Famous Blue Domes & Wines in Santorini, Greece: via Cruise Ship

Author: Janice Vazquez | Last updated: November 1, 2023

Julius in sunglasses and Janice squinting while standing in front of the famous blue domes on a sunny day. — *Julius and Janice and the famous blue domes*

On the 7th day of the 10-day Viking Greek Odyssey Cruise, I arrived in Santorini, Greece. We booked the complimentary shore excursion, Summits & Countryside, where we viewed the famous blue domes in Oia Village and explored the Fira’s vibrant streets.

To disembark, we had to take Santorini’s official tender boat to reach the port. It took us roughly 20 minutes on the tender boat to get to the Athinos Ferry Port. After arriving at the port, we proceeded on foot to the bus where we were introduced to our tour guide.

As we made our way to the first attraction via bus, the tour guide gave us a nice overview of Santorini. Santorini was formed by four different volcanoes. About 30,000 years ago the island was in the shape of a circle. 5,000 years later, a volcano erupted violently creating a caldera, which filled the island with water from the Aegean Sea. Then, in the Spring of 16 BC, a volcano erupted and broke the ring into three islands (Santorini, Thirasia, Astro). The tour guide then dove into fun facts about Santorini such as:

Population is approximately 15,000 people.
Approximately 22,000 tourists visit the island annually.
More than 500 churches on the island.
The houses are painted white to prevent the sun from heating up the interior and the windows are painted to blue to represent the Greek islands.

Discover the ins and outs of journeying to Santorini from a cruise ship: Click here for essential insights to perfectly plan your upcoming adventure!

Oia Village

From the port landing, it took us 40 minutes to reach Oia Village, which is the second largest village in Santorini. The village is situated above a cliff, which overlooks the volcano and island of Thirassia. At Oia Village, the tour guide showed us where to take pictures with the three famous blue domes in the background. Then, he helped us take a family photo with the blue domes.

Julius sitting in front of the three blue domes on a sunny day — *Julius sitting in front of the three blue domes*

Janice sitting in front of the three blue domes on a sunny day — *Janice sitting in front of the three blue domes*

Afterwards, he told us to explore Oia Village on our own for an hour. Unfortunately, most of the shops were closed, so we just spent the time taking pictures of the scenery and architecture.

Since there were not that many people there, it was easy to find spots to take pictures without anyone in them.

Julius sitting on the ledge and in front of a yellow building and blue domes — *Julius sitting on a ledge*

*Julius standing in front the Church of Panagia Akathistos Hymn*

Janice standing on the steps and in front of Resurrection of the Lord Holy Orthodox Church — *Janice in front of the Resurrection of the Lord Holy Orthodox Church*

Janice sitting on a ledge in front of Oia Village — *Janice and Oia Village*

After an hour of exploring Santorini, we met the tour guide at the meeting point. Then, we boarded the bus and proceeded to the next stop.

Fira

On the way to Fira, the tour guide informed us that the beaches were either black or red. The color of the beaches come from the volcanic activity that formed the island. The red color comes from the iron-rich minerals in the volcanic rocks (iron oxide). The black color comes from the cooled and solidified lava, which has been broken down into small pieces by the action of the waves. After 20 minutes of driving, we made it Fira, the capital of Santorini.

We departed the bus and walked for 5 minutes towards the Holy Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral. Then, the tour guide told us this was the last stop of the tour and mentioned that the last tender boat to the cruise ship departs at 4:30pm, so that meant we had 4 hours to explore on our own. Afterwards, we took a few pictures of the area because the view was so pretty.

Julius opening the white door and smiling by the Iriana Cafe — *Julius pretending to enter Iriana Cafe*

Janice standing in front of a white church known as Candlemas Holy Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral of Thira — *Janice standing in front of the Candlemas Holy Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral of Thira*

Julius opening the grey door and smiling under the Hotel Kavalari sign — *Julius pretending to enter Hotel Kavalari*

Then, we roamed around the streets of Fira and stumbled upon a Bakery. Me and my dad bought an orange cake and Greek coffee.

