When my bestie and I embarked on planning a girls trip to Greece, we read a lot of advice about all of the Greek islands. How many to visit, how long to stay, what NOT to do…the suggestions were endless.

Regardless of what anyone else may say, I’m here to tell you: Santorini is worth the hype. The beautiful views of the water in the caldera below, whitewashed buildings stacked with vibrant blue domes, and the stunning volcanic landscape absolutely make it worth the visit.

We arrived in early May, avoiding the peak tourism season, and I would highly recommend visiting in the shoulder season to avoid the biggest crowds. Here’s a rough outline of the agenda that we followed:

• Day 1: Fly to Santorini from Athens, pick up our rental car, relax by the pool, dinner at Postalia in Mesaria
• Day 2: Catamaran cruise with Santorini Sailing Center
• Day 3: Morning massage, cooking class and wine tour with Anydro
• Day 4: Hike from Fira to Oia, following the directions from Santorini Dave. Midnight Easter celebrations in Pyrgos
• Day 5: Picnic at the Black Beach, dinner at Metaxi Mas

Plenty of people will tell you to rush through Santorini to visit another island. But truth be told, 5 days flew by! I felt like it was enough time to enjoy most of what Santorini had to offer, at a relaxed pace without needing to rush. That allowed us time to build in room for recommendations from locals and hotel staff, which is how we stumbled on Orthodox Easter celebrations in Pyrgos!

Typically, the entire town of Pyrgos is illuminated on Friday before Orthodox Easter; however due to wind it was cancelled this year. Instead, they lit the town up on Saturday night as parishioners traveled to midnight mass. Combined with the panoramic view of fireworks around the island at exactly midnight, it was an incredible celebration to witness.

Everyone we met was incredibly welcoming, offering friendly conversation, advice, and hospitality at every turn. I hope you’ll visit and see for yourself!