Yes… you will definitely take a lot of pictures in Santorini and those can be unmistakably considered the best souvenir you can get home from the island. If you choose your favorite one and have it framed it can be the perfect Santorini souvenir from your vacation. Yet, there are so many other things you can get on the island, both for you and for your friends back home.
So take some time off your sightseeing schedule and devote one afternoon to all your Santorini souvenir shopping spree. To help you choose the perfect gift, we came up with this list. It’ll give you a clear idea of what to buy in Santorini to bring back home.
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Where to Stay in Santorini
Not sure where to stay in Santorini? If you want to be around the best nightlife, your first choice should be Fira, followed by Imerovigli.
Where to Stay in Fira
Here are our top recommendations for where to stay in Fira. Generally, budget means hotels for around $50 a night a, mid-range is from about $70-100 per night, and luxury will cost over $100 per night.
Budget: If you’re looking for a nice place to stay in Fira without spending too much, check these two places, Alizea Villas & Suites or Villa Anto.
Mid-Range: If you want a nicer hotel in the capital of Santorini without breaking the budget, we recommend either of these two cute design guest houses Sweet Pop or Villa Galaxy Santorini.
Luxury: Do you want to splurge in a beautiful cave hotel with unique vistas towards the caldera? Then check any of these two superb places in town: Aura Cave or Volcano View.
Where to Stay in Imerovigli
Budget: If you are looking for a budget-friendly accommodation and the typical dug-out-looking cave studios and suites that Santorini is famous for, then Caldera Premium Villas is a wonderful place to stay.
Mid-Range: For a comfortable place to stay, with great views and impeccable service, check both Ilioperato Hotel and Ayoba Santorini.
Luxury: Imerovigli is one of the best places to stay in Santorini, therefore not short of luxury hotels and suites, our favorite ones are Afroessa and Seven Suites.
Best Souvenirs from Santorini
On the Greek islands, and in Santorini in particular, it will be easy to get unique objects that bring back memories (and why not? some nostalgia) of the sunny days spent in Greece. Go for original and -whenever possible- light presents that take little space in your bag and carry unique memories attached to them.
These are some of the best souvenirs you can buy in Santorini.
Santorini Hat
You can definitely do with a hat when going around in Santorini. It’s ideal to protect you from those long, sunny days in Summer and a great help too when having a bad hair day or when it’s windy, something quite common in the Aegean.
Go for a hat that’s easy to pack and comfortable to wear so you can use more than just for that pretty photo. Straw hats can be adorable, but also tricky to pack.
If you don’t want unpleasant surprises once you’re back home unpacking (aka a shabby straw hat), choose a stylish, yet foldable hat or, even better a cap with the logo of any of the local beers, it will be really handy during your future trips and easy to wear almost in any occasion.
Ceramic Paper Boats
Some of the most beautiful sculptures you can get on the island are these simple, minimal, but beautiful paper boats that look perfect anywhere you place them and that will certainly shout “I’ve been in Greece”.
Grabe a couple or a trio for more impact and proudly display them on your coffee table next to a nice travel book of the Greek islands… Super pretty and a good conversation starter too!
Paper boats sculptures also come made of olive wood, cork, stone, and any other material you can think of, and they make a perfect souvenir of Greece.
A Bottle of Vinsanto Wine
Vinsanto is that sweet dessert wine from the island that you should definitely try during your stay in Santorini. It’s a DOP product made with grapes that have been dried under the scorching hot sun of the island.
Vinsanto from Santorini is a perfect wine to cook deserts or to pair with sweets, cakes, and chocolate. Bottles can be regular size but you will also find small souvenir bottles easy to store inside your bag before heading back home.
Trust us, once you’ve tried good quality Vinsanto you will be more than determined to get back with you not just one but a few more bottles of this delicious Greek drink.
Sun-dried Tomatoes
Tomatoes, aubergines, and fava spread are some of the staple vegetables and dishes that you will adore in Santorini. The small cherry tomatoes produced on the island are among the most delicious in the world.
Get yourself a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, or even a jar of tomato jam too. If you visit Santorini’s Tomato Factory Museum, you will be able to pick the perfect tomato-themed souvenir, including vintage tomato cans, local recipes in any language, and much more.
Sculptures and Figurines Inspired in Ancient Cycladic Art
Don’t miss paying a visit to the Archaeological Museum of Santorini, or even to the Museum of Ancient Thera. That will be enough to fall in love with the enigmatic shape of the ancient figurines that have been found on several archaeological sites on the Greek islands.
They are remarkably simple, made with pure, sort of primitive lines, and can make an elegant and refined memento of your trip to Greece.
The figurines can be sculpted in stone, which makes them more expensive… and extremely heavy. Don’t despair though, it will be quite easy to find less expensive versions made of a lighter material and equally beautiful. Grab a set and take them home with you.
Santorini Capers
Together with tomatoes and white eggplants, capers are another typical produce you will find on any dish on the island. Capers are often used by locals to make tomato sauces richer and tastier.
Capers from Santorini are an easy-to-carry-with-you souvenir. Get yourself a jar of capers and use them sparingly to condiment salads or to decorate your very own version of Greek tzatziki.
A Book from Atlantis Bookstore
One of the prettiest and most traditional shops in Oia is the legendary Atlantis Books. A unique bookshop selling classics of the Greek literature, such as The Odyssey, as well as modern and fascinating books that have built the history of contemporary Greek literature.