Koulouri Thessalonikis on display at Θηραϊκή Bakery — *Koulouri Thessalonikis*

A man working behind the counter at Θηραϊκή Bakery — *Θηραϊκή Bakery*

When I walked out of the bakery, my mom waved at us from across the hall and gestured to us to come over. It turns out, my mom and brother found a wine bar! The Stoa Bar Santorini Fira was situated in a cave and decorated with Christmas decorations. Since it was the off season, the menu was limited in the number of wines available. However, we were able to order at least one red wine and one sweet white wine. The drinks were accompanied with Doritos. The owner didn’t mind that we ate the orange cake in the wine bar. The orange cake was delicious. It was a dense cake that was made out of honey and orange. The greek coffee was strong and delicious as well.

Interior of Stoa Bar Santorini Fira depicts blue chairs, christmas decorations, and a bar with bar stools and liquor — *Stoa Bar Santorini Fira*

Glasses of red and white wine accompanied with doritos chips at Stoa Bar Santorini Fira — *Glasses of Red and White Wine with Doritos*

Orange Cake at Θηραϊκή Bakery — *Orange Cake*

After eating and drinking, we explored the town and saw several places:

We walked up to a high point, where we got an amazing view of the scenery.

*Incredible View of the Aegean Sea and volcanoes*

We walked around the exterior of Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.

The clock tower and dome of Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist — Clock tower and dome *Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist*

The front entrance of Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist has a dark brown door and cross — *Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist’s front entrance*

We walked around the famous Three Bells of Fira, which was next to the Firostefani Central Square.

Greek catholic church with a bell tower of white bells and a cross on top. On the left is a blue dome with a cross on top. — *Three Bells of Fira*

After a couple hours of exploration, we began walking to the cable cars. As we walked towards the cable cars, we stopped by the On the Cliff Bar to try one more Santorini wine. We ordered a sweet wine called Vinsanto. It had a nice plum and raisin flavor, which reminded me of a light version of a port.

Glass of Vinsanto, which is a dark burgundy color. — *Glass of Vinsanto*

Returning to the ship

Me and my dad took the cable car down the mountain. We only waited 5 minutes before getting on the cable car. On the ride down, it was wonderful to see the view of the island and the Aegean Sea. Once we got off the cable car, we walked straight until we saw the red tent that said “Viking”.

view of cable cars from below — *View of cable cars from below*

Whereas my brother and my mom hiked down the donkey trail, which was 600 steps. My brother said “I stopped by several viewpoints along the way to check out the view of the Aegean Sea.

view from the donkey trail thats going down the stairs — *View from the donkey trail*

View from the donkey trail shows the cruise sitting on the Aegean Sea — *View from the donkey trail*

I noticed a few areas to sit down and rest, but I didn’t stop because I knew I would be able to rest once I got on the cruise ship. Overall, I found the donkey trail to be a bit strenuous because the steps were quite large and the stones were a bit uneven. It was a good workout.”

My brother mentioned it took about 30 minutes to walk down the donkey trail from the cable car entrance to the tender boat at the old market.

People walking to the Viking (red tent) — *People walking to the Viking tent*

*People waiting in line for the tender boat*

Boarding the tender boat

After queueing for approximately 15 minutes, a tender boat arrived to transport us back to the cruise ship. The tender boat was two stories, so when we boarded, we went to the second floor. From the second floor, I could see my brother and my mom making their way down the donkey trail. I was worried the tender boat was going to hit capacity before they could get on the tender boat.

Hand Sanitizer with a Tender Boat Times sign above it — *Hand Sanitizer and Tender Boat Times*

Viking Tent — *People waiting in line to get on the tender boat*

Luckily, the tender boat was big, so my brother and my mom made it to the ship. On our way back to cruise ship, I couldn’t help but awe at the sight of Santorini. It was such a pretty island. I enjoyed every moment and can’t wait to go back one day.

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