Santorini is famous for being a romantic island. And what would a romantic holiday be without a good sunset?!
In this post I am sharing the best places to watch the sunset in Santorini for which you don’t need a reservation or squeeze in to the crowds.
PS: Are you planning a romantic getaway to Santorini with your loved one? Check out these unforgettable things to do in Santorini, especially for couples.
Map of the best sunsets in Santorini
Most of these sunset places in Santorini are pretty difficult to find (otherwise they’d be filled with crowds 😉 ), so I made a map to make things easier for you:
Now you just need to choose if you want to watch the:
Best sunset in Oia
Finding a sunset in Oia that’s not crowded and for which you do not need a reservation really is next level in difficulty. Just have a look at this picture to see how the streets of Oia get filled with people fighting for the best sunset spot – especially around the windmill on top:
This picture was taken at 6.15 pm on a September evening (not even high season for Santorini), so I imagine it looks much worse in July or August.
Glitzy Windmill
Ok, I feel like I am about to expose Santorini’s best kept sunset secret, so here goes nothing…
Jordi and I were walking towards the windmill on top of Oia, when suddenly a woman tried to sell us jewellery. We thought she was just like any other sales person we’ve encountered during our travels – and I’m not super interested in jewellery anyway – so of course our first instinct was to reject.
But this woman kept insisting we follow her down her jewellery store, so we caved in. As we followed her, she climbed a stairs and showed us her private rooftop terrace. She then told us if we buy one bracelet each (at €15 per bracelet), she’d bring us some wine and we can enjoy the sunset from her rooftop terrace:
Well, at that moment we were already sold by the views, so what’s €30 in Santorini anyway?! We decided to go for it and give the bracelets to my mum and sister as a souvenir.
This all happened around 6.30 pm and we stayed at her rooftop terrace until 7.10 pm. We could have stayed the rest of the evening, but we already had our pictures and finished our wine, so we went on to discover more hidden sunset places in Oia.
So, if you want to watch the sunset from here, head towards the Glitzy Windmill jewellery store in Oia around 6 pm. I honestly think it’s the best option for last-minute travellers like myself 🙂 .
Cliffs above OYA and Ammoudi beaches
Another place in Oia where it’s easy to avoid the sunset crowds without having a reservation are the cliffs. I marked this spot on the map as “OYA / Ammoudi” because it’s somewhere between these two beaches.
To watch the sunset from the cliffs, the important thing is not to go down to the beaches, but to stay on top of the cliffs. This may sound obvious, but probably still worth mentioning anyway. Here’s what the Santorini sunset from the cliffs looks like:
As you’ll see in the pictures, the scenery from the cliffs is more dramatic. Plus, you don’t have to buy any bracelets to enjoy this sunset ;). These pictures were taken around 7.20 pm, so it’s less than a 10 minute walk away from the Glitzy Windmill.
Best sunset in Thira / Imerovigli
Thira and Imerovigli are generally not as crowded as Oia, but you’re still likely to encounter some crowds at sunset.
The best way to find your sunset spot is to do the scenic walk from Thira to Imerovigli, which is full of hidden gems. We found our hidden gem at the Agios Nikolaos (church) near Imerovigli.
Agios Nikolaos church
At first we escaped the crowds on the Thira – Imerovigli path at the Agios Nikolaos church. These pictures were taken just before 7 pm:
On the left picture, you see me watching the sunset with Thira in the background. And on the right picture is the sunset with Imerovigli in the background.
As much as I loved the sunset views from the Agios Nikolaos church, it wasn’t an ideal set up for our tripod. So we went around the church, where we found a more natural space.
Agios Nikolaos Rocks
As we walked more towards Imerovigli and turned around the corner of the Agios Nikolaos church, we came across this rocky landscape. I have no idea what the name of this spot is, so I just called it Agios Nikolaos Rocks on the map.
Although it was very windy in the cliffs, we still managed to set up the tripod and take some romantic sunset pictures together:
The colours in the sky were so pretty that night, and I love that you can see Imerovigli in the cliffs by the sea.
Add to your bucket list:
Travel Photography for Couples
Learn more about taking your own travel pictures as a couple in my book:
As a travel couple, do you ever wish to travel back to a place, just to take better pictures together? I sure know I do! That’s why in this book, I am sharing everything we wish we knew about taking pictures together when we first started travelling as a couple. Read more…
So many beautiful spots! I would love to visit Santorini!