Despite the fact that some people will say it’s too touristic, we went to Santorini in the middle of July, and the number of people didn’t prevent us from appreciating the beauty of the place. However, it wasn’t the best for our wallet, obviously.

So first thing first, if you have the possibility to go a bit more off-season, not only will you enjoy a quieter island, the weather will also be nicer and you will save significantly on the accommodation and food. (Expect prices to be cut in half, no jokes here!)

The best time to go is during shoulder season, which means April through mid-June and mid-September through October. (May and October would be ideal.) Nevertheless, do not miss visiting this island even if you can only go there in the middle of summer. You can still manage to do it without spending too much.  

It’s always a good idea to book in advance things like ferries, flights, and hostels as the prices will rise the closer you get to the date of your departure. The downside is that it offers less flexibility to change your plans last minute, but if you really are on a budget, it’s better to book things in advance for that trip. (Not to mention that everything could easily be fully booked during the high season!)

Also, note that it’s more economical to fly to Athens than directly to Santorini. It’s wiser to take a ferry or another flight from the mainland (or another island) to Santorini afterward.  

First of all, Santorini has two main towns, Oiá and Firá. It’s good to know that Oiá is WAY more expensive and busier, so prefer Firá to stay. We thought it was as nice and beautiful as Oiá and it’s the island’s capital. 

We stayed at Santorini Camping and Hostel, and I couldn’t recommend it more. We were in a comfortable 8 beds dorm and we only paid 25€ each per night, which is incredibly cheap for the high season and considering the fact that we booked at the very last minute. We even had a private bathroom for our dorm with showers and toilets. 

What truly makes this hostel amazing though is the huge in-ground swimming pool that you can enjoy in the heat, the bar, and the festive atmosphere that you will experience. Be ready to turn the place into a huge party at night if you feel like it, the music is good and the people are amazing!

This is only to give you an example of what is possible, you don’t need to stay at this place specifically but with a little research on Hostelworld, you can definitely find an affordable option to sleep.

Disclaimer here, I must confess we didn’t do the walk, although we REALLY wanted to. Hiking from one city to another will take you about 3 to 4 hours (6 miles) and will make you save a bit on transportation (not much to be honest, you’ll see why below). But to be fair, the main reason to do it is to enjoy the most amazing panoramic view of the island during the entire walk. 

You can choose to walk one way or the other, but the easiest walk is to start from Firá since it will be an overall downhill hike and therefore much easier. However, it will be a better experience if you do it off-season because the heat and the sun during the summer are quite something. That’s the reason why we didn’t make it. You could still give it a try very early in the morning if you didn’t party too hard the night before…

This walk can save you some pennies but public transportation on the island remains surprisingly cheap. The bus system is called KTEL and is very good. Tickets will vary between 1,80€ and 2,30€ depending on your journey. You can easily reach Firá, Oiá, Kamari, or Perissa. We were also able to go to Red Beach without any problems by taking the bus from Firá to Akrotiri.  

I’m sure you can agree that eating and drinking can quickly add up and consume a good part of your budget in no time. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, avoid Oiá at all costs, Firá is where you’ll be eating. As simple as that.  

Avoid fancy places from the start, and make gyros your best friends! They are only a couple of euros and after all, the food of choice in Greece. And let’s be real, they are also absolutely delicious!  However, If you get tired of gyros at some point, it is still easy to enjoy a good meal for 5-10€ in a lot of places. 

But another GREAT idea is to head to the supermarket and plan a simple picnic. This is what we did for our only dinner in Oiá. We made some friends at the hostel, went to the supermarket altogether, split the bill, and made sure to buy a few bottles of wine! It was much cheaper, and we found a great quiet spot to watch the sunset at the same time. Way to go in Oiá! 

Obviously, if your accommodation includes a kitchen, cook as much as you can and avoid eating out most of the time

Pro tip: Your cheapest option to buy alcohol from the store is definitely beer, not wine. You can get big cans of local beer (Mythos) for around 2€.

Although this is the cheapest option to buy your alcohol, happy hours are also a thing in Greece and you should take advantage of them if you are planning to drink out. They often run pretty late.

Let’s make it clear, you do NOT need to spend a lot on activities to enjoy what Santorini has to offer. Honestly, besides the bus, we didn’t spend anything. Forget about the guided tours. 

Wander around the cities at your own pace, take the time to walk through every narrow street you can find, get lost in the villages, capture the beauty all around you with your camera, enjoy the sun. Find secret places away from the tourists to enjoy every sunset, hike from one city to another, discover Red Beach and White Beach, jump into the sea and above all, have fun!