Instagramers of course. It blends beautifully together with the blue sea and sky!

And in the background you can already see the next thing on our photography list: windmills.

 

 

Santorini Windmills

 

 

For some reason I was excited to see those typical Greek windmills but wasn’t sure where to find one in Oia close up.

From the Castillo Oia walk up the steps until you see the Four Bells of Oia- also a great photo motive. Continue up until you’ll pass a cute little cafe that we didn’t get a chance to check out but sure looks nice: “Vitrin Cafe Creperie“.

From there it’s all just about following the path until you reach the windmills.

 

Tip: If you have trouble getting there, the windmill I took photos of is part of “The Golden Sunset Vilas” as a point of reference in google maps.

 

 

 

 

What else to photograph in Santorini?

 

 

Santorini doors

 

 

A lot of people recommend the beautiful Santorini doors as photo backgrounds or for a nicely framed shot. To be honest I really didn’t see that many more-than-average-looking doors when I was there. But maybe I just didn’t look hard enough. I have seen dozen of beautiful photos of those infamous Santorini doors online, so if you see one, make sure to use it to your advantage.

 

 

 

Flowers and flower shops

 

 

The Bougainvillea flowers are one of the things you see a lot in photographs of Santorini or even Mykonos.

The flowers bloom almost all the time and make for a beautiful contrast with the blue and white that you can find everywhere in Santorini.

I also found a really cute flower shop/ garden a bit away from the main street in Oia. Sadly, I don’t remember the name but it might have been this one.

 

best photo spots in Santorini

 

Restaurants & ice cream shops

 

 

There are many amazing cafes and restaurants all over Oia which I will have to write about separately. Let me just say that Greek food is A-mazing!

A lot of restaurants don’t just have great food though- they also have great views. Most of these photos were taken at our absolute favorite restaurant in Oia: Skiza.

The ones with the wineglass where taken at THALAMI which we also really enjoyed!

If you want a table with the best view get to the restaurant shortly before sunset.

 

best photo spots in Santorini