What should I avoid in Santorini?

The 588 steps from Old Port up to Fira are lined with donkeys for hire at €6-8 per ride. Skip them. The animals work 10-12 hour shifts in 35°C heat with no shade, and the path reeks of urine and manure so thick you'll taste it at the back of your throat. The cable car costs €6 each way and takes 3 minutes. If the queue stretches past 30 minutes, which it does when 2-3 cruise ships dock at Athinios between 9am and 11am, walk the steps instead. They're steep but manageable in 20 minutes. Wear closed-toe shoes with grip. The donkey droppings make the stone slippery enough that flip-flops are a genuine ankle risk.

ATV and scooter rental shops crowd every main road in Fira, Imerovigli, and Perissa. They'll rent to anyone with a pulse and €25-40 per day. The problem is Santorini's roads. The caldera-edge road between Fira and Oia has blind hairpin turns, no guardrails in several stretches, and a surface that turns to grease when the Meltemi wind blows volcanic dust over it. The private clinic near Fira's main square treats ATV scrapes and broken collarbones almost daily in peak season. If you don't ride a motorcycle at home, don't start here. The local KTEL bus runs Fira to Oia in 25 minutes for €1.80, and Fira to Perissa Beach in 30 minutes for €2.50.

Every restaurant on the Fira caldera walkway charges a view premium. A Greek salad at the terraced spots near the Cathedral of Candlemas of the Lord (founded 1827) runs €16-22. The same salad at a taverna in Firostefani, a 12-minute walk north along the caldera path, costs €9. The food tends to be better too, because the caldera-strip places turn tables fast and prep in volume. Worth noting, the fish tavernas in Amoudi Bay below Oia have better reputations than their prices deserve. A plate of grilled octopus there runs €18-24. The fish tavernas along Vlychada's small port on the south coast serve the same dish for €12-14, and you'll eat looking at volcanic sea cliffs instead of a crowd.

The Oia sunset has been marketed to death. Every evening between May and October, somewhere around 1,500 people squeeze onto the castle ruins at the village's western tip. You'll stand shoulder-to-shoulder from 6pm onward, and the view is the same one you've seen in 10,000 Instagram posts. If you still want to go, arrive by 5:30pm and stand near the old windmills rather than the fortress. A better option is the sunset from Imerovigli, where the same sun drops behind the same caldera with maybe 40 other people around you. Red Beach near Akrotiri has been closed and reopened repeatedly since 2019 because of rockfall from the soft volcanic cliff above. The municipality posts closure signs at the trailhead, but they're easy to miss. Check with your hotel before the 20-minute hike down.

Taxi drivers at the port and airport have meters, but some will quote a flat €20-25 to Fira when the metered fare is closer to €15. Insist on the meter. The pre-booked transfer vans that cruise ships sell onboard charge €30-40 per person for the same 20-minute ride. During July and August, the Meltemi winds blow hard enough to cancel ferry services for 1-2 days at a stretch. Build buffer days around your Santorini leg if you're island-hopping, because a cancelled Blue Star Ferries sailing leaves you stuck until the next one. The heat in those months is dry but relentless. Midday temperatures reach 34-36°C with almost no tree cover on the caldera side. Carry water and stay off exposed paths between noon and 3pm.