The tiny Greek island of Santorini draws in thousands of tourists every single day, making it notoriously difficult to get the perfect picture of the holiday hotspot’s iconic architecture and stunning views.
Videos showing hordes of holidaymakers queueing through the streets of the island’s main towns have gone viral, prompting warnings from local tour guides that its ‘overcrowded’ reputation is deterring people from staying on the island.
But pictures have also been circulating of popular parts of the island – including the capital Fira and clifftop village Oia – completely deserted, in what is meant to be high season.
British tourists who visited Santorini recently have now shared their top tips to beat the crowds, enjoy unspoilt views, and get the Cycladic island’s famous whitewashed streets to yourself.
One holidaymaker who stayed there at the beginning of July told MailOnline that she and her partner did their research before heading out to Greece in order to dodge the crowds.
The island’s iconic blue domes are a favourite attraction for tourists – but usually hard to get a picture of without crowds of people visible
Empty streets on the island, captured by a tourist who got up early to beat the crowds
Shops and restaurants sit empty on a street in Santorini – which has become known for its huge crowds
They had been keen to visit all the famous sites, including the famous and much-photographed blue domes of St. Gerasimos in the capital Fira.
‘After speaking to lots of people where we were [going to be] staying and on various forums, they all said the same thing… go early to avoid the cruise ships,’ she said.
With passengers from disembarking up to seven cruise ships every day from around 8am, it is best if you are already staying on land to get straight to the sites first thing.
The traveller said she and her partner visited the domes at 8am and was delighted to find there was ‘hardly anyone’ there – as shown in their pictures of the spot.
But, she said, come 10am there were already ‘lots of people around’. Even by that time, she said, there was ‘a lot of rubbish’ and a huge a large queue.
The other main attraction the island offers – staggering views of sunsets over the Aegean sea – also sees scores of tourists pile into prime locations to get the best photos.
The husband and wife said their tactic to avoid the crowds – while also getting a good vantage point – was to go out on a boat.
The suggestion is understandable after pictures of tourists lining up along cliff paths – often precariously craning to get photos without anyone else in them – have swept the internet.
As a result, many holidaymakers are starting to turn to quieter – but equally picturesque – parts of the island to ensure their holiday is memorable for the views rather than the crowds.
Katie Haslam from Rochdale said that she and her husband decided to have their honeymoon on Santorini, but away from Fira, which they had heard was ‘really, really busy’.
Instead, they stayed in a clifftop village a few kilometres out, which she told CNN Travel was ‘amazing, lovely and quiet.’
Empty streets in late June in a picture taken by a tourist early in the morning
She said they avoided the scrum in town and ‘sat on our balcony every night at 8 o’clock with a bottle of wine. It was absolutely magical.’
Of the record 32.7 million people who visited Greece last year, around 3.4 million, or one in 10, went to the island of just 15,500 residents.
In Oia’s narrow streets, residents have put up signs urging visitors to respect their home.
‘RESPECT… It’s your holiday… but it’s our home,’ read a purple sign from the Save Oia group.
‘It is a lovely place, however with lots of people I can understand why they want to restrict the numbers,’ a holidaymaker told MailOnline.
She added that some tourists are just ‘plain disrespectful to the property owned by locals,’ with many simply ignoring signs saying ‘private’ all ‘to get the right photo’.
A video shared by one tourist in late July shows the streets of Oia all but deserted
This footage of Oia was seemingly taken before an influx of visitors arrived
Locals and officials have warned that the island is being swamped, with some 17,000 tourists are expected to arrive each day in the peak holiday season.
‘We need to set limits if we don’t want to sink under overtourism,’ Santorini mayor Nikos Zorzos said.
‘There must not be a single extra bed… whether in the large hotels or Airbnb rentals.’
But others, including one tour guide and long-time resident, have said that the issue is not ‘overtourism’, but the lack of infrastructure to deal with the sudden influx of people coming off cruise ships.
‘The truth is that the island is empty. Right now is like never before, it’s the worst season ever,’ said Gianluca Chimenti, a local tour operator who has lived in Santorini for 18 years.
Put off by videos of huge queues of cruise ship passengers and visitors shuffling through the streets in the hot sun, would-be tourists are opting to avoid staying on the island for long periods, he claimed.
He said: ‘The problem is that the social media is showing something completely different from what is the reality.’
Shocking videos show the crowded streets in Santorini with hordes of tourists packed onto the tiny island
Despite July and August being high season on the island, town centres are reportedly dead in many areas after 9pm.
Many of those who are flocking to the island’s main attractions are cruise ship passengers, with Santorini a key stop on Greek cruises’ itineraries.
When the crowds are gone, Chimenti says, ‘the hotels right now are more or less under 30 per cent of a normal season.’
Video shared by one tourist in late July appears to show the streets of Oia all but deserted – with the footage seemingly taken before an influx of visitors arrived.
While they are empty in this footage, the famous cliff-top viewing spot in the picturesque village sees tourists queuing up for 20 minutes or more as they hope to snap the perfect Instagram shot.
Separate footage shared by a tour guide shows hundreds of passengers lining up with suitcases to get on a ship off the volcanic island.
Hundreds of tourists perch on the steep hills in Santorini twatch and photograph the famed sunset on July 25, 2024
Hundreds of tourists gather at the village of Oia, Santorini, to watch the sunset, on July 20
Late into the 20th century, Santorini was a sleepy idyll where most locals profited more off agriculture than tourism.
Visitor numbers grew from the 1960s as it gained a reputation for its stunning views and iconic architecture – but development on the island failed to keep pace.
‘Overtourism doesn’t exist. What I see is a lack of structures,’ Chimenti said.
But a councillor recently sparked anger when he urged residents in a since-deleted Facebook post to stay at home and avoid the surge of tourists he said authorities expected to arrive.
‘Another difficult day for our city and island is ahead with the arrival of 17,000 visitors from cruise ships. We ask for your attention: limit your movements as much as possible,’ he said.
Residents criticised the councillor’s request, with one commenting on social media: ‘[He] officially asks locals to lock themselves at home, so that tourists can wander around free. Marvelous.’
Huge crowds are drawn to the island each year, straining life for Santorini’s locals
Shocking images from the picturesque island show masses of tourists queuing on narrow walkways along white buildings with the famous sea-blue domes for the best holiday shots
Tourists leave after viewing Santorini’s sunset from the Castle of Oia, on Santorini, Greece
Chimenti suggested that cruise operators should organise tours to other parts of the island and coordinate others so people are not all piling into the same areas at the same time.
Cruisecritic, a Tripadvisor company, says that up to seven cruise ships can dock simultaneously on the island, which means that they could bring over 14,000 passengers if at full capacity.
In 2023, 800 cruise ships brought some 1.3 million passengers, according to the Hellenic Ports Association.
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