Without a doubt, the best way to get around Santorini island is by renting a quad bike. If you haven’t experienced a quad bike before, Greece is the perfect place to do it!
After a few days spent exploring the most popular towns of Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia on foot, quad bikes offer the perfect way to get out of the towns and explore the rest of the island.
From the wineries to the red, white and black beaches, there is a whole island to explore away from the main towns that you wouldn’t even have noticed without the ease of a bike.
Renting a quad bike
We rented a quad bike for two days while we were in Santorini and it gave us the freedom to explore wherever we wanted without having to be tied to a bus schedule or tour. We rode the quad bike from the southern beaches all the way across to the northern tip of the island, and zig zagged around everywhere in between.
Quad bikes are definitely the easiest way to get down to the more popular and organised beaches on the southern end of the island as well as the wineries that are found towards the middle. Additionally, Pyrgos is best explored on quad bike.
It’s the highest point of Santorini with panoramic views of the whole island and to get around the whole town quad bikes are the way to do it. The small village of Pyrgos itself is extremely beautiful with some of the most amazing doorways I have ever seen. One of the best places I can think of for a photography tour!
There are a few things to keep in mind if you decide to hire a quad bike for the day
- Quad bikes/motorbikes/scooters are all still motor vehicles and should be treated with the same caution as driving in any foreign country
- Make sure you obey their road rules, street signs and directions and always act alert and aware
- You will always be provided with a helmet, so don’t accept any rental without one. Wearing helmets is optional in Santorini but definitely recommended, especially if you’ve never ridden before
- Always wear protective clothing and keep yourself covered up – riding around in a bikini top will make a cute Instagram picture but you’re sure to get burnt if you’re riding around all day
- Greek locals and tourists both have a bad habit of walking straight out onto the road without looking for oncoming traffic – be careful around busy intersections and towns
The picture above is from our day exploring Pyrgos, from it’s narrow cobbled streets to aerial views of the island. For my favourite way to end the day, ride up to Oia to watch the sunset. It can get pretty cool and windy on the road around the mountains, so make sure you take a jacket for the ride!
Crowds can get crazy around the sunset, so to make sure you get a good parking spot I would recommend riding down a little early, having dinner on the water and have a wander around the shops of Oia while you wait for the sun to start going down. It is magical.
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