Beyond Oia: 10 Unforgettable Things to Do in Santorini During Your Stay at Pink Freud Villas
Santorini is famous for its whitewashed villages, blue domes and unforgettable sunsets, but there is much more to the island than the iconic views of Oia.
When you stay at Pink Freud Villas in peaceful Finikia, you can enjoy the privacy of your villa while using it as a comfortable base for discovering beaches, traditional villages, local food, wineries and experiences around the island.
As your hostess, I always encourage guests to explore Santorini at their own pace. Here are some of my favorite ways to experience the island.
1. Walk From Finikia to Oia
One of the pleasures of staying at Pink Freud Villas is being able to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of Finikia while still being within walking distance of Oia.
Start your day with a relaxed walk towards Oia, explore its small streets, shops and galleries, stop for coffee or lunch and enjoy the famous views.
Later, you can leave the crowds behind and return to the privacy of your villa and pool.
2. Sail Around the Santorini Caldera
Seeing Santorini from the sea is a completely different experience.
A sailing trip around the Caldera allows you to admire the dramatic volcanic landscape, swim in beautiful waters and enjoy several hours away from the busy villages.
Both daytime and sunset sailing trips are available. For couples, a sunset cruise can be particularly romantic, while families and groups often enjoy a relaxed daytime sailing experience.
3. Discover Santorini’s Beaches
Santorini’s volcanic history has created beaches unlike those found on many other Greek islands.
Spend a day discovering the island’s different coastal areas and combine swimming with a relaxed lunch by the sea.
Perissa and Perivolos are excellent choices for a longer beach day, while exploring some of the island’s quieter beaches can show you another side of Santorini.
4. Visit a Santorini Winery
Wine has been part of Santorini’s history and culture for centuries.
The island is particularly known for Assyrtiko, a distinctive white grape variety that thrives in Santorini’s volcanic environment.
Visiting a winery gives you the opportunity to learn about local winemaking, taste Santorini wines and discover a tradition that is deeply connected to the island.
A wine tasting can also be a wonderful activity for couples or groups of friends.
5. Explore Traditional Villages
Oia may be the most photographed village in Santorini, but it is certainly not the only one worth discovering.
Take time to visit villages such as Pyrgos and Megalochori, walk through narrow streets and discover traditional architecture, small churches and local cafés.
And do not forget Finikia itself.
Staying in a traditional Santorini village gives you the opportunity to experience a quieter rhythm of island life while remaining close to Oia.
6. Taste Authentic Santorini Cuisine
Food should be part of every Santorini holiday.
Try traditional dishes made with local ingredients such as Santorini tomatoes, fava, capers and local cheeses, alongside fresh fish and seafood.
There are excellent restaurants both close to Pink Freud Villas and throughout the island.
As your hostess, I am always happy to recommend restaurants according to what you are looking for, whether it is traditional Greek cuisine, seafood, fine dining, a romantic dinner or somewhere relaxed for the whole family.
7. Experience a Santorini Cooking Class
If you enjoy food, why only taste Greek cuisine when you can learn how to prepare it?
A cooking experience can be a wonderful way to spend a few hours discovering traditional recipes and ingredients.
It is also a fun bonding activity for couples, families and friends—and you return home with something more lasting than a photograph: recipes and memories you can recreate together.
8. Take a Day Trip to Thirassia
For a completely different experience, spend a few hours discovering Thirassia, the small island opposite Santorini.
Much quieter and less developed than Santorini, Thirassia offers a glimpse of traditional Cycladic island life, with small villages, local tavernas and beautiful views across the Caldera.
Boats depart from Ammoudi, making it an interesting day trip to combine with your stay near Oia.
Enjoy a relaxed lunch by the sea, walk around the island and experience a slower side of the Cyclades before returning to Santorini.
It is a wonderful choice for guests who want to discover something beyond the usual Santorini itinerary.
9. Make Time to Do Nothing
One of the biggest mistakes people sometimes make in Santorini is trying to see everything.
You are also here to have a holiday.
Spend a morning by your private pool. Have breakfast slowly. Read on your terrace. Open a bottle of Santorini wine in the evening and watch the colors of the sunset.
At Pink Freud Villas, privacy and space give you the freedom to enjoy Santorini without feeling that every day needs to be filled with sightseeing.
Sometimes doing nothing together becomes one of the best memories of a holiday.
10. Make Your Santorini Stay More Meaningful
Travel can also create an opportunity to reconnect.
Away from work, schedules and everyday responsibilities, couples and families often have something that can be difficult to find at home: uninterrupted time together.
For guests who would like to use some of that time more intentionally, Pink Freud Villas offers private Relationship Wellness experiences.
The experience can begin before your arrival with an online session, continue during your stay with private sessions and carefully selected bonding activities, and include an online follow-up after you return home.
Sailing, massage, dining and other Santorini experiences can also become part of a personalized stay focused on relaxation, connection and enjoyment.
Experience Santorini Your Way
There is no single perfect Santorini itinerary.
Perhaps your ideal holiday means sailing around the Caldera and exploring different parts of the island. Perhaps it means good food, wine and long afternoons by your private pool. Most likely, it is a little of both.
As your hostess at Pink Freud Villas, I am happy to help with personal recommendations for restaurants, sailing, activities, transfers, car rentals and experiences so that you can discover the Santorini that feels right for you.
Explore the island. Enjoy Oia. Discover somewhere unexpected.
Then return home to your private villa, pool and peaceful corner of Finikia.
Welcome to Pink Freud Villas.
