Are you going to Santorini soon? You can find the best photo spots in Santorini in this post. Get ready to explore this amazing Greek island and to make the most beautiful photos for your Instagram or photo album.

Santorini is one of the most popular bucket list destinations for visitors from around the world. It is known for its beautiful white-painted houses with blue roofs that overlook the sea, the iconic volcano mount, and the most stunning sunsets. The island is an ideal destination for a relaxing beach holiday with fantastic scenery.

Best Photo Spots in Santorini: Oia

Most people think of Oia when they think of Santorini. Oia is a picturesque village in the north of the island with beautiful white-painted houses, white churches with blue domes and narrow alleys with souvenir shops, bars, cafes and tavernas. However, the most impressive thing about Oia is the phenomenal view of the sea and the caldera. Especially during sunset!!!

Oia used to be called ‘Epano Meriá’ and ‘Kastro Agios Nikolaos’ and received its current name in 1834. One of the stories claims that this name is said to be derived from the Homeric ‘Oia Oion’ meaning ‘far away’, because Oia is one of the farthest places on Santorini. Locals call the village ‘Ia’.

Viewpoint South

As mentioned earlier, when you think of Santorini, you think of beautiful white-painted houses and white churches with blue domes. Viewpoint South represents a perfect image of the island and was not at all crowded for taking a photo, which gave a nice touch. Not only does it look beautiful with its white houses, but you can also see the orange glow behind them when you come here before watching the sunset.

Tours & Tickets

Meteor Café

How cute and colourful is this photo spot? You can find this photo spot in the long main street of the village. We did not eat or drink anything here, but Meteor Café appears to be a good café! An ideal place to visit for a bit of refreshment after a walk through the village. So, a good place to eat and drink AND the perfect photo spot means it is a must visit!

The Kastro Oia Houses

The Oia houses, known as Kastro Oia, are one of the magical places to stay in Santorini. They offer rooms with a balcony with the most beautiful view. A couple who offered to take photos of us stayed here, and recommended us to stay at the Kastro Oia Houses for one night if we had budget for it. They called it a magical ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to do so, but if I ever go back to Santorini, I would definitely consider the Kastro Oia Houses.

Viewpoint West

Viewpoint West photo spot is the most popular location to admire the famous sunset of Santorini and is called ‘The castle of Agios Nikolaos’. Not only do you have a beautiful view of the sunset, but also of Oia! The castle of Agios Nikolaos dates back to the late 15th century and was build in order to serve as an observation point. Since the destructive earthquake of 1956, there is only a part of the castle’s watchtower left. The castle is considered as one of Santorini’s most valuable monuments and one of the few tourist resources on island.

The Bells

Even though Santorini is not a very large island, the island contains more than 450 churches of all shapes and sizes.️ Everywhere you look you will see a church! All churches are very photogenic. White churches with bells, white churches with blue domes, churches with colourful bells, you name it.

The Blue Domes

Photo spot ‘The Blue Domes’ is one of the most famous photo spots in Santorini! This spot is actually private property, but no one really seemed to care about this. I stood in line for about half an hour for a photo, which confirmed that it is a very popular spot. The next day we visited Oia very early in the morning and then there was no queue.

Tip: Go there for sunrise to avoid queues and to get the best lighting for your photos!!!

Best Photo Spots in Santorini: Fira

Fira is the capital of the island Santorini and also goes by the name of Thira. Fira is a picturesque town with narrow streets. The town was built in a unique way, on the edge of the steep cliffs of the crater of Santorini, which ensures a beautiful view.

Skala Firon, the small harbor, is 275 meters below Fira and can be accessed by cable car, carrying 800 people per hour, or an path of 566 steps. The ride with the cable car to above or below costs around six euros per person. It is also possible to go down or up with a donkey for the same price as the cable car. However, I do not recommend this as the animals are exploited in the heat. I find this so sad for the donkeys, so I would never do it myself. Everyone can decide for themselves about this of course. I recommend you to book a table at one of its restaurants with a  view on the islands Thirasia and Nea Kameni. Besides, watching the sunset in Fira while having dinner is absolutely breathtaking.

The Catholic Church of Saint Stylianos

During a walk in Fira, I happened to come across this point. Isn’t the view breathtaking? Besides, it is nice that there is a yellow church in the photo for once instead of white ones every time! The Catholic Church of Saint Stylianos is a basilica church with a unique design. The church is dedicated to Saint Stylianos of Paphlagonia.

Fira Viewpoint

Michiel and I walked through Fira and also happened to stumble upon this photo spot. This photo spot ensures a beautiful view of Fira. An other advantage of this photo spot is that it is not too crowded, because it is quite a bit away from the center of Fira. This makes it a lot easier to take the perfect photo!

The Door with a View

I must admit that I am absolutely obsessed with (Greek) doors. Coloured doors especially appeal to me. Besides the fact that the door in the picture is a beautiful door, it also has the advantage that you are not only taking a photo of a beautiful door, but also of a very stunning view!

Fira Boulevard

Fira Boulevard is a very crowded place during sunset, but also very beautiful. Bring some drinks and snacks and enjoy the stunning sunset, along with many other happy vacationers!

Best Photo Spots in Santorini: Akrotiri

Akrotiri, also known as “The Greek Pompeii” was a prehistoric settlement located on the island of Santorini. Back in the days, Akrotiri was part of the cultural and trade network of the Minoan civilization (1800-1450 BC) and was destroyed by a volcanic explosion. They had three-storey buildings already. In addition, the water system was better than it is in Greece now. A crazy thing is the fact that no human bodies were found in Akrotiri. Presumably the inhabitants left the island in time.

The Orange House

How can you not love the Greek architecture? All the beautiful doors, colours and flowers, wow! This orange house will definitely brighten up your Instagram feed or photo album.

The Lighthouse of Akrotiri

The Lighthouse of Akrotiri is among the oldest lighthouses in Greece! It was constructed in 1892. During the day there is a lot of wind here. Therefore, the best time to visit this lighthouse is during sunset! Bring a rug, some drinks and snacks and enjoy the beautiful sunset!

The Blue Table and Chairs

Who wants to sit here to enjoy the view? Well, I would! The sunsets here are insane! If you are lucky that this table is not occupied yet, you can also get drinks and food at the accompanying restaurant ‘Charoula Canteen’! Then all I have to say is: Enjoy!

Best Photo Spots in Santorini: Imerovigli

Imerovigli has been declared a protected village by the Greek state. It is a picturesque village with beautiful traditional architecture. It is built on the edge of the steep cliffs of the crater and has narrow streets.

Skaros Rock is located in front of the village. There used to be a majestic castle on this rock that was the main site of the Christian congregation in Santorini until the early 1800s. Unfortunately, the castle was destroyed during an earthquake in the 19th century and only a few remnants remain.

The Katiforis Holy Orthodox Chapel

Hiking Skaros Rock is a whole experience and this hike will take you past this gorgeous chapel which is beautiful to photograph by day and during sunset! Many people take photos on the roof of the chapel here as well. I did not do this, because everyone was deliberately ignoring the signs that say not to do so. Personally, I think you should respect that, but everyone has their own opinion!

Thank you for reading my blog post! Those were all my favorite photo spots on the island of Santorini. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post and found inspiration for your next trip to the island. Have fun exploring this stunning island and enjoy taking photos on the most beautiful photo spots for your Instagram or photo album!

Lots of love,
Silke