Santorini: Magical Island or Overcrowded Nightmare?

These are the Instagram images you see of the Greek island Santorini. Beautiful blue dome churches, the amazing red beach and white buildings with a beautiful sunset. And you'll have them all to yourself. But what's it like in reality? This volcanic island with its charming villages perched high on the cliffs is one of the country's top tourist destinations. Over two million people visit each year. We're going to check out three spots to see if they live up to reality. Our first reality check is in the town of Fira, the island's tourist hub and capital. This is where most tourists stay. It's the heart of action on the island with an active nightlife scene, restaurants and plenty of stunning views. The city is located two to 300 meters above sea level and its buildings seem to hang off of the caldera which formed during volcanic activity many centuries ago. In the upper parts of the city you'll also find the famous three bells church of Fira Stefani with its typical blue dome. People come here from all over the world. I come from Peru, Miami, Florida, United States, Pennsylvania, Sicilia. So is Fira as amazing as it looks on social media? Basically it's a lot of tourists and we came from Mykonos where it is quiet and this is a different setting than it is. I try to take pictures and it doesn't look the same. Like you have to see it in person. Well you can't leave Santorini without visiting Fira but be prepared to wait in line for some of the best photo opportunities or explore early in the morning before the cruise ship passengers arrive. Our next stop is the popular Red Beach in the south of the island. This is arguably the most famous and beautiful beach in Santorini thanks to its stunning red cliffs. The island's volcanic activity is responsible for its multi-coloured sands like this deep red hue. However it's actually forbidden to access this beach since it can be dangerous. Landslides are frequent here and people do get injured when rocks fall from the high cliffs although many people ignore the warnings. Instead we recommend taking a picture from this vantage point or by taking a boat or kayak tour since most of them stop here. So does the Red Beach live up to its image on social media? Yes it looks absolutely amazing especially from afar. However be aware that you're taking a risk if you decide to lay here. Our final stop is the fishing village of Oia, the most popular Instagram spot on the island and maybe in Europe. You've definitely seen people posing in front of its blue dome churches and other impressive whitewashed buildings. Instagram has helped transform this town into a full-blown tourism hotspot in the last decade. The most popular photo spots are the Anastasi church and the church of Panagia Platzani but beware it can be chaotic. In high season you will probably have to wait in line for a photo in front of one of the famous churches. Costa Sacavares has been a tour guide on the island for decades. He's seen it change. Social media started defining the way we perceive or what we desire during our travels and people are in the chase of the perfect shot to find themselves within it and they want to also confirm with the way they travel what they have already seen themselves in the social media. It's like a loop it goes on and on over and over again. And be aware that it's illegal to step on private property so be sure to observe no trespassing signs. And then there's Oia's famous sunset. Each day hundreds of people come here to watch the sunset over the terraced buildings of Oia. But if you come in high season it's easy to be overwhelmed by the crowds. Most popular sunset in the world I think. And it's amazing yes. I love it yes. So beautiful and so crowded oh my god. It did and it didn't live up to my expectations. I thought the sunset itself was beautiful and the view of the town with the flowers and the greek flag was blowing in the perfect direction. That was great but honestly it was pretty crowded and I had to really kind of like elbow my way through the crowd. So I really enjoyed the experience. I would do it maybe once but I think for my rest of this day in Greece I'm gonna try to find a more quiet spot for the sunset. So does it live up to its Instagram image? Yes and no. Although it looks pretty in real life one thing you don't see in the photos are the hundreds of other people crowding the village's small streets at sunset. So if you want the perfect shot just be aware that there's more happening than what you see in the frame. The bottom line Santorini is a beautiful island but if you want to see the main sights either go in the off season or be prepared for the crowds. you