Lena Kastrisiou
Owner & Hostess
Pink Freud Villas
Santorini is famous for its whitewashed villages, blue domes and unforgettable sunsets, but there is much more to the island than the iconic views of Oia.
When you stay at Pink Freud Villas in peaceful Finikia, you can enjoy the privacy of your villa while using it as a comfortable base for discovering beaches, traditional villages, local food, wineries and experiences around the island.
As your hostess, I always encourage guests to explore Santorini at their own pace. Here are some of my favorite ways to experience the island.
1. Walk From Finikia to Oia
One of the pleasures of staying at Pink Freud Villas is being able to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of Finikia while still being within walking distance of Oia.
Start your day with a relaxed walk towards Oia, explore its small streets, shops and galleries, stop for coffee or lunch and enjoy the famous views.
Later, you can leave the crowds behind and return to the privacy of your villa and pool.
2. Sail Around the Santorini Caldera
Seeing Santorini from the sea is a completely different experience.
A sailing trip around the Caldera allows you to admire the dramatic volcanic landscape, swim in beautiful waters and enjoy several hours away from the busy villages.
Both daytime and sunset sailing trips are available. For couples, a sunset cruise can be particularly romantic, while families and groups often enjoy a relaxed daytime sailing experience.
3. Discover Santorini’s Beaches
Santorini’s volcanic history has created beaches unlike those found on many other Greek islands.
Spend a day discovering the island’s different coastal areas and combine swimming with a relaxed lunch by the sea.
Perissa and Perivolos are excellent choices for a longer beach day, while exploring some of the island’s quieter beaches can show you another side of Santorini.
4. Visit a Santorini Winery
Wine has been part of Santorini’s history and culture for centuries.
The island is particularly known for Assyrtiko, a distinctive white grape variety that thrives in Santorini’s volcanic environment.
Visiting a winery gives you the opportunity to learn about local winemaking, taste Santorini wines and discover a tradition that is deeply connected to the island.
A wine tasting can also be a wonderful activity for couples or groups of friends.
5. Explore Traditional Villages
Oia may be the most photographed village in Santorini, but it is certainly not the only one worth discovering.
Take time to visit villages such as Pyrgos and Megalochori, walk through narrow streets and discover traditional architecture, small churches and local cafés.
And do not forget Finikia itself.
Staying in a traditional Santorini village gives you the opportunity to experience a quieter rhythm of island life while remaining close to Oia.
6. Taste Authentic Santorini Cuisine
Food should be part of every Santorini holiday.
Try traditional dishes made with local ingredients such as Santorini tomatoes, fava, capers and local cheeses, alongside fresh fish and seafood.
There are excellent restaurants both close to Pink Freud Villas and throughout the island.
As your hostess, I am always happy to recommend restaurants according to what you are looking for, whether it is traditional Greek cuisine, seafood, fine dining, a romantic dinner or somewhere relaxed for the whole family.
7. Experience a Santorini Cooking Class
If you enjoy food, why only taste Greek cuisine when you can learn how to prepare it?
A cooking experience can be a wonderful way to spend a few hours discovering traditional recipes and ingredients.
It is also a fun bonding activity for couples, families and friends—and you return home with something more lasting than a photograph: recipes and memories you can recreate together.
8. Take a Day Trip to Thirassia
For a completely different experience, spend a few hours discovering Thirassia, the small island opposite Santorini.
Much quieter and less developed than Santorini, Thirassia offers a glimpse of traditional Cycladic island life, with small villages, local tavernas and beautiful views across the Caldera.
Boats depart from Ammoudi, making it an interesting day trip to combine with your stay near Oia.
Enjoy a relaxed lunch by the sea, walk around the island and experience a slower side of the Cyclades before returning to Santorini.
It is a wonderful choice for guests who want to discover something beyond the usual Santorini itinerary.
9. Make Time to Do Nothing
One of the biggest mistakes people sometimes make in Santorini is trying to see everything.
You are also here to have a holiday.
Spend a morning by your private pool. Have breakfast slowly. Read on your terrace. Open a bottle of Santorini wine in the evening and watch the colors of the sunset.
At Pink Freud Villas, privacy and space give you the freedom to enjoy Santorini without feeling that every day needs to be filled with sightseeing.
Sometimes doing nothing together becomes one of the best memories of a holiday.
10. Make Your Santorini Stay More Meaningful
Travel can also create an opportunity to reconnect.
Away from work, schedules and everyday responsibilities, couples and families often have something that can be difficult to find at home: uninterrupted time together.
For guests who would like to use some of that time more intentionally, Pink Freud Villas offers private Relationship Wellness experiences.
The experience can begin before your arrival with an online session, continue during your stay with private sessions and carefully selected bonding activities, and include an online follow-up after you return home.
Sailing, massage, dining and other Santorini experiences can also become part of a personalized stay focused on relaxation, connection and enjoyment.
Experience Santorini Your Way
There is no single perfect Santorini itinerary.
Perhaps your ideal holiday means sailing around the Caldera and exploring different parts of the island. Perhaps it means good food, wine and long afternoons by your private pool. Most likely, it is a little of both.
As your hostess at Pink Freud Villas, I am happy to help with personal recommendations for restaurants, sailing, activities, transfers, car rentals and experiences so that you can discover the Santorini that feels right for you.
Explore the island. Enjoy Oia. Discover somewhere unexpected.
Then return home to your private villa, pool and peaceful corner of Finikia.
Welcome to Pink Freud Villas.
Lena Kastrisiou
Owner & Hostess
Pink Freud Villas