Get yourself a book of Poems by Odyseas Elitis, or Constantinos Cavafys, or purchase classics such as Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis, one of the most prolific and outstanding Greek writers of all times.
If books are not what you’re looking for, then discover all the postcards, calendars, and incredibly beautiful notepads, pens, and pencils you can buy in Atlantis. I’m more than sure that you won’t leave the shop empty-handed.
A Bottle of Assyrtiko Wine
If sweet wines are not your thing, then made a point to taste the local Assyrtiko grape variety and discover one of the most refined white wines produced in Greece.
Assyrtiko, usually known as the wine of Santorini, will conquer you with unique fragrances that, closing your eyes, will easily fly you back to the volcanic island.
Better still? Why not booking a Santorini winery tour to taste some of the best labels and buy your souvenirs directly from the producers? You’ll spend a magnificent day learning about local wines and will be sure to take back home the right bottle you loved. This is a must for your Santorini itinerary!
Santorini Coloring Book
If you’ve fallen in love with the local landscape, you will surely enjoy spending some time looking back at those images …and even more, putting color to them!
Get yourself a Santorini color book as a souvenir from the island. It is a creative gift and a great way to spend some free time relaxing and looking back to your holiday in Greece.
Santorini Vine Products
As you’ve probably already guessed from this list, wine is a thing in Santorini. And an important thing! Choose some good quality vine products for your skin, such as cleansing foams, lotions, and oils. Some of them lotions are specially made to relieve tired or swollen legs, so it can prove a very useful treat after long hours walking the tiny alleys of the island or after a long flight back home!
As you can see, presents from Santorini can be more than just fridge magnets. There are a lot of souvenir shops on the island to get the perfect memory from your vacation. You just need to spend some time picking the perfect present… but after reading this list, hopefully, we’ve managed to make that task much easier.
READ MORE: 25 Beautiful Greece Quotes To Inspire Your Greek Travels & 25 Gorgeous Quotes about Athens & Instagram Caption Inspiration
5 Things to Bring with You to Santorini
If you’re planning a trip to Santorini, you’ll want to pack all the normal essentials, but here are a few things we strongly recommend bringing that may not have crossed your mind. For more packing tips, check out our complete Greece packing list.
– A physical guidebook, in paper or on Kindle. We love Lonely Planet Greece for this region and strongly recommend it to supplement blogs. Blogs are great, but a combination of a blog and a guidebook is key to having the best access to information easily at your fingertips.
– A water bottle with a filter. While generally, the tap water in Santorini is drinkable, we generally recommend using a water bottle with a purifying filter to reduce your plastic consumption and ensure you won’t drink any funny-tasting water on your stomach that could make your trip unpleasant! There are places on the island where the water tastes like minerals.
We recommend the GRAYL water bottle – it filters water perfectly in an instant so that you can even drink from lakes, bad taps, etc.
– Motion sickness pills. Santorini roads are winding, especially around the coast. If you have a weak stomach as we do, save yourself and bring some non-drowsy motion sickness pills.
– Wet wipes, hand sanitizer, TP & other Balkan transit needs. Bathrooms in the Balkans tend to be… how can we say it?… not so well-stocked. Save yourself the disappointment and bring a mini-rescue pack of wet wipes & hand sanitizer.
– Travel safety items. We think Santorini is very safe to travel, but at the same time, it never hurts to be prepared! Some people like to carry money belts, but neither Stephanie or I use these. Instead, we both carry the same PacSafe anti-theft backpack.
It has locking zippers, slash-proof construction with metal mesh hidden in the fabric, and tons of other smart security features — all while being cute and stylish enough to be our everyday bag. We recommend it highly for both male and female travelers, as it’s neutral enough to be unisex. We also strongly recommend travel insurance! Our recommendation is at the bottom of the post.
More Greece Travel Resources
Headed to Greece? We have some great travel resources to help you with your trip.
First read our guide to planning a trip to Greece, which covers visas, budgets, vaccines, and much more.
Next, you’ll want to read our all-season Greece packing list.
If you are still trying to figure out your Greece itinerary, check out our guides on where to go in Greece, the best places for island hopping in Greece, and when is the best time to visit.
If you’ll be spending time in Athens, check out our Athens Instagram guide, the best Athens day trips, and our complete Athens hotel guide. We also have Athens safety tips so your trip can be hassle-free. We are currently working on our mega-post of things to do in Athens as well as our itineraries, so stay tuned!
We publish new content about the Balkans almost every day! For more information about traveling to Greece and the Balkans, bookmark our Greece and Balkan travel pages so you can find out what’s new before your trip.
Finally, Make Sure You Come to Greece with Travel Insurance!
I’m sure you’re aware that it’s a good idea to have travel insurance for traveling in Greece, the Balkans, or anywhere in the world!
Allison and I have both been paying customers of World Nomads for the last three years. We love the peace of mind it gives us in case of emergencies, accidents, illnesses, theft, or trip cancellation or disruption. While Athens is safe, there’s always a risk inherent in everyday travel like theft or injury, so it’s better to play it safe. The saying goes “if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel,” and we think it’s true!
>>Get a travel insurance quote for your trip here.<<
Pin this Guide to the Best Souvenirs to Buy in Santorini for your Next Trip to Greece!
Gabi Ancarola is a translator and travel journalist living in Crete. She regularly writes about the island for several magazines about travel, gastronomy, and hospitality. She has published several travel guides about Greece and runs a local gastronomy tour in Chania. She loves cooking local dishes, taking photos, and driving on the mountain roads of Crete.
