Santorini with Kids Travel Guide
As we boarded the final leg of our flight to Santorini on a tiny propeller plane filled with blissful newlyweds, I looked at my husband, JD, and said “are we crazy for bringing kids here?”. As it turns out, no we were not. Santorini with kids went down as one of our favorite vacations.
Within mere hours of checking in to our airbnb, I was already searching to see if it would be possible for us to extend our trip. Three nights in Santorini was just not enough.
The views from every angle of the island are incredible. The friendliness of the locals and the epic airbnb we rented made our stay one we will never forget.
Stay in Santorini with Kids
The most asked question on Instagram was about our airbnb.
We decided to stay in a little less touristy area of Santorini (Imerovigli), so our kids would have space to run and play. We stumbled upon this airbnb (after having already booked another one). After reading the reviews, I was sold. I cancelled our other airbnb reservation and immediately booked Villa Aronia.
To say it was the best airbnb we have ever stayed in (and we have stayed in MANY!) would be putting it lightly. The host was absolutely incredible. We arrived after nearly 24 hours of travel to a homemade egg dish for dinner and cake, along with a fully stocked refrigerator. Even fresh fig jam from the fig tree in the backyard! But the hospitality did not end there. The airbnb host sat down and pulled out a map he had handwritten with all of the points of interest he thought would be perfect for us with 3 little ones. His family has lived in Santorini his entire life and his recommendations did not disappoint.
But back to Villa Aronia---The setup was perfect for our family. It had 3 bedrooms. One of them was a beautiful loft with steep steps up--not ideal for little kids. We just used the 2 downstairs bedrooms and there was plenty of space for us. One of the bedrooms had a HUGE bathroom and the airbnb provided a pack+play for Luca, so that bathroom became his bedroom.
The real charm of the villa is the outdoor space. The landscape and views were absolutely stunning. The airbnb host told me this home was his family's beach home when he was growing up and that they would come to on the weekends from another area of Santorini. As they got older they started using it less and less they turned it into an airbnb for others to enjoy. It is so well manicured and maintained. We could never decide where to sit for meals because there were charming tables and corners in every direction.
I can’t talk about the villa without talking about the hot tub (which is more like a mini pool). We spent hours and hours every day in the hot tub taking in the scenery. After the kids went to bed at night it was so fun for JD and I to be able to enjoy the hot tub and a bottle of wine right outside of the door while our kids snoozed.
Right in front of the home is a hidden rocky beach with the clearest water and incredible views in all directions. We visited many beaches during our short visit, but this rocky beach in front of the villa was our absolute favorite (if you’re going, bring a pair of water shoes!). Pieces of sea glass, ceramic tile, rocks of all colors, shapes and sizes would wash up. Our kids loved collecting the little treasures.
To be honest, we could have easily spent an entire week just hanging out at this villa. I hope we get to go back one day.
Food in Santorini:
Greek food did not disappoint! The flavors, the fresh fruits and vegetables, the wine--oh my! Here are a few of the places we loved.
To Briki: For an out of this world sunset dinner view, this spot is a must! We made a reservation for 6:30pm and for the first 30 minutes or so we had the entire upper level to ourselves. We tried the fried octopus, orzo pasta with shrimp and the catch of the day--all were fabulous. They also make a great mojito!
Yogi Gyro: This is a meal JD is still talking about. This little takeout cafe makes the best gyro’s and greek salads we have ever had. They cost less than $3/giant Gyro and they are packed with fresh meat, tzatziki, veggies and topped with crispy french fries. My mouth is watering just writing this. If you go you must order the greek salad too. It is GIANT and the dressing on it is so tasty that I may or may not have drank it from the bottom of the container after we finished the salad. I know, I’m classy :)
Grigoris Bakery: We stumbled upon this cute bakery on our drive back from the lighthouse and it ended up being such a fun find! It is packed with pastries, sandwiches, and desserts. Everything we tried was fabulous. My favorite was a bread that looked like a cinnamon roll, but it was filled with warm feta and ham. I probably could have eaten it every single day. I highly recommend buying some of their handmade chocolates as well.
Fun in Santorini with Kids:
Akrotiri Lighthouse: For beautiful views of the cliffs, head to the lighthouse at the southwestern tip of Santorini. There are paths to hike around the lighthouse. There is also a little cafe near the parking lot that has the prettiest table overlooking the sea. Grab a red apple smoothie here!
Red Beach: There’s a red beach, a black beach and a white beach in Santorini. Some of them are tricky to access, but there is a little hop on hop off taxi boat you can take from the water to each of them. If Luca was not so tiny, we would have totally done this route vs driving to see the different beaches.
Drive the cliffs of Imerovigli. We went in search of a market to buy diapers. It was a fail, but we ended up on the prettiest cliff. Put “hotel heliotopos” in your GPS and park anywhere around the hotel and walk around. The sunset and the views are stunning.
Lost Atlantis Museum: This was highly recommended by our airbnb host. We ran out of time to visit, but I know my 6 year old would have loved it. It is full of interactive exhibits.
Cable Car: There’s a cable car in Fira that you can take down to the picturesque port instead of walking. It’s busy, but try it at sunset for beautiful views!
Tips for Santorini with Kids:
+Rent the smallest car you can possibly fit in. If you are driving around, the roads are SO narrow, windy and full of blind spots. Most of the car rentals are for manual cars--if you are not super proficient at driving manual, I would recommend paying extra for an automatic car.
+Oia is the picturesque town of Santorini--however it is also extremely crowded. If there is a cruise ship docking, expect flocks of tour buses and people to pour into the little cobblestone streets. We much preferred the other areas of Santorini.
+Some of the car rental companies have kiosks at the airport, some do not. We accidentally booked one through a company who did not have a kiosk at the airport and it was a little extra leg work getting the rental car when we arrived. Next time I would make sure we booked through a vendor that had a kiosk at the airport.
+Prime dinner time appeared to be around 7:30-8:00pm (sunset!). This worked great for us, because we could do an earlier dinner with kids at restaurants and not have to worry about them disturbing other guests.
+Toilet paper does not go in the toilet in Santorini (and other areas of Greece). This took some getting used to for our kids--and us.
+The cobblestone streets are tricky for strollers. We wore Luca quite a bit rather than using the stroller.
Our time in Athens--
We spent a little bit of time in Athens during layovers--nowhere near enough to write a post on it. But I will say that I would LOVE to go back. I’ve heard so many mixed reviews on Athens--although we stayed more near the coastline (Porto Rafti area) than the historical/touristy areas, it was far more beautiful than I imagined.
During one of our layovers, we rented a car and drove to Lake Vouliagmeni. It’s a picturesque spot where the lake is filled with brackish water from the sea, along with underwater mineral springs. One of the wildest parts is that those little fish you see at pedicure places live in the water and come and “feed” on you while you are in it. The sensation is so ticklish—it’s an experience in and of itself. There’s a little playground, tasty cafe, changing rooms, showers, attendants etc here. It was a relaxing place—-we loved. If you’re ever in Athens I would highly recommend it!
Curious what we packed for our trip? I unpacked our luggage and wrote a post about everything we brought! Zero checked luggage!